When someone says earth architecture, people generally think of buildings with small dark rooms, tiny windows and no design elements as they are supposed to be ‘low-cost’. But we at OPUS have experimented a lot and created large spans, large windows and interesting design features. They are not exactly low-cost but can be called cost-effective buildings as we save a lot on maintenance such as pain
ting etc., Our buildings are insulated in such a way that we don’t need fans or ACs during summer, nor do we require thick blankets during winter! We specialize in using hybrid materials such as stabilized mud blocks, terracotta tile, arch-panel roofing, aluminium windows, glass blocks, unpolished stones, filler blocks etc., within framed concrete and steel structures, thus providing an eclectic amalgam of tradition and modernity both in terms of materials as well as techniques. SUPARNA NAGARAJ
Completed Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from B.M.S. Collegeof Engineering, Bengaluru and has been practising independently for over fifteen years. But her real area of interest has always been designing non-conventional buildings using a variety of eco-friendly, sustainable materials with a view to reduce the carbon footprint on a micro level. She has been seriously pursuing this for over a decade – since June 2004, to be precise. She specializes in hybrid materials such as stabilized mud blocks, arch panel roofing, aluminium windows, glass blocks, terracotta tiles, filler blocks etc., within a framed concrete and steel structure, thus providing an interesting amalgam of traditional and modern materials and techniques. NAGARAJA VISWANATHAIAH
An alumnus of R V College of Engineering, Bengaluru, he graduated with Electrical Engineering as his official branch of study, but has since forayed into a wide spectrum of fields ranging from Architectural model making to Interior decoration to manufacture of 2-seater micro lights to civil construction to Green energy! He has been working in the area of eco-friendly architecture since 2004 and can be credited with a number of innovative techniques, putting to use his immense understanding and knowledge of different materials and structural elements available in the market. His forte has always been in depth visualization, carrying a two dimensional drawing to its logical fruition as a sustainable, enduring product with the underlying motto “make a mark, not a scar”.
