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..
Eco friendly house construction in Kerala: 11 Tips
A sustainable eco friendly house construction in Kerala essentially involves environment-friendly design along with efficient usage of resources like energy, water and building materials.
To build an eco-friendly structure, every step of construction starting from the location is vital. Therefore, at Viya Constructions, we follow these techniques to construct eco-friendly buildings:
1. Selecting your property 
We at Viya firmly believe that an eco friendly property optimizes natural resources available, thereby reducing the need for any man-made elements. As a first step to that, a property location that is abundant in water and sun light is highly preferred. Secondly, the orientation of the land and landscape influences the design plan of the building as the air flow and seasonal sun light variation affects the temperature inside. Furthermore, to reduce carbon emission for commuting, ensure that the location is easily accessible to public transport.
2. Sustainable site development
A sustainable site design invariably implements rain water harvesting and environment friendly waste disposal (that could involve a bio gas plant installation). Supporting the existing flora and fauna ensures that there is minimal impact on the local ecosystem because of the new construction. In short reusing the excavated top soil for landscaping and preventing soil erosion are very important aspects of sustainable site development for an eco friendly house construction in Kerala.
3. Use eco friendly materials
The materials used for any phase of construction like building materials or roofing materials or flooring materials has to be environment friendly. Eco-friendly building construction employs locally available materials like mud, bamboo, coconut trunks and lime, which reduces transportation costs too. Fiber reinforced polymer is an excellent eco friendly alternative for PVC.
4. Recycling and reducing the construction waste
The right selection of building materials accounts for reduced construction waste and possible recycling. At Viya, we reduce the wastage of construction materials by ordering just as per requirement, that too as and when the work progresses. This involves careful planning and a clear vision of how the constructed building would be. We design room spaces in such a manner that reduces trimming waste, thereby minimizing labor cost as well.
5. Energy conservation
Being less dependent on renewable energy sources like fossil fuel can conserve energy. An eco friendly building construction in Kerala compulsorily deploys bio gas installation and wind, geothermal or solar energy for power requirements to drastically cut down the dependency on fossil fuels.
6. Water saving
Fresh water is turning to be a scarce resource. Restricting the amount of water that can flow through the fixtures is one of the techniques that we follow at Viya, to save water. Implementing rain water harvesting is the best way to save surplus water during monsoon to meet water demand throughout the year. In addition, preserving water bodies (like ponds) in the neighborhood and using it for needs like bathing (just like our ancestors did) is one thing that we often recommend. This will also help to maintain and replenish the water table in the property.
7. Reduce heat island effect
Heat island effect refers to the built up spaces that are warmer than the nearby rural areas. This is caused mainly due to the higher density of active occupants. Planting trees and maintaining thick vegetation can retain shade and moisture to keep the area cool. Also, we do green roofing or cool roofing and cool pavements, to reduce heat island effect immensely.
8. Reduce – Recycle – Reuse
In short, eco friendly house construction in Kerala involves everything that can be summed up as Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. Installing water meters is an ideal solution to reduce water usage. Using Recycled steel forms and bars for reinforcement and using renewable timber from government certified forests for wooden panels, is an economical way that lowers the impact on environment too. Installing a sewage water treatment plant helps to reuse the waste water from kitchen, laundry, sink, showers (also known as gray water) for flush water and gardening.
9. Reduce environment impact
At Viya, we use non toxic or less toxic materials to ensure that the impact on environment is minimal. Natural alternatives for adhesives work best while retaining the quality of air. We always choose biodegradable construction materials that have negligible impact on the soil.
10. Choose durable materials
Choosing durable materials results in low maintenance overhead and hardly needs a replacement. This in turn results in less use of raw materials for manufacturing and also reduces money spent on installation and labor.
11. Design for maximum natural ventilation and lighting
Natural ventilation can be achieved by proper building orientation and ideal placement of windows to allow smooth air flow into the house. Small ventilators act as ducts for risen up warm air inside the room to get out of the house, thereby forcing cool air from outside to gush inside. Furthermore, natural lighting can be achieved by using large glass windows and sky roofs.
Viya Constructions for your eco friendly house construction in Kerala
Kerala is really God’s Own Country rich in natural extravaganza. In order to preserve the natural beauty, opting for an eco friendly building construction offers so much benefit to the nature as well as the occupants.
Visit our Viya office to have a sneak peek of all the completed eco friendly house construction in Kerala.
Contact us at Viya Constructions for the directions.
