PROP TALK
`Take lessons from traditional techniques'
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Tackling cost increase in construction means keeping an eagle eye on wastage. The science of recycling has more relevance in architecture in building earthy, artistic creations, says architect Benny Kuriakose in a chat with RANJANI GOVIND
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COST CONSCIOUS: Architect, Benny Kuriakose
Architecture is one profession where you can literally bring in more room for creativity. Ask Benny Kuriakose and he will vouch for that. Kuriakose has dealt with a multiplicity of structures for a cross-section of customised stipulations and his work reflects a garner of different styles across the country.
And bringing about a confluence of living cultures is his brick and mortar expressions at Dakshinachitra on East Coast Road where spaces containing pathways and courtyards exude further serenity amidst the recreated architecture of transplanted buildings... where Kuriakose brought in extra sunlight for the courtyards and weaned the internal walls away from it with his strategic placement of verandahs and designed-roof-overhangs.
Consider the feedback that some of his multi-faceted designs got from public:"Nobody could have thought of a better-architectured entrance for Dakshinachitra," opine several visitors in their comments at this museum of heritage and culture run by the Madras Craft Foundation.
"When I come into this temple of tranquil design, half my disease is gone," said a cancer patient who used to be in-and-out of the Institute of Palliative Medicine at Calicut.
"Good design reflects the evolution of a whole way of life," commented the authorities of Inside Outside magazine while presenting their Designer of the Year Award to Kuriakose for his weekend retreat in Muttukadu.
"A landmark of re-building work," said the people of the devastated land tragedy when Malayala Manorama had commissioned Kuriakose to redesign Banegoan village of Lattur, after the tragic earthquake struck them in 1994.
Benny Kuriakose has knocked at every creative door, be it while designing actor Mammooty's residence in Kerala, the conservation projects of St. George School in Chennai, Senate House - Madras University, the Anegundi Palace in Karnataka, or fashioning the Ripples Resort in Kerala.
Kuriakose regularly lectures at the School of Architecture and Planning in New Delhi and has served as a Member of Kerala's Expert Committee for examining the feasibility of adopting low-cost technology in new buildings.
But do you know what this earthy designer thinks is the basic skill required to be an all-encompassing architect? "Try your hand at making furniture, for, your eye for detail begins here," is his basic premise.
Property Plus caught up with the Chennai-based architect-designer who strengthened his design-proficiency on the strong foundation that Laurie Baker laid for him. He later took a Masters in Conservation Studies, a result of the Charles Wallace India Trust Award he received, which took him to the University of York, U.K. for the study.
You are known for bringing in cost effective-techniques ...
I do not want to increase the cost of a project. Avoiding wastage of materials is by itself a challenge in lowering costs! I would like to call my buildings `No-waste buildings', more than `cost- effective buildings'. These things are going to become very relevant in the coming years because you now hear everyone talking about sustainable development.
Do you leave a distinct stamp of your style on every work?
I do not have a style of my own. I use different materials such as brick (exposed and plastered), mud, stone, bamboo, tiles, thatch and concrete. Also I do not stick to Kerala style as such, although I am very strong at it. I look at the requirements and change accordingly. I think the buildings should reflect the individuality of the client and not mine. The fact that I discuss even the elevation ideas with my client makes each project different.
Your weekend retreat bagged the Design of the Year Award from Inside-Outside magazine
This get-away that bagged the prize is a brick-and-mortar-commentary on how simple materials can be made to speak a contemporary tale by using them intelligently with an undercurrent of unpretentious, tangible affluence. For example, the thinnais were traditional, but to add richness to it, Visalakshi Ramaswamy, who worked on the project with me, also thought we should dabble with Athangudi tiles in a configuration of sunlight-streaking-in-colours on the floor.
Some of the walls had rough-textured white paint that replicated the long-lasting Chettinad plaster. The quiet of the retreat is more pronounced in the step-down leading to the bathing tank, the yawning niche of the verandahs with overhanging roof and the terraced roof with protected canopy...all the add-ons explicitly speak of its functional aspects too.
You have a passion for conservation work too?
Design is not something which can be taught in classrooms. You need a master apprentice relationship. I was interested in traditional buildings and the vernacular architecture (not the monumental style of architecture) because I thought there was a reason and logic in everything. I believed that those architects who created these buildings (who were never written about) were the real craftsmen.
You have to show distinctness, but if you approach architecture with what is taught in architecture schools, you tend to do the conventional stuff. The principles here involve the conservation of materials, energy, resources, traditional techniques and traditional crafts too.
About your empathetic design approach at the Institute of Palliative Medicine-Calicut
The project is special as natural light seeps in from everywhere with quality and homely designed spaces, open verandahs and built-in-seats throughout the building. Informal spaces that run across everywhere help patients wander anywhere for taking refreshed walks. It has thirty internal courtyards, several covered pathways and is disabled-friendly throughout. Finally, there are well-thought out exciting colours on the wall, instead of the depressing whites.
Your comment on intelligent buildings and green buildings
I think we should develop an Indian style in this case. What is green abroad is not green here. The best green buildings in India are the ones done by the rural craftsmen. The Indian context is different. Much of Indian architecture has a tiny environmental impact per capita compared to the west and their examples of green design. What we need is not international sustainable architecture, but an architecture that takes its lessons from our traditional techniques and materials.
Your ongoing projects?
I am involved in a project of doing 2000 houses for the Tsunami victims in two villages — Chinnankudi and Tharangambadi (Tranquebar) We are just not designing houses, we are designing a settlement. We are studying the living conditions of fishermen, their social, cultural and occupational requirements and preferences, and seeing how to reduce the risk in case of future disasters.
The concept involves seeing mass housing in a different angle, our ambition is to design the 2000 houses in 2000 different designs, just the way the traditional settlements are. About 30 architects are involved in this project. We are not planning to involve any big contractors. The villagers will be involved at every stage of planning, designing and construction.
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