“I am constantly moving forward. In the future, I see a lot of human beings living in harmony with nature. There will be a lot of positive and holistic search for our being. I see an ecological civilization as our collective future.” — Revathi Kamath
A pioneer in ‘Mud Architecture‘ Revathi Sekhar Kamath founded the Kamath Design Studio with her husband Vasant Kamath, who explored different traditional techniques and materials. Their studio believed in reviving the vernacular way of life, which was lost due to rapid Industrialization post-Indian Independence.
As Revathi Kamath puts it: “My whole effort is to make mud a viable material. The embodied energy of mud is the lowest. Mud is the most recyclable and sustainable material on this planet; it only uses small amounts of mechanical energy and huge amounts of human energy. It sustains human beings.”
Kamath Design Studio aims to address various social, economical and geographical contexts in architectural design. She believed in developing homes for various communities by interacting and truly understanding their needs. She believed that Human ecosystems must be self-conscious while occupying the forest. Green Architecture needs to re-establish its links with its natural system to continue its evolutionary progression.
She regarded human patterns and forms in space could be characterised as destructive, harmonious, colonising and evolutionary. The bridge between humans and nature is always in a state of flux that seeks equilibrium.
Here are some projects by Kamath Design Studio to give you an overall view of the practice:
1. Akshay Pratishthan School, Delhi
The school aimed to educate and help the physically disabled students in an environment that builds confidence and designed according to its evolving curriculum. This project took 2 months right from its inception to its execution. The plan has an interconnection fluid pattern creating ease in movement. The activity centre became that space for every student to express themselves fully and establish a strong tactile relationship. This quality of space was essential because students came from areas/colonies that lacked this bondage to space that is required for a child’s cognitive development.
The roof of this space is a simple asbestos sheet covered with thatch, with a layer of soil and green creepers. This school is an example of a simple extraction of a basic need for a school, that is to build a vocabulary that is understood and experienced mindfully by its users.
2. Community Center, Maheshwari, Madhya Pradesh
The Community centre designed by Kamath Design Studio, located in Maheshwar Madhya Pradesh, famous for its cotton weavers, provided a one-stop osmotic solution that connected its rural culture within its built structure. Located within the Maheswari Fort, the community centre houses a library, a crèche, a clinic, and a courtyard for community gatherings, plays, lectures, and film screenings. The narrow plan of the building follows its geology, where it seems to be wrapped around a canopy of trees.
As the built form was organically laid into the site, its scale and mass stands distinguished on the street, yet creates a sense of transparency with daily activities. The construction of the centre collaborated with craftsmen and masons to enable an upgrade of the building in future whilst conserving its architectural character. In a community that left the villagers to navigate through their day-to-day activities undefined, the community centre has interwoven their relationship not just with their chores but with their lifestyle, culture and habits.
3. Nalin Tomar House at Hauz Khas, Delhi
Hauz Khas is a neighbourhood located in South Delhi that houses the remnants of Islamic Architecture. The site measuring 40 SQM was engulfed within its surroundings which not only housed ancient building structures but also included its modern amenities that included restaurants, art galleries and boutiques selling handcrafted designer garments. This L-shaped site was built using load-bearing bricks plastered with coarse sand and unpainted cement plaster. The doors and windows were made of recycled timber.
The architectural vocabulary used are pointed arches, a small dome, corbelled cornices and wrought-iron metalwork designed around a motif of the tree of life. The most striking element of the house is the entrance elevation 4 storeys high which is slightly wider than the doorway. His rooms except the study are private, beyond the stairwell, at different levels. The house Mr Nalin Tomar claims to be an extension of himself with which he identifies himself.
4. Laxman Sagar resort at Pali, Raipur
Located at the foothill of the Aravalli range on the site of a 19th-century hunting lodge, the original structures consisted of a columnated verandah and a haveli. These buildings were restored that included 12 cottages in 2 clusters over 32 acres of land. The verandahs overlooked the plains on one side and the lake on the other, whereas the haveli had a courtyard within its form.
The building fits it geographically within a mountainous foundation harmoniously. Materials used for construction were locally sourced sun-dried mud bricks for the walls, local sandstone for door and window frames, eucalyptus logs were used as beams, Bidasan marble was used for flooring and bathrooms were built in sate masonry.
5. Gnostic Centre, Gurgaon
The parametric structure might have seen the day of light in the 21st century, from towering steel structures to ever-expanding roof membranes. This is a research centre for meditation. The main meditation hall has a roof whose natural vegetation is supported by a digitally form-found bamboo-Crete shell structure. The buildings within this compound are single storey and are built using bricks, stone and bamboo primarily.
Kamath Design Studio has always been a pioneer in using earthy, locally sourced materials to construct its buildings. The design ideology that goes one step beyond construction is to truly understand the need of the building centring around its social, geographical and economical context. Vasant and Revathi Kamath have given the world a stage to explore indigenous practices and a voice for green architecture that echoes its message of living as one with nature.
References:
www.teriin.org. (n.d.). My whole effort is to make mud a viable material, says Revathi Kamath. [online] Available at: https://www.teriin.org/interview/my-whole-effort-make-mud-viable-material-says-revathi-kamath.
STIR world (2020). Revisiting the life of Revathi Kamath, the torchbearer of vernacular architecture. [online] Stirworld.com. Available at: https://www.stirworld.com/think-opinions-revisiting-the-life-of-revathi-kamath-the-torchbearer-of-vernacular-architecture.
Kamath, Design. (1992,April). Women in Architecture, Akshay Pratisthan School, New Delhi. Architecture+Design, [Online] Pg 44-45
http://www.kamathdesign.org/uploadimages/pdffile/1351256111.pdf
architectuul.com. (n.d.). Community Center Maheshwar Fort. [online] Available at: http://architectuul.com/architecture/community-center-maheshwar-fort
Kamath Design. (1993). Nalin Tomar House. Modern House 2 [Online]
http://www.kamathdesign.org/uploadimages/pdffile/1345192670.pdf
ArchitectureLive! (2017). Laxman Sagar resort at Pali, by Kamath Design Studio. [online] Available at: https://architecturelive.in/laxman-sagar-resort-at-pali-by-kamath-design-studio/
shift.org.in. (n.d.). Architecture Project – SHiFt Architects, New Delhi. [online] Available at: https://shift.org.in/architecture.php
Anon, (n.d.). Kamath Design Studio –. [online] Available at: http://www.home-review.com/2012/02/kamath-design-studio/
STIR world (2020). Revisiting the life of Revathi Kamath, the torchbearer of vernacular architecture. [online] Stirworld.com. Available at: https://www.stirworld.com/think-opinions-revisiting-the-life-of-revathi-kamath-the-torchbearer-of-vernacular-architecture.
