Terracotta tiles are a type of ceramic tile made from natural clay that is shaped, dried, and then fired at high temperatures. The name “terracotta” comes from the Italian words terra (earth) and cotta (baked), reflecting the material’s natural origins. Known for their earthy, rustic look, terracotta tiles are widely used in both traditional and modern interiors to bring warmth and charm to a space.
A water well is a must-have in your house. It serves as a secondary source of water during the scorching summers and also when the regular water supply gets disrupted due to some reason. Let’s have a step by step look at how to dig a water well manually by hand.
Hand digging of water well is a simple process. An experienced hand can complete it in a day or two.
When you step into an ancient home, you feel fresh cool air all over. Have you ever wondered, how can such houses be so cool without air conditioning? The people in those days focused on building houses that adapt to the surrounding climate. For example, in warmer climatic regions they made stepwells and enclosed ponds adjacent to the the main building. The evaporating water from them cooled the surrounding air, making the building interiors pleasant. And many such time tested techniques form the backbone of passive house construction.
“Good fences make good neighbors” – Robert Frost.
Remember the good old childhood days when you just had to jump over the fence to visit your dear friend next door; your grandmother sharing her secret recipes or tiny bits of local news to her neighbor over a cup of coffee at the fence.
Yes! It is painful to see your precious home inundated in water. Damage to the homes caused be recent Kerala floods is beyond expression. Anyways, what has happened has happened! Undoubtedly, rebuilding life inside the flood affected homes is the challenge of the hour. And the biggest one among that is SBS or Sick Building Syndrome.
In spite of 44 rivers and the world’s largest well density, the per capita surface and groundwater availability in our state of Kerala is lower than that of the comparatively dry states of India. Be it urban areas or villages, the issue of water scarcity is not an uncommon one. It is becoming a widespread issue in Kerala that it has raised much concern in the recent times.
A potted plant or two, and a decent amount of fresh air and sunlight – this is the idea that most of us have about an ecofriendly house or a green building. And in this fast paced world, this is all we have time for. But don’t you think we owe back a bit more to mother earth? And yes, it’s not as difficult as it may seem initially. The only thing is that you need to have some amount of planning even before conceptualizing the house.
Kerala is in the tropical region and is expected to get plenty of rains. The rains support the growth of trees and plants which are important to maintain a comfortable climate in Kerala. However, with the rapid increase in urbanization and the rains playing hide-and-seek, Kerala is moving at a faster pace to an uncomfortable climate zone. We get a large amount of sun’s radiant heat, high level of humidity and sunny days throughout the year. This leads to unbearable heat inside buildings. To beat this challenge of heat reduction in houses in Kerala, we most often think only about fans, air-coolers and air conditioners.
Eco friendly house construction in Kerala is highly in demand these days. Staying or working in an eco friendly building is preferred by the young and the old alike. But do you know how such a building is constructed? Let’s have a look..
