Construction Project in Auroville (South India):
Published in DBZ (German Construction Magazine)
Auroville is a “spiritual community”, which was founded 1968 by the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo and his companion Mira Richard. To find a construction style, that is cheap as well as attractive, they did a lot of researches. It had to conform to the local climate conditions and meet the demands of the European lifestyle expectations, like cleanliness for example. The traditional rooftops, covered with palm branches had to be replaced, as they would be covered with dirt and dust. Even though they did not weigh a lot and they keep the place comfortably cool. Moreover they had to be replaced every 3rd years. The solution for the poorer population was the use of corrugated iron sheets as rooftops.
One of the results of the research project is the example illustrated over the following pages.
It reflects the construction style that was brought to India by the colonial patriarchs around the 16th century and so with picks up a historical process. Except for a small quantity of cement it can easily be built with local material (limestone, brick, granite and wood). According to the plans for the construction of the building, the plot was left more or less untouched in its original and organic condition. No trees were damaged or taken out, so the house would fit perfectly into its natural environment. There is though one minor aspect that could be criticized. Which is the rooftop; it is too big and is solidly built. Therefore the heat of the sun is accumulated throughout the day into the night time. With high temperatures finding in India, this is definitely undesirable. An improvement would be to cover the roofs with fast growing climbing and winding plants that keep the rooftops shaded and at a good temperature.
Auroville