What a strange time to be alive!

Why sustainable architecture needs to be the norm.

We live in a world where instant gratification is easily available and encouraged; the products we use are designed to not last long and consumerism is being peddled to us via social media and advertisements.

Things breaking down within a few uses, use and throw items are all over the market. In fact, finding products even clothes that do not hurt our health and have longevity are hard to find or classified as luxury.

What a strange time to be alive.

Sadly, even buildings and building products have been influenced by this short-term quick gain agenda.

We see a lot more aluminium, plastic, acrylic, you know, PVC replacing the organic materials like wood, glass, and veneers.

These "cheaper" replacements may seem like a good inexpensive option to create seemingly nice looking "modular" buildjngs and interiors but they prove to be quite expensive for our health and , frankly, they also look cheap... because they are.

Buildings and building materials and finishes, especially, should have longevity. They should be strong and be able to stand the test of time. Today, buildings start deteriorating and breaking down almost immediately. Cracks and dampness is the most common issue these days that people seek me out for. Their spaces need renovation and interventions within a few years of occupancy.

Have you ever struggled with dampness in your home?

• 0%YES!!! and I am still struggling. 😒
• 0%Yup! But I covered it with paint or tiles. 😬
• 0%Nope, never had that problem. 😏

This just makes me sad. One pits in their hard earned savings into a home, office, etc. only for it to start coming apart almost immediately.

Sustainable buildings are literally designed to sustain the test of time, climate, and use.

Seeing many such cases only cemented (haha, pun intended) my belief that building sustainably IS the only way to go. Sustainable buildings are literally designed to sustain the test of time, climate, use. It prioritises the health and longevity of the building and its occupants. We conceptualise, design, choose materials and construction techniques to ensure the building is always in harmony with the context, climate, microclimate, and the vegetation. That way my clients can live and work in that building for a long, long time while staying healthy and happy.

I would like to point out that modular is not the problem. In fact, modular construction and material components are one of the best things to come out of modern and contemporary architecture because they enable us to build low-resource buildings, like high-rise offices and apartments. Since, they are essentially repetitive. However, I believe that homes, bungalows and such, need not be modular, the shouldn't be modular. Because when a family buys a home or a plot of land or when a business-person buys an office space or... a plot of land, they want a space and a building that reflects them, their values, their personality. It must be unique to them. It must be designed to bring together elements, materials, motifs, patterns that represent their family, their business.

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