Water scarcity is one of the most stressful situations that one could ever endure. And yet, in India, a country that holds 18% of the total world population with only 4% of its water resources, this is a recurring struggle with notable numbers of Indian households having to manage water scarcity on a daily basis.
The yearly water cycle is a tough one, ranging from one extreme to another. Harsh monsoons and flood seasons turn into insufferable droughts, making it increasingly difficult to control and retain water resources. While most large-scale actions focus on consequences to agricultural and production sectors, the result is also recognizable at an individual household level. Therefore cumulative small-scale actions are relevant gateways for citizens (? people, designers) to mitigate the issue.
There are, in fact, many interventions in the works on a national and federal level, along with various international endeavors that are aiding populations to responsibly utilize water sources. But there are other important actors on the ground. Specialized Architects such as Biome Environmental Solutions, Samira Rathod Design Atelier, Monsoon Collective, and many others; are taking it upon themselves to propose some passive, efficient, and accessible solutions that could easily and affordably be implemented in residential projects. Some of these means have existed in some form for a while and could be brought back and adjusted for current needs.
Residence for Charis / Biome Environmental Solutions
With its focus being on ecologically conscious architecture and water, Biome Environmental Solutions, a Bangalore-based practice, is a well-established team of diverse experts. One of the designer's chosen works that explores efficient water management is the Chari residence which uses Rainwater harvesting ( from the terrace), Recharge of groundwater, and Recycling of grey water for reuse in flushing and gardening.
The Architects explain how their Rainwater harvesting system can be used for the containment of 'lifeline' water, which is taken from the uppermost clean roof. It's then filtered through a simple cloth and onto the kitchen for drinking and cooking use. For other applications, the water is also harvested from the terraces. There it passes through a charcoal-sand-gravel filter and is kept in an underground water tank.
They then moved on to the Recharge of Groundwater, in which "any overflow from the underground water tank during instances of intense rainfall connects to a well that recharges the shallow aquifer." In addition to replenishing the aquifer, this action allows the control of urban floods as it transports the excess runoff water into the ground, "helping revive the traditional livelihoods of the well digger community in Bangalore."_Biome Environmental Solutions.
Finally, the Recycling and reuse of the greywater becomes the ultimate step, by running the soap water from the bath, washbasin, and washing machine, through a naturally raised soil and plant system. "This consists of a baffled settling tank, and a bioreactor comprising soil, aggregates, bacterial culture, vermiculture and select plants. Purification takes place through adsorption, filtration, and biological reactions. As the process is aerobic, there is no foul odor. The plants on the top layer allow the processing area to integrate into the existing landscape."_ Biome Environmental Solutions.
House of Concrete Experiments / Samira Rathod Design Atelier
Samira Rathod architects were also keen on tackling the issue of a sustainable, water-holding house in one of their innovative and technically experimental works. They approached the theme of water in both a theoretical and practical, almost scientific, way.
The conceptual approach to the topic was highlighted through the Holding Water installation which the lead architect describes: "Water camouflages itself with its container. It is transparent and anomalous, finding its own balance. Water escapes us; it is ethereal, and yet an elixir for life. Water insulates; it is versatile. With depleting water resources, holding water has become imperative. Holding water; in ways that it is natural and integral to our being; unresisting and innate. How does architecture, the built form, integrate water into design?"_Samira Rathod.
"The first settlement was made around water. For years communities have settled around water bodies, growing organically, and relying on the water as their primary resource. With this resource dying at an unfathomable pace, a designed system could allow for communities to collect and hold water within, in various forms of storage - as tanks, reservoirs, ponds, lakes; celebrating its flow as it trickles, springs, pours, and inundates.
The architectural experiment looks at water and its attributes as a building material, building houses and communities, bringing water from the past into the future.
Water being immortal. The installation is designed to ignite the senses and is a pause; to think of, “being water”- transparent and pure, when we are, as they say, made of water."_Samira Rathod.
The physical translation of the latter was implemented in the House of Concrete Experiments. Conceived with the unique idea of holding water within its outer walls, rather than the usual underground or overhead water tank structure, the residence is made with various types of concrete mixes, tested and meant to store enough water for an entire year. This water containment technique also works to provide passive cooling to the house. Distinctive terrace openings collect all the rainwater directly into the water house, developed in two parts: "once each for hard water and soft water, further connected with a water purifier converting the hard water into usable water, which is then pumped into the house for regular use."_ Samira Rathod Design Atelier.
On the Brooks House / Monsoon Collective
For the Monsoon Collective team, suggesting a solution-based architecture that responds to the local context and is respectful to both the client's comfort and the environmental demands was a detailed process. As they explain, the architecture of Kerala has mostly been influenced by the "torrential monsoon rain". To them, no matter the architectural style, a functional and sustainable design should be fully adapted to its surrounding climate. "Monsoons are a vital part of the lives of many people across the world, and in light of the natural calamities taking place globally, climate-conscious architecture has become a necessity."_ Monsoon Collective.
Going beyond simple functional water management, the practice worked on "creating a home where rain is an integral part of the architectural design." As the monsoon ignites a change of topographic scenery, injecting small brooks all along the landscape, On the Brooks house is meant to go along atop the monsoon streams. And as such, during the rainy season, the water drips from the parasol roof and into 2 main water channels that run along and through the residence, capturing the essence of the brooks. "Rainwater cascading into these channels flows through the house along scenic pathways, creating an incredibly tangible connection to the monsoon from within the home."_ Monsoon Collective. At the end of each channel is a glass panel barrier in the open living space. This creates the display of the water beneath one's feet, thus alluding to the experience of the soft rain yet again. "The water from the channels is then directed to the rainwater harvesting tank, with the excess flowing out through the grill, and out into the rear garden."_ Monsoon Collective.
Monsoon Collective's attention was, therefore, to embrace and bring in the plentiful rains of the region, "integrating the flowing water into the design at both functional and aesthetic levels", as seen in the home's fluid forms and curved brick walls. "From the entrance into the home upon steps floating over the water, the visual spectacle of the rain is accompanied by the dulcet tones of the water flowing through the channels, creating a multi-sensory experience of the monsoon."_ Monsoon Collective.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: Water in Architecture, proudly presented by Hansgrohe.
“Water is life and our passion. And water conservation is climate protection. We at Hansgrohe are committed to making a difference in how water is considered in Architecture, with products that save water while maintaining the same showering experience.”
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