Architect Chitra Vishwanath Prioritizes Environmental Conservation and Human Well-Being

Chitra Vishwanath has spent over 30 years creating ecological architecture. In 1990, the visionary Indian architect began designing spaces shaped by sustainable methods, using locally sourced materials to reduce waste, repurpose water, and minimize landfill contributions. Employing natural resources, including mud for bricks and collected rainwater for plumbing and showering, Vishwanath’s innovative designs combat a constant need for expensive energy, ventilation, artificial light, and more. 

Today, her multidisciplinary Bangalore-based firm Biome Environmental Solutions offers energy-efficient designs to create eco-conscious services and structures that cohabitate with nature. The firm aims to maximize innovation while minimizing the negative environmental impact of building construction and operation. Through her residences, offices, schools, community centers, and more, Vishwanath hopes that ecological design can become mainstream, balancing geography, typology, and scale with functionality, budget, and aesthetics. Vishwanath shared with Whitewall her vision for long-term equitability through impactful architecture that considers people and the planet.   

Chitra Vishwanath Defines “Ecosystem Services”

WHITEWALL: Your designs prioritize ecosystem services rather than solely focusing on nature. What sets them apart?

CHITRA VISHWANATH: The term “nature” typically encompasses all nonhuman elements in the world, including animals, plants, and natural events. In contrast, “Ecosystem Services” refer to the direct and indirect benefits that ecosystems, often referred to as natural capital, provide for human well-being and quality of life. These services range from practical functions such as supplying food and water and regulating the climate to cultural benefits like reducing stress and anxiety.

In our designs, we go beyond merely addressing the spatial needs of our clients. We view the built environment as a facilitator of life sourced from nature, emphasizing its role as a provider of essential resources and benefits for both humans and the ecosystem. A successful ecological architecture leaves a positive mark on the ecosystem. It’s intricately designed to function harmoniously with the services offered by the surrounding ecosystem.

The soil used for construction is sourced from beneath the building’s footprint, minimizing environmental disruption. Furthermore, the building efficiently collects and treats all its water requirements on-site, ensuring sustainable water management. The treated human waste is repurposed as fertilizer for growing food, completing a closed-loop system.

In addition, the structure meets all its energy needs through self-generated renewable sources, while also implementing passive design strategies to optimize energy usage and minimize waste.

“A successful ecological architecture leaves a positive mark on the ecosystem,”

Chitra Vishwanath

WW: How does embracing the urban scenario, natural materials, and nuanced systems shape a new meaning for architecture?

CV: Biome Environmental Solutions tries to break free from conventional notions of architecture by embracing the true essence of building: the fusion of art and science. While prioritizing spatial aesthetics, Biome ensures that the architectural design also addresses the practical needs of inhabitants.

In today’s urban landscape dominated by RCC (reinforced concrete), Biome advocates for the use of stabilized earth and construction and demolition debris as alternative construction materials for walls, floors, and roofs. These components typically account for 80 percent of a building’s embodied energy. By utilizing these sustainable materials, Biome aims to reduce embodied energy by at least 50 percent while simultaneously repurposing waste and minimizing landfill contributions.

WW: You say that “every project is a test bed for developing this language, using a collaborative multidisciplinary approach.” Which of your projects have been particularly strong in developing this new language?   

CV: The journey of our practice has been one of continuous learning. From our very first project, I have been discovering new construction methods and materials previously unfamiliar to me. While my academic background in civil engineering primarily focused on RCC structures, our practice has always embraced a blend of masonry and RCC, choosing the most suitable approach based on ecological and economic considerations.

Whether it was A. V. Narayan’s residence or Mr. Padmanabhan’s project in 1991, which were among our earliest endeavors, we prioritized learning construction techniques aimed at minimizing costs. In 1995, when we began building our own home, we transitioned to using earth as a building material and implemented rainwater harvesting systems. Through experimentation and innovation in our home, Sans Souci, we developed systems for greywater treatment, eco-sanitation, and water conservation. These innovations eventually led us to develop software to guide the design of rainwater harvesting and greywater treatment systems.

In the design of the professor’s home in Bangalore, we further explored alternative structural systems, while still utilizing earth and stone construction techniques. In the residence of the Raghavans, the building was designed to function as a waste sink, and in Atelier, the building was conceptualized as a future quarry.

“Biome Environmental Solutions tries to break free from conventional notions of architecture by embracing the true essence of building: the fusion of art and science,”

Chitra Vishwanath

WW: How has your practice evolved to meet the rising need for ecological architecture in today’s rapidly evolving climate?

CV: I want to express what we at Biome would like to see in the future as an equitable society—and the possibility of it through creating built forms. 

