You can make a difference

The Dossier

T–ZED We call it zero energy development.

H O M E S You’ll call it indispensable. . .

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You can make a difference . . .
If everyone on the planet consumed as many resources as the
average person in the US, we will need three planets to support us...
From an essay on Ecological Footprint.
Dear Member
It’s happened to us every time. The first sight of a
land, either warms the cockles of our hearts, or it
leaves us cold. It wasn’t any different this time
around, too, as we scouted for land after land
looking for one that was right on the feel it
offered, on the convenience of distance that it
offered the resident [about ten minutes from the
Bangalore airport], and the excitement of contour
and vegetation that it roused in us as planners
and as aesthetes.
BCIL has all along over the years sought to
sensitize the use of land and building resources. It
has sought to set models that inspire, and pave
the way for a future that conserves.
The core values have never gone away from
sustainability and good neighbourliness. And
how does one think spartan? Be it infrastructure,
or all the many little things that add simplicity,
grace and elegance to a living environment,
while remaining resource-sensitive.
As you will read in these pages, T–Z ED Homes is
the first of its kind, at least in India. It offers
many amenities that will make you wonder, “So is
there a catch somewhere?” And what better city
than Bangalore with its cosmopolitan make-up
for hosting such a path–breaking effort?
After three sustainably developed, community–
based campus creations that have won us two
national awards for sustainable solutions that we
put together, we clearly set for ourselves at T–Z ED
Homes, tasks that raised the threshold on
technologies that relate to water, energy, vegeta-
tion and building systems. At T–ZED , the density
of homes is greater and the services offered are
world class. Here is a blend of modern building
physics, and contemporary engineering.
As planners, at every step of the way, we’ve been
conscious of energy use—from building materi-
als to water generation and use; power; and
land use. ‘Zero energy ’ is an aspiration. It’s
hard, near impossible to achieve in our times. In
development jargon, being a ‘carbon-neutral’
community will only remain an ideal.
Can we deliver all of what you read here in these
pages? Well, with some of the best minds in
renewable energy design working on it, with a
band of dedicated, competent professionals to
back their effort, and the years of experience that
BCIL has notched up with its sound track record—
we have here a combination that is hard to
match.
Welcome to your new age home. This is the
future, here and now. Remember, you can make
a difference to the world, while you make home
in the comfort of the campus.
Sincerely,
Director
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 on what could go in, what had to be eliminated.
There were many things we would have loved to
have—wind power to take care of lighting loads in

Rewrite the rrules

ules your home and on campus streets; a gas grid to
take care of kitchen energy needs; networked ability
Green homes that are affordable, sustainable . . . on a password access to inform you of home
consumption of water and power...

It soon became clear to us that we needed only to

We don’t attempt to build from scratch, but take what exists, and focus on things that will work—right now and in
work to transfer to something useful. the long run and at affordable costs. We concen-
– J o h n To d d , ‘ L i v i n g M a c h i n e ’ i n v e n t o r. trated on features so that even if they could not be
perfectly renewable today, it would be possible to
upgrade them to complete renewability in the
years ahead.

Z ED is no mere concept. It’s a lifestyle you choose

to adopt. It is not an alternative; it’s an imperative
for the future. In the years ahead, many of the
things T-Z ED has incorporated will be par for the
building industry.

Heady experience

Our task has been to make these sustainability

B
ack in July ‘03, when we first toyed with the directions real and meaningful to you as a T–
idea of creating a campus of this kind, we Z ED der. They prove that engineers are ingenuous
were not too clued in on what we will enough to devise ways to meet our needs without
integrate into it all. All that we did know was that destroying the natural world.
the time had come for a mature response to the Convincing you of the importance of sustainability
mayhem of buildings that will not come merely by
surround us on every road in preaching its merits. It will
every city. come through a host of
Walk into any large hotel, and conveniences and amenities
we are acutely conscious of the made available, exciting and
Z ED is no mere
insensitive use of material and relevant to your family.
concept. It’s a
energy. Bury your nose in the Putting together these plans
day ’s paper, and you read lifestyle you choose
has been a heady experience
about the acute shortage of to adopt. It is not an for us all out at BCIL . We have
water and power. alternative; it’s an come out of meetings,
Over years BCIL has cultivated imperative for the haggard and beaten, but not
the capability to rewrite the broken. We have moaned
future.
rules of building infrastructure, about how we are being
and to demonstrate simple pushed on impossible dead-
technologies that demonstrate lines. Scores of uncomfortable,
a future that is sustainable. tough questions have been

So began an effort to put together a team for T– asked on the feasibility of many things [See The

Z ED. Then followed endless hours of tireless debate ABC s of ZED for all of them]. We were prodded, each

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by the other, to provide convincing have to rally around their own re- ethical ‘developer’ with a built–in
responses. sources, and not depend on govern- supply chain of environmentally

But this is just the beginning. We have ment agencies for two vital resources, sensitive products, services, and

a long haul in the months ahead—on water and power. resource people who span an array of

the delivery of every promise that this At T–ZED Homes you have a better technology applications.

