It is often said that thinking in non-linear ways allows one’s mind to wander and explore creative ideas. Something that architects P Manasi and Guruprasad Rane of Bhoomija Creations did when they conceived and gave shape to their first cob house in Pattambi, located in the Palakkad district of Kerala.
“The linearity of our thinking often translates into the design of our buildings. This is why we create straight walls as that is the first conventional shape for a boundary. Nature, on the contrary, is not bound by straight lines; it is seamless and without boundaries. The concept for this home was born out of an underlying desire to overcome these limitations of thought and to design spaces creatively while balancing utility and aesthetics,” says Manasi.
Aptly named Gaea, which is the Greek personification of the Earth as a goddess, designing this house, according to the architects, was a very organic process built on the pillars of reduce, recycle, reuse and revive. The latter refers to promoting ancient sustainable techniques of construction which are on the verge of vanishing and keeping these traditions alive. The focus was on using biodegradable and energy efficient materials.
Set amidst lush green paddy fields on a plot area of 20 cents (a little over 8,700 sq ft), the area of the actual house is about 2,000 sq ft. According to the architects, the brief from the owner, Mukesh CM, was simple and clear—if the house could set an example, he would be happy. The plan was always to use only half the plot for the house and leave the rest untouched. Since the soil around the rice fields is predominantly clayey, they decided to adopt the method of cob construction.
“Cob is the method of earth construction and suitable when the soil is clayey and is perfect to create hand-sculpted spaces,” adds Rane. The soil is first mixed with lime which acts as a stabiliser. Then straw, rice husk, jaggery and certain natural ingredients for pest control and better bondage are added and finally mixed with water to form earth balls. The balls are stacked above each other to make the walls. After it dries, the rough surface is plastered with a mix of finely sieved soil and lime to get a smooth surface. Finally, the walls are rubbed with stone until the required sheen is obtained. A perfect way to naturally treat the walls sans any chemical processing or paints. Some of the walls are supported by laterite stone which was obtained when they were digging the well in the plot. This gives an interesting contrast to the mud walls.
Most of the materials used are locally sourced and recycled from old houses. For example, old wooden trunks have been used to support the car porch roofing, the doors, windows, wooden pillars as well as roofing tiles have been reused from old houses. The compound has also been one with reused clay roofing tiles while the toilet flooring is done with broken tile chips. Flooring has been done with coloured cement oxide with the help of local craftsmen who have also created the bamboo light fixtures. The architects add that most of the furniture is inbuilt and natural cashew nut oil was used for polishing the wood.
The house is also replete with green elements. “The landscaping has been done with tropical plants. The yard paving is done with broken laterite which is a quarry waste sourced locally. We have planted buffalo grass in between to create a natural bonding as well as to get green cover,” say the architects. Indeed, if ever there was a true example of earthy, sustainable architecture, this is it.