Humanscapes Habitat

  • Location:
    Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Type of use:
    Residential with community and work space
  • Year of construction:
    2016–2020
  • Size:
    3090 m²
  • Project sponsor:
    Ashok Lall
  • Principle of fail addressed:
    Uniform Architecture, Short-term Responsibility, Resource Ignorance, Social Ignorance

Low Tech, High Potential

Humanscapes Habitat is an integrated urban living project that serves as a benchmark for sustainable and harmonious development—an urgent necessity in the face of the global energy and climate crisis. This mixed-use development integrates residences, community spaces, and workspaces, with the aim of setting new standards for low-embodied-energy construction. Its goal is also to achieve adaptive comfort with solar passive envelop de-sign, in order to reduce operational energy, specifically in the cooling sector. 

A Realistic Ideal 

The Humanscapes Habitat project was developed in two phases between 2016 and 2020 with grant-in-aid support from the Government of India. The housing of 3,090 m2 was deli-vered as "ready for occupancy," complete with all fittings and fixtures. It is built in Aurovil-le, located in coastal Tamil Nadu. The architectural design and structural engineering solu-tions ensure that at least 75% of the building can be constructed by semi-skilled or unskil-led labour. Except for cement and steel, which make up 22% of the building volume, all other materials are sourced within a 200 km radius, relying exclusively on local supply chains. 

The design and choice of materials address the challenges of building maintenance in a hot-humid climate with seasonal cyclones. The base of the walls is constructed using waste stone, offering protection from rain damage and rising damp. Deep overhangs shield the structure from heavy rainfall and intense heat. Flooring combines natural stone and traditional coloured cement, a culturally appropriate choice for a barefoot lifestyle and floor-level seating. 

The guidelines followed in the project design aim to minimize disturbance to natural topo-graphy, retain indigenous trees, integrate surface flow channels, apply solar passive de-sign principles suitable for a hot-humid coastal climate, design efficient functional layouts to maximize usable space, align space functionality with climate to enhance energy effi-ciency and recycle all sewage for irrigation to reduce potable water demand.

Why SHIFT selected this project

  • Necessity: Serves as a sustainable urban living prototype addressing India's climate and energy goals through integrated mixed-use housing.
  • Affordability: Delivered 5% below middle-income housing budget, accessible to young local adults, and supported by government grants.
  • Simplicity and Appropriateness: Employs solar-passive, low-tech construction to meet climate needs with minimal machinery.
  • Sufficiency and Efficiency: Achieves net-positive energy and zero-discharge waste cycles while exceeding national efficiency benchmarks.
  • Scalability: Designed for local labor and materials, with 75% of construction feasible by semi- or unskilled workers. 
  • Beauty: Follows “Tropical Minimalism,” using recycled and vernacular materials that resonate with the cultural and ecological setting. 
  • Unique Principles of Success: A demonstration lab for sustainable design with post-occupancy performance data, institutional collaborations, and low-energy living principles. 
  • Limitations: Market preference for aesthetic over ecological function and weak regulatory support hinder wider adoption.

Rooted In Local Building Traditions

Beauty and harmony in the built environment are essential for sustainability. India’s archi-tectural diversity emerges from its tropical climatic challenges—summer and monsoon, fire and water. 

Rooted in local building traditions, this project responds to its context at both macro and micro scales. The walls combine earth with construction and demolition waste, stabilized with 5% cement to prevent erosion. Waste stone trimmings form the lower sections of the walls, while intermediate floors and roofs use segmental arched vaults built with low-fired clay bricks sourced from local kilns. Salvaged wood is used for doors and windows. 

After implementation, data was collected and analysed on temperature regulation, airflow, time lag, energy and water consumption, and waste generation. Results were compared to benchmarks from the National Building Code (NBC) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). In all parameters, the project surpassed national standards, setting new benchmarks without compromising quality of life.


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