CHIRATH RESIDENCE

2019. 5. 9. 04:30

In today’s world, it is a prevalent trend to add the prefix of sustainability to most things. However, there seems to be very little that is done to represent the concept.
We(Wallmakers), as a community, have devoted ourselves to the cause of using Mud and Waste as the chief components to make structures which are alluring and utilitarian. As a firm practicing sustainable architecture exclusively for a decade, we know about the aspirations of a “modern” client, where his house is a symbol of his status and prominence in society instead of being a statement for the future.

When we first met the client, he mentioned to us about his disapproval towards the traditional Kerala style home system. The traditional houses in Kerala are typically sloped roof structures with heavy overhangs. Although the roof prevented rain and the cooling was phenomenal, he was deterred by the atmosphere of darkness which stayed prevalent or was associated with the ambience inside the house.

The second altercation was that many of the architectural systems that were in place promoted gender inequality in the olden days since women were restricted to the courtyard. Thus during the early days of the project, the client had made a point that the house should be a symbol of a new light, or a new outlook to our age old systems and beliefs.

“Chirath” which denotes a traditional lamp in Malayalam is the name given by Mr. Ramanujan Basha for his house at Pala, Kerala. The client, thus asked for a solution by throwing away the bad and utilising the good.

We decided to break the roof, split it open and let the light flow in, all while using waste and mud to build the house. This is the concept of Chirath. What is waste? Waste can be classified as anything that was produced, used and then discarded from its original function. While the work and construction process results in the production of a lot of scrap, we believe in not being deterred by this demon and instead building with it.

Materials of Construction Detail:

1. Shuttered debri wall - a patented technique .This wall construction technique involves mixing cement, soil and waste materials of various sizes(coarse aggregate) ranging from 10-70mm skillfully to give a strong wall (5.2MpA compressive strength)
2. Ferrocement Shell Roof - These wafer-like structures are steel reinforced arched shells with effective thickness of 1.5cm and they take equal load of respective R.C.C slabs. They effectively reduce the overall cement consumption by 40% and steel consumption by 30%.These replace the R.C.C Slab in roofing as they are as strong as 1200 kg/㎡
3. Terracotta tile jali - Locally available tiles are used in a composite manner with ms rods running through them and forming successive sets placed one below the other with gaps in between for ventilation.
4. Waste wood - Cut wooden scrap pieces have been joined to make furniture like beds , kitchen cabinets, chairs, etc.
5. Scrap for window grills - Waste steel rods and ms plates are put to use beautifully as window grills, and ventilators.
6. Ferrocement walls and slabs - Thin Partition walls in toilets, kitchen slab, and seating in living area are made of ferrocement.
7. Oxide - Floor and selected walls have been finished with grey and white oxides.

Pond - The pond in the living area aids in evapo-transpiration and helps in passive cooling.

* Rainwater Harvesting Tank as an extension to the pond serves as a collection pit for the flow of stormwater from the sloping roofs. With a capacity of 35m3, this stored water is recycled for all domestic purposes.
* Innovative ferrocement shell roof leaving pockets of light which enter the building and change the mood every hour.
* Reinventing the use of terracotta tiles as jali on the exterior walls.
* Landscape that comprises of only indegenous plants and grass that is present in that area.
* Well amalgamated interiors and exteriors, which allow peaceful transition into spaces.

Amidst all the other pitched roof buildings in the locality, this pitched roof residence, stands out due to its unique choice of materials and form.The rammed earth pathway, flanked by mud-rendered retaining walls ushers one into the house through the wild landscape.

키라스 레지던스

오늘날 전 세계는 '지속 가능성'이라는 접두사를 대부분의 것에 추가하는 것이 일반적인 유행이다. 그러나 이 콘셉트를 제대로 보여주는 것은 거의 없는 것처럼 보인다.
우리(월메이커스 건축사사무소)는 커뮤니티로서 매혹적이고 실용적인 구조를 만들기 위한 주요한 요소로서 진흙과 폐기물을 사용하는 것에 우리 스스로를 헌신해왔다. 10년 동안 독점적으로 지속 가능한 건축을 실행해온 회사기 때문에 집은 미래를 위한 상태가 되는 것보다는 사회의 지위와 명성의 상징이라는 “현대” 고객의 염원에 대해 알고 있다.

고객을 처음 만났을 때 그는 전통적 케랄라 스타일 집 시스템에 대한 그가 가진 반감에 대해 언급했다. 케랄라의 전통 집은 전형적으로 무거운 오버행이 있는 경사진 지붕구조이다. 비록 지붕이 비를 막고 냉방은 놀라울 정도이지만, 집 안의 환경과 관련된 어두운 분위기에 단념했다.

두 번째 논쟁은 이 지역의 건축 시스템의 대부분이 여성이 뜰에 가는 것이 금지되어 있었기 때문에 과거에 성 불평등을 조장했다는 것이다. 따라서 이 프로젝트 초기에는 의뢰인이 이 집이 새로운 빛의 상징이거나 우리 시대의 오래된 시스템과 믿음에 새로운 관점이 되어야만 한다는 점을 지적했다.

말라얄람의 전통 램프를 뜻하는 “Chirath”는 라마누잔 바샤(Ramanujan Basha)가 준 이름이다. 의뢰인은 나쁜 점을 버리고 좋은 점을 활용하는 해결책에 대해 요청했다. 우리는 지붕을 부수고 열어서 빛이 들어오도록 결정했고, 그것을 위해 폐기물과 진흙을 사용하기로 결정했다. 이것이 Chirath의 콘셉트이다. 폐기물은 생산되고 사용된 다음 원래의 기능에서 버려진 것으로 분류할 수 있다. 작업과 건설 과정은 많은 폐기물을 생산하는 대신 그 폐기물로 지어지는 것이다.

이 지역의 다른 모든 경사 지붕 건물들 가운데서도 투명한 지붕 주택은 재료와 형태가 독특하기 때문에 두드러진다. 또한 진흙으로 만든 옹벽으로 둘러싸인 흙길은 야생의 경관을 통해 우리를 집으로 안내한다.

SITE PLAN

MATERIALS

EAST ELEVATION

SECTION

FLOOR PLAN

Architects Wallmakers

Location Pala, Kerala

Gross Floor Area 168.28㎡

Completion 2018

Principal architect Ar. Vinu Daniel

Project team Pushkar Sharma, Tushar Sharma, Pinak Bhapkar, Srivarshini J. M., Sriviji Nachimuthu, Neeraj Murali, Shyamala Baskaran, Sagar Kudtarkar

Contractors P.S. Suresh - Shivranjini Constructions, Pondicherry

Fabrication team Kunjumon James -J.K steels

Carpenters Sharath Prasad and team

Oxide Antony T. A.

Photographer Anand Jaju, Jino and Midhu