Dossier and the other three accompany- chance of securing these resources over We are not a conventional enterprise—
ing documents offer. the very long term—because every we are not builders or developers in the

T–Z ED takes responsibility for generat- design is aimed at providing an usual sense of the term. Our strength

ing the power that is needed to meet all enduring facility or amenity with lies in our ability to create sensitized

essential home and campus needs, for conservation as a core value. infrastructure for large campus spreads

recycling the waste it generates, and BCIL ’s recent track record has proven that stand the test of time.

harvesting the water the campus uses, that there are enough people, though a
among many other concerns. minority, who seek such a discerning

Why T–Z E D will work for you shift.

Because this is the future. We’re not far An ethical developer

from a time when groups of citizens BCIL is the first, and perhaps the only,

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 All the technologies incorporated have
been successfully used in previous
projects—the innovation lies in

The T–Z ED Raison d’et re

d’etre combining them all at T–Z ED Homes in
a way that the whole is more than
Striving for the green ideal . . . merely the sum of its parts.

A chievi n g these impacts

We are not going into very many of the

If builders replace the urban fabric at an average of two per cent a
details on the scores of challenges of
y e a r, a n d i f t h e s e t e c h n o l o g i e s c a t c h o n , a s a c o u n t r y w e w i l l h a v e
construction challenges at the home or
weaned ourselves off fossil fuels well before 2100.
the infrastructure levels. Those are
Alec Bedser, Architect.
available in other documents. Our
people will help you with them. Upon
request you can receive a Bar Chart of
the Schedule of Execution of the
various components of work at T-Z ED .

If you believe in a lifestyle that

T
he central reason for the This is apart from BCIL ’s successful
celebrates life and relationships, and of
creation of T–Z ED arises from record in building communities as well
your place in the larger scheme of
four separate strands of focus, as properties that add value, ecologi-
things, you should be talking to us.
incorporating the experience and cally and economically.
Like we said, you sure can make a
expertise of BCIL ’s own professionals, Since the mid–Nineties, BCIL has been
difference in your own small way by
and a number of organizations founded on the green ideal of taking a choosing a lifestyle that does not bring
dedicated to reducing environment market-led approach to sustainable substantial harm to natural resources.
impact. development and promoting the
n BCIL ’s long–term commitment to application of appropriate technology.
quality housing and strong
Discerning n ational acclaim
communities committed to conser-
The New Delhi–based TERI chose one of
vation values in their own lives.
BCIL ’s earlier projects, Trans Indus, as
n Our goal of local sustainability.
an example of sustainable development
n Our past work on zero–energy
for its Best Corporate Environment
housing.
Initiatives Award 2001. The Company
n Our commitment to promoting a
has also won another prestigious
model approach to energy–
national award for the ‘best example of
conscious development.
sustainable construction’.
Award winning record
Low–tech Systems

BCIL is one of Bangalore’s larger You don’t need to worry about untried
housing projects companies. technology.
BCIL is also one of the rare few corporate BCIL has believed in using local
enterprises, lending its expertise to materials, often using traditional
Governments. It consults for the building techniques, as this minimizes
Governments of Nagaland and Kerala environmental impact of the construc-
in the creation of eco–tourism infra- tion process, while maximizing
structure. durability.

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 foremost practitioners in the country of architecture

Who’
Who’ss Behind All that employs energy–efficient systems. He has been
dedicated to such work for close to a quarter
this? century.

To someone who has worked on the physics of

A formidable band of pros who believe
this is their life’s work
The good news is that eco–pioneers exist. The
bad news is that the playing field is uneven, and
tough.
buildings, materials and spaces, of special concern
is the search for things like high–clay soils that
make good bricks, native trees that make good
lumber, palm fronds that can be used to clad roofs,
or bamboo that can replace metal for roofs. His
sharp understanding of structural stress patterns
makes for light but enduring roofs. His understand-
ing of loads and distribution is intuitive, and honed
over years of working.

