For us, sustainability isn’t a label or a separate package. It’s a set of habits that runs through every project, from a Breach Candy flat to a holiday home in the hills. It’s led by Maitri Uka, whose Master’s at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) in Barcelona focused on regenerative design and natural materials.
what it means in practice
1. Design with the climate before adding machines.
Orientation, shading, cross-ventilation and thermal mass do a lot of work in Indian climates. In The Seed, cross-ventilated rooms open onto mango and jackfruit trees. In earlier work our founders contributed to, a school in Yavatmal uses a weather wall against 45°C summers (before in•elements).
2. Choose natural materials that age well.
Lime plaster, stone, solid timber, cane, rattan and raw brass last for decades and get better with use. They don’t need replacing when they stop looking new. See why we keep using lime plaster.
3. Prefer local and Indian materials.
Banswara marble, Kota stone, local limestones and Indian craft keep transport and embodied energy down, and support skills that are disappearing.
4. Reuse before buying new.
Repurposed Burma teak in The Seed. A powder room basin made from construction offcuts in home in•between. Existing furniture kept and reworked wherever it’s good.
5. Build less, better.
Flexible rooms that do two jobs mean fewer square feet to build, light and cool. A small home that hosts twelve, like Plum House, is a sustainable home.
for second homes
Holiday homes often sit empty. We design them to look after themselves: passive cooling, durable natural finishes, rainwater management, and details that handle salt air and monsoon rain. See architecture: homes and holiday homes.
honest about limits
We’ll always tell you the trade-offs, whether that’s cost, maintenance or availability, and help you choose where sustainability makes the biggest difference for your budget.
See also: heritage homes · where we work · FAQ