We find that practicing ecological architecture has become more accessible now, with numerous successful examples available, unlike when we first began our journey. Initially, we had to forge our own path and seek out examples, encountering various challenges along the way. We are grateful to the city of Bangalore and its residents for their support, which has facilitated our learning curve. There are umpteen architects, landscape architects, and designers who are doing excellent ecological designs of varying scales and in contexts. 

At Biome, we aim to extend this learning and make ecological architecture a mainstream possibility. As paraphrased from Achille Mbembe, we believe that future architecture must be inclusive, catering to the needs of everyone and everything.

India offers ample opportunities for ecological architecture amidst its evolving economic and urban landscape. With ongoing urban development and renovation cycles, there’s a noticeable trend towards using manufactured materials sourced from distant areas, posing a challenge to traditional practices reliant on local resources and skills.

Chitra Vishwanath’s Vision for the Govardhan EcoVillage

WW: How does your overall design philosophy, prioritizing both environmental conservation and human well-being, support this?

CV: We aim to use locally sourced materials to reduce carbon emissions and embodied energy while also fostering job opportunities for future generations. Through design we are trying to cultivate skills that align with emerging trends in architecture.  

For instance, in the Govardhan EcoVillage project, we introduced compressed stabilized earth blocks as an eco-friendly alternative to burnt bricks in construction and water management practices. Over the past decade, the surrounding areas have increasingly adopted earth-based construction methods, and the project itself has become a hub for knowledge-sharing. It serves as a resource for both the general public and industry practitioners seeking skilled labor, as well as for learning about building with earth in a high rainfall region and implementing water harvesting and wastewater treatment practices.

Achieving a balance between skilled labor and manufactured products in construction is essential. However, it also requires a critical examination of waste management and labor practices within the industry. Despite the associated increase in construction costs, we remain committed to promoting sustainability and improving workers’ lives. We believe that the construction industry is a benign industry. It provides for people to step up in life without having to spend finances and time on the conventional education. Here education happens as one hones the skills.

Our concerns extend beyond material and ecosystem considerations, reflecting our commitment to creating a more equitable and sustainable future for all stakeholders involved in the built environment.

“We aim to use locally sourced materials to reduce carbon emissions and embodied energy while also fostering job opportunities for future generations,”

Chitra Vishwanath

WW: You notably work with mud forms—and you even built your own mud home in Bangalore. Can you tell us a bit about that?

CV: This project was a fortunate discovery. While at the site, we noticed the beautiful earth excavated from our neighbor’s foundation. That’s when we decided to incorporate a basement into our home. It was the first time I had designed a basement for living purposes, as opposed to just parking. This semi-basement sits about 1.5 meters below ground and approximately 1.2 meters above, allowing for some light and ventilation. All the excavated earth was used to build the walls above ground, as well as for constructing a smaller home nearby. Additionally, the top 300 millimeters of soil was set aside for the terrace garden.

After the roof slab was laid, we experienced rain, and Vishwanath collected the water and measured its volume. This sparked the idea of rainwater harvesting. Further research, including studies in China and observations in peri-urban areas, provided insights into water flows and cycles within the city and region.

Additionally, our work with EcoSan and food connectivity laid the groundwork for the built environment to absorb human waste, provide food, and support biodiversity. The home transcends mud; it serves as a laboratory for innovative ideas.

WW: How important is working with water to ecological design?

CV: Without water, a building would be uninhabitable. Fresh water is a precious resource that should be accessible to all, serving as a fundamental source of life. It also sets parameters for design and influences its carrying capacity, making water an integral element that informs the design process.

We’re fortunate to have designed an EcoSan water closet pan tailored to the Indian usage of toilets. These are being utilized in Bihar, particularly in the flood plains of the river Kosi. Locals refer to these Eco San toilets as “profitable toilets” because not only do they ensure water remains uncontaminated, but they also provide valuable fertilizer.

At Biome, we focus on two main aspects: water and architecture. Our water vertical, known as Biome Trust, is headed by Vishwanath. Vishwanath serves as an advisor to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, offering expertise and advocacy in sustainable water management practices, with a special focus on rainwater harvesting. He has played a pivotal role in promoting rainwater harvesting as a solution to water scarcity in urban areas.

Biome Trust is currently leading a campaign called “Million Wells for Bangalore,” aimed at creating a sustainable water future for the city. This initiative not only addresses water scarcity but also provides employment opportunities and recognition to a profession that has long been overlooked—the profession of well diggers. Well digging is a skilled profession, and well diggers possess invaluable knowledge of the land and its features. By revitalizing this profession, we’ve also revived many artesian wells that now contribute to the city’s water supply. Additionally, recharge wells play a crucial role in preventing urban flooding.