HYDERABAD: After the pandemic made us take a bite of the reality sandwich, more and more people have been turning to a green lifestyle. Right from ditching plastic to reusing resources and mulling investing in electronic vehicles, many are putting in conscious efforts to live an eco-friendly life.
Taking it a level up, people from the world over are gearing up to take the next big step towards sustainable living — housing. Even as this is gaining traction across the globe, Hyderabad is not far behind with Nawab Mir Nasir Ali Khan, the Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan for TS & AP, undertaking the first sustainability housing project in the Telugu States.
Nasir’s company, MAK Projects Ltd., is currently working on the newest phase of its 250-acre BTR Greens in Maheshwaram along the Srisailam highway, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Revealing more about what’s coming up, he shares, “The project includes residential properties as well as recreational and cultural amenities. The first two phases, so far, have included 300 homes, while the third will have up to 700 luxury villas, which are planned to be built out of Canadian wood.”
In the latest development, the joint venture with the Forest Innovation Investment (the crown agency of the British Columbia government in Canada), was approached by Australia regarding wood export for the project. “The Canadian Wood Villas, luxury homes being constructed out of spruce, pine, fir, western hemlock, western red cedar and yellow cedar from British Columbia, is certainly turning heads. This is sure to set new and the right trends in sustainable housing.
India is new to such technology and design, and does not have the required manpower right now. But, this project will ensure there’s adequate learning and a good buzz is created. Housing for long, has been very conventional in the country, and amounts to a lot of pollution, hence the decision to choose wood.
Canadian wood because we wanted to buy from a legal, sustainable and reliable source. Working with such a committed, honest and ethical team is such a joy. For every tree they chop, they plant three more,” Nasir shares.
He points out that tech giant Microsoft is updating its campus in Silicon Valley, California, using timber with its carbon and other eco-benefits in mind. The campus will be the largest mass timber project in North America. “UK too got its first green mosque — the Cambridge Mosque — which opened its doors to the public in 2019. It must definitely be a model for other religious buildings around the world. Walmart and other companies across the world are also moving to sustainable buildings,” says Nasir, adding that with countries like New Zealand and France, among others, making sustainable housing a mandate, India will soon follow suit.
Speaking about greener houses being the need of the hour, actor and architect Kamal Kamaraju says that sustainability should also be a 360-degree effort. He explains, “Every region has certain resources that are available in abundance, they should be given a chance to flourish. There must be an effort from various construction departments, as well as the government, to reach there. Also, the concept of importing material might not help the planet in the longer run, thanks to the amount of fuel and cargo being used to get it here.”
On how Hyderabad can fare better when it comes to sustainable yet affordable housing, Srinivas Murthy, chief architect at SMG Design Inc., says, “Hyderabad is new and slow to the concept of sustainable housing, but is sure shot headed there. It might take a while for there to be good demand and supply of such projects in the city, but until then small changes too will impact green living in the future. One can start slow by checking our energy consumption and planting more trees to ensure the city doesn’t become a concrete jungle.”
When people demand natural lighting, ethical resources, rainwater harvesting, etc., architects will be forced to design sustainable houses, thereby helping build sustainable cities, he says. “A residence in itself can’t prove to be sustainable, holistic planning of work, hospitals, schools, entertainment studios, etc., in a single area will help, however, these will all take the city a good while to get there. Nevertheless, it’s a great start.” Srinivas adds.