To bridge the cost and design equation, we decided to source all the materials locally and take a sustainable direction. On exploring, we learned that the village had enough supplies of rubble stones and skilled labour who knew rubble masonry construction. There was a 100-year-old building in ruins in one corner of the site which we demolished and recovered a large quantity of rubble stones, sand and two wooden columns. Within a 2-mile distance, we found handmade bricks with excellent compression strength.

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We had decided to source refurbished doors and windows form Pondicherry. For the Flooring, we decided to opt for Athangudi Tiles, a 10sq.inch handmade tile, which is cost-effective, aesthetic and also has natural cooling properties on account of the natural earth used in the manufacturing. We found a nearby pottery village where terracotta products like pots, etc., were their primary occupation. With these data, we proceeded to the Schematic Design Phase.

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For the construction techniques, we had taken inspiration from the renowned Architect Laurie Baker’s approach by opting for a Load-Bearing construction with Random Rubble Foundation. The exposed brick walls are built in Rat-Trap Bond. For the roofing, we used Filler Roof Slabs with affordable filler materials such as Terracotta pots and reclaimed Mangalore Clay Roof Tiles.