We need multi-use public spaces in our cities, spaces that borrow the idea of the village banyan tree In early April, just around the time when the summer heat begins to get oppressive, a close group of college friends from architecture school and I cam
The returns from investing in RGESS can be utilised to clear housing loans fast, says Balaji Rao In his budget announcement for the financial year 2013-14, the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, announced a few sops for individuals and amongst them
Architect Sathya Prakash Varanashi says that by creative and careful manipulation, the mandatory setback around a house can be made to serve a wide range of functions When we read about the rate of urbanisation in India, among the many implications disc
Tired of the drudgery of sweeping and bathroom cleaning? Hire a housekeeping service, says Suvasini Sridharan Let’s see now. The daily help takes leave the day after a massive dinner party. You can’t get a cook for love or for money. The ayya drinks up
DDT is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) and its ill-effects last for several decades after its use. Then why is India its largest producer and consumer? The Chennai Corporation is committed to fighting mosquitoes. Every evening, dark DDT clouds crea
The process of repossessing a home is quite transparent, says Balaji Rao In continuation with my last column, where I looked at the procedures followed by housing finance institutions in case borrowers default on home loans, we have received a series of
Your construction-related queries answered by Green Evolution, a Chennai-based architectural services firm I am constructing a house of 60' x 40' by demolishing an old house. I obtained sanction for demolishing the old house and constructing new house o
Whatever the size of your garden, choose plants that need little water and maintenance What does it take to keep the garden in full bloom even in the scorching summer heat? Overwatering kills more plants than underwatering, said botanist and landscape a
A new German fund for green buildings won’t achieve much unless there is strong support from builders and banks, says Chandrashekar Hariharan About two years ago, Germany and India met to see how the former could help our country with energy-efficient co
