Ten Indian architecture practices featured by Scroll in 2017 show how regional climate, local materials, craft and reuse can inform contemporary homes. The list below is that article’s roster—not a current ranking or a survey of every sustainable architect in India. Its examples range from earth construction and reused materials to courtyards, rainwater harvesting and heritage conservation.
What “traditional wisdom” means in these homes
In the 2017 feature, traditional knowledge is not a single building style. It means making design decisions in response to place: how a building handles its climate, which materials and skills are available nearby, how water and energy are used, and which spatial forms suit local life. The practices described adapt those ideas to contemporary projects rather than simply reproducing historic buildings.
The feature offers qualitative descriptions, not comparable performance data. It does not establish specific energy, water, carbon, cost or health savings for these practices’ projects. The methods are also context-specific: an approach suited to one site or region is not automatically right for another.
The ten practices in the 2017 Scroll feature
1. Biome Environmental Solutions — Bengaluru
Scroll associated Chitra Vishwanath’s practice with climate-responsive design and the use of natural and renewable resources such as mud and timber. The article also described approaches including waste reduction, rainwater harvesting, solar energy, energy efficiency, biodiversity and reuse. These are reported design practices, not measured outcomes for every project.
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2. The Auroma Group — Puducherry
The feature linked co-founder Trupti Doshi’s work with ecological and vernacular architecture, natural materials, traditional craft, locally responsive design and the use of local talent. Doshi summed up the philosophy this way: “Buildings are meant to complement their environment, not compete with it”.
3. Kamath Design Studio — Delhi
Scroll identified Revathi Kamath as a proponent of earth architecture and described her house, built with mud on an abandoned quarry site. The example connects material choice with the site’s prior use rather than treating construction as separate from its landscape.
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4. Thannal Hand Sculpted Homes — Tiruvannamalai
The feature described natural builder Biju Bhaskar’s work as promoting low embodied-energy materials, appropriate technologies and indigenous architectural knowledge. It quoted him: “the place we live in is a material extension of our minds”. Thannal’s current website describes books, workshops, online courses and natural-building services; the terms and availability of current programs are not established here.
5. Footprints E.A.R.T.H. — Ahmedabad
Yatin Pandya’s practice was described as using industrial and municipal waste, including plastic and metal, in construction. The firm’s current site describes architecture, research and contextual design. It also lists Pandya’s book Concepts of Space in Traditional Indian Architecture for readers interested in the subject.
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6. Mozaic — Goa
Scroll associated Dean D’Cruz’s practice with sustainable, cost-conscious design, heritage conservation and local building traditions. The article also highlighted stakeholder participation, an approach that recognizes the people who use and care for a place as part of the design process.
7. Benny Kuriakose — Chennai
The feature connected Kuriakose’s approach with Laurie Baker’s vernacular principles, natural materials, cost-conscious technologies, and attention to climate and cultural context. Its examples included recycled fittings, natural light and ventilation, tiled roofs, verandahs and courtyards.
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8. Made in Earth — Bengaluru
Scroll described the practice as promoting locally available natural materials and techniques intended to limit energy consumption. The studio’s current site describes work involving natural materials, indigenous practices and experimentation.
9. Eugene Pandala — Kollam
The article described Pandala’s work with earth and other natural materials, including free-flowing forms and cob—a mixture made with straw and soil, sometimes with gravel. His website presents earth and mud homes alongside natural-material and conservation projects.
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10. Dustudio — Auroville
The feature described Dharmesh Jadeja’s practice as combining traditional knowledge with contemporary design, local materials and crafts, while creating opportunities for artisans. Dustudio’s site describes an approach connecting past and present building traditions with social, economic, environmental and cultural considerations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to assess a traditional or natural-building approach
The ten examples suggest useful questions for anyone considering a home built with local materials or vernacular principles. The answers should be specific to the site and project, not inferred from a practice’s general design philosophy.
- Climate response: Ask how the design addresses local heat, rain, humidity, wind and seasonal changes, and which features—such as verandahs or courtyards—serve a practical purpose there.
- Materials and sourcing: Find out where materials come from, what skills are needed to build with them, and how their sourcing and embodied impact are evaluated.
- Water, energy and waste: Ask which strategies are proposed, how they will be operated and maintained, and whether any performance figures are project-specific and documented.
- Craft and construction: Clarify which local techniques or trades are involved, how workmanship will be specified, and how the design accounts for repair over time.
- Culture and client needs: Check that the plan fits the household’s routines and the site’s context rather than relying on a generic idea of traditional architecture.
- Evidence: Separate design intent from verified performance. A claim about reduced energy or water use is more useful when supported by project data, with the measurement method and conditions stated.
What the 2017 list does—and does not—tell you
A 2024 residential architecture feature provides more recent context for vernacular references in Indian homes, including a reinterpretation of Kerala courtyard houses and Wallmakers’ mud construction. That shows these ideas continue to appear in residential design, but it does not confirm the current status or services of every practice on the 2017 list.
For readers who want to explore the subject further, Thannal describes books and learning programs on its website, and Footprints E.A.R.T.H. lists Pandya’s Concepts of Space in Traditional Indian Architecture. These are starting points for learning about natural building and traditional spatial ideas, not endorsements or evidence of project performance.
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