What makes Sanjay Prakash not the run–of–the–

mill architect is his rare ability to create designs—

T
–Z ED Homes has brought together a new for energy systems, water, air–conditioning, refrig-
breed of architects and designers who are eration, harnessing of renew-
today pioneering able energy sources— just
environmentally low–impact, about any thing that can
high–performance construc-
Here is a team of sensitize resource use.
tion techniques.
professionals who don’t To Sanjay, indigenous tech-
Practical vision niques are not primitive. He
carry a mere contractual
Presiding over these direc- regards some of them as
obligation. What they
tions at BCIL is an untiring, environmentally sophisticated.
carry is a commitment to
alternate technology profes- Sanjay’s two most well known
sional, Chandrashekar themselves to do their projects is the Mirambika Free
Hariharan, who has wrestled life’s work at T-Z ED . . . Progress School at the
for a dozen years with how Aurobindo Ashram in Delhi,
our homes and offices are and the TERI Retreat building
made of materials and building systems that are that is an autonomous training facility of the tuture.
unrelated to the environment in which they are Design studio
built. He despairs at the use of building materials Anup Naik is the second key creative artist. As the
that are ecologically unsustainable, and buildings chief architect, he presides over every detail of floor
that need much more energy to heat, cool and light plans and the aesthetic of materials. This is a man
than is necessary, with only some planning. In with a rare talent for designs that are grounded in
driving T–Z ED ’s values, and those of BCIL , he brings the local environment. His office in Bangalore
a blend of strategy and passion that has galvanised serves as the design studio backed by a half-dozen
energies of some of the best technology people and architects versed in building processes.
designers in the country. There’s in him at once the Sustainable water use
foolhardiness of a visionary and the blunt forth- Mohan. He has the task of stewarding the land’s
rightness of a do–er. contours. Having created over a half–dozen
The physics of buildings
amphitheatres in the past, and some of the exquisite
Sanjay Prakash. Heading the creative team of gardens and interiors in town, his presentations
architects and design people, Sanjay is one of the speak of a certain precision. He is spoiling for

