Home Interview Enhancing sophistication and aesthetics with sustainable designs
Enhancing sophistication and aesthetics with sustainable designs

Enhancing sophistication and aesthetics with sustainable designs

0
0

“Contemporary materials and technologies should constantly prioritise sustainability, and we are becoming significantly aware of it.”

 In an exclusive interaction, Prashaant Kochhar, Partner and Principal Architect, LTDF discusses prioritising sustainability with advanced technology and contemporary materials.

Sustainability is much more than jargon for our country today. What practices can ensure demanding interior designs adhere to sustainability?

Sustainability is the need of the hour, especially since the practices in our country do not conform to all the SDGs—the 17 global sustainable development goals—that India has promised to achieve in the coming few decades. To fulfil this promise, I think we need to go beyond the simple understanding of sustainability as “sustain’. Instead, we must think of how to flourish beyond just sustaining.

In the interior design realm, the focus should be on the 3Ps: people, planet, and profit. The first P focuses on the user and their needs, wants, and aspirations, while the second urges us to be conscious about the earth. However, profit does not just lie in the monetary gains—which might be more critical in commercial endeavours—but also in the intangible value created through the project or the space we have designed. Interior design is the most haptic participation of humans; hence the onus lies with the architects and designers to educate the clients and push the agenda of sustainability and value by design.

How can modern materials and technologies be used to supplement the sustainability priority?

Contemporary materials and technologies should always prioritise sustainability, and many companies today have become very conscious of it. So we must always be mindful of the circularity of the materials we choose, where they were sourced from, what is the manufacturing company’s policy, what is their buy-in to sustainability, are they green companies, etc. If, as designers, we start asking the right questions, the sustainability narrative comes to the forefront.

How far are technological advancements assisting you in meeting project deadlines?

The last mile, the labour factor, is the most crucial as far as project deadlines go. Technology really helps us manage things, but considering that processes in India are still largely manually driven, social, cultural, and logistical factors can drastically affect project timelines. But the project management and time management tools that we have adopted help to a large extent. Many recently developed machinery, products, and good practices have helped shrink the timelines. However, management challenges persist on sites.

How do facades contribute to buildings’ aesthetics and energy efficiency?

Facades play a minor role in climatology, serving only the most basic functions. A lot of software like Rhino can help us understand the effect of the sun and local wind movements based on geographical locations. This can help us manage our facades for optimal and efficient results. But the more significant challenge would be integrating the facade materials in such a way that they are energy creators rather than consumers.

The intent so far has been to consume less energy by harnessing the power of renewable natural resources. However, the entire balance is in creating vs consuming. Though there have been advances in this area around the world, like solar tiles, the efficiency still needs to be improved. And that is the change we hope to see, not just in terms of efficiency but also aesthetics, so that it becomes a holistic solution.

 

Do innovations in design and technology uphold sustainability as a priority in India today? What is preventing us from achieving outstanding sustainable construction?

Cost is a significant factor that prevents people from using advanced technology in their homes and commercial spaces. The day we, as architects and designers, can validate the cost factor in terms of environment and energy, we will be able to make the consumer aware of the footprint of our choices concerning the earth. 

 

for more info visit : https://www.ltdf.net/

LEAVE YOUR COMMENT

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *