Changing Definitions Of Sustainability And Green Living

Ester Elias, from The Hindu talks with Chennai-based designer Benny Kuriakose about the changing definitions of conservation architecture and green living. In architect Benny Kuriakose’s mind, there’s a fledgling dream that’s taken root and pushes forth shoots. He dreams of an environmentally conscious architecture where solar-powered apartments exist off the grid but for air conditioning, where a planted indigenous forest co-exists with rain harvested water bodies, where each home opens into his trademark courtyard and ornate verandah, and each floor hosts common living and dining spaces, where terrace farming feeds its inhabitants and the aged find convenience and purpose; where the best of commune living meets the standards of urban design.