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challenges that go beyond the pale of the conven-
tional. His own home is a model of systems that
vest meaning to sustainability—on water use,
building materials and space management. It’s an
The Zed Stewardship Panel
Given the front–running expectations on the project,
though small and within the capability of the T–Z ED
Project Team, an independent panel has been consti-
tuted. The task before it: to provide value assurance
on the implementation of the different project segments,
particularly in relation to the Zero energy values.
This is an independent committee set up to ensure
that it presents its findings periodically on long-term
responsible management.
The stewardship committee shall be steered by Dr.
Anil Mishra, an energy consultant and Secretary at
present of Solar Energy Society of India. Trained in
renewable energy use (a Masters from the Univer-
sity of Oldenburg, Germany), he was Fellow and
Research Associate at TERI , New Delhi, before turn-
ing professional consultant for energy–efficient build-
ing technologies.
At T–Z ED he is working on a series of simulation
models that help in choice of materials and building
technologies. Performance prediction and thermal
analysis of buildings and renewable energy systems
through computer simulation are his core strengths.
As Secretary of the Solar Energy Society of India,
and Board Member of the International Association
for Solar Energy Education, of the University of
Florida, Anil Mishra brings vital understanding of
state–of–the–art in building industry worldwide.
There are four other professionals who are members.
Aromar Revi, an IIT –Delhi alumni of Civil engineer-
extension of the man, and his beliefs.
Economy in air and cooling
Dhaliwal. A mechanical engineer whose prowess at
design is only matched by his charming inability at
ing. He is a technologist-lawyer, and management
and finance specialist, who heads TARU , a New Delhi-
based consulting firm. He was one of the first re-
searchers from the developing world to apply ecologi-
cal systems analysis and design methods to what
was then a fuzzy concept of sustainability in the mid-
1980s. Aromar has lectured and taught widely in India
and the West, and been a senior advisor to various
ministries, and international development institutions.
He is an Ashoka fellow (1990) and a Balaton Member
1997.
Caroline Lobo, an Arizona-based green architect who
is widely known in environmentally and energy effi-
cient design circles as a young leader. She is Chair-
woman, Committee on Environment, American Insti-
tute of Architects, [Arizona] and member of the board
of directors, central Arizona chapter of American In-
stitute of Architects.
Rustam Vania, journalist and environmentalist, is al-
ready a member of one of BCIL ’s eco-conscious en-
claves. He today edits and provides graphic support
for Gobar Times, the popular pull-out section of Down
to Earth, the journal of the Centre for Science and
Environment.
Solomon Benjamin, architect–planner–urbanist, running
independent research projects, spends time at the
National Law School in Bangalore. A city–based pro-
fessional-philosopher who divides his time between
Bangalore and the rest of the world.
8
business! He directs two vital aspects of
T–Z ED — the built-in Refrigeration
system for every home, and the Z ED air–
conditioning system.
Solar and heat systems
Atam Kumar. A one–time nuclear
scientist at BARC now turned a solar and
heat systems engineer, he chooses
occasionally—between his time as a
committed organic farmer—to consult
on energy conservation and
solarisation projects. He designs
buildings for comfort conditioning. He
is one of India’s few specialists in earth
coupling by Earth Air Tunnels.
Energy with a think
Lyle Lopez. An electrical engineer, he
began his career in the early 80s with a
stint at the Aero–Engine Services
support Group of General Electric as
an instrumentation engineer. He then
joined his father’s long–established
consultancy firm. Since then he has
been consulted upon several projects
on electrical engineering and design
needs.
Lopez has offered project management
services, energy and safety audits, for
an array of large facilities in Delhi and
around. The firm has also actively
supported heritage conservation efforts,
the Taj Mahal Conservation Collabora-
tive, being one of them. At T–ZED , he
offers inputs on all aspects of electrical
energy and intelligent lighting systems.
Au r ov i l l e b u i l d i n g c e n t r e
The Auroville Building Centre is a
HUDCO recognized centre for excellence
and have developed and perfected bio-
systems for sewage and waste disposal,
and successfully commissioned projects
in the south for over 50 systems in use;
the biggest system at present is at a
hospital near Pondicherry for 2000
persons. The team, beaded by Tency
Baeten, a long-time Aurovillean, also
boasts some of the world’s best Homes? “The concept drove me. When
practitioners of earth block technology. I heard of it the first time, I wanted to
get involved—it didn’t matter in what
Managing the doing
way. The entire team thinks differently.
Sridhar R. Reining in the entire team—
Well, I know I’ll learn a deal by the
from architects and designers, to
time we are done with it.”
vendors and execution groups—is this
At AEC Infoech, Sridhar is backed by a
1970s structural engineer, an IIS c
professional team of engineers, task
alumni, who monitors and manages
managers, and trainers. The team takes
the entire process of the creation of T–
responsibility for the entire set of tasks
Z ED Homes.
with management of instructions
He rose over two decades at Semac
between the Architects and Contractor
Consultants from design engineer to
groups. Primarily, they ensure that
Director on the Board of that consult-
prompt servicing of all costs is ensured
ing company. At present he heads AEC –
while protecting the interest of the
Infotech, a Semac spin–off. The nature
project.
of management that AEC does is
Project schedules have been drawn up
unique.
for the following task segments—
We’ll let Sridhar speak for himself: “It’s
Club ZED and related works; Service
hard to tell people of what we do. We
Core Block — civil works and installa-
monitor every process from men,
tion of machinery; Z ED Homes in five
materials to funds flow. We choose the
clusters; Stand-alone homes—fifteen of
execution groups. We seek to sensitize
them; Z ED scaping, roads, park lots,
processes at every stage. We take
tanks, and other infrastructure.
complete ownership of a project once
assigned.” Details can be had from BCIL ’s officers.
So why did he choose to work on T–Z ED
Providing Value Assurance Through and After . . .
T-Z ED establishes a simple objective: make sustainability easy, attractive, and af-
fordable, without your having to make an compromise on present-day conveniences
and comforts. To ensure delivery mechanisms are established right, Team T-ZED
invited Prasad Vaidya of the Weidt Group, based in California, to develop a set of
Value Assurance techniques for implementation of the Z ED-values promised in the
design.
This is to ensure right delivery and monitoring. An Architecture and Environmental
Consulting firm, the Weidt Group of consulting green architects help designers with
energy conservation and achieving LEED certification in the states of Minnesota,
Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa, New Mexico and California.
Before joining the Weidt Group he practised architecture for seven years, working
on projects in the US, Korea, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India.
The Weidt Group is a consulting firm with complimentary specialties in sustainable
design, energy, and software. Founded in 1977 by John Weidt, the firm consults
with other architects and engineers to create environmentally appropriate buildings;
conducts environmental research and analysis of buildings, and creates software to
helps architects and engineers make buildings more efficiently.
9
 Z ED : What’
What’ss on offer? At home

n Built in, customized environment-

Here’s a listing of every feature that ZED offers— friendly (brine–based), zero
in your home, or outside. electricity refrigerator cum freezer.
You don’t need a personal refrigera-
tor or freezer at T–Z ED.
We have not yet learned how to stabilize our demands within the
n Home air–conditioning that is fully
sustainable boundaries of earth’s ecosystems...
controlled, and is based 100 per
Lester Brown
cent on fresh air.

n Dishwashers that are water-

conserving, and environmentally
benign, and almost detergent-free

I
t’s important that we are offered You don’t need to worry about untried
are built into the kitchen sinks at
alternatives that have the potential technology—every element has been
home.
to improve quality of life while created with two
n Well lit,
reducing our collective environmental things in mind:
very well
impact.
[a] feasibility of ventilated Z ED
At T–ZED Homes you will see a return to
creating the If there’s a reason you
homes with
many First Principles on quality of choose to live in a gated
facility now; solar passive
water, air and and power available at
and community such as this, architecture
your home.
[b] easy mainte- it’s the assurance of
that ensures
The campus envisages eighty Z ED
nance in the excellent
homes in five clusters of four–floor many others as
long term natural
configurations. Each cluster offers neighbours who share
with running lighting. No
sixteen homes. the advantages of living
costs being dark gloomy
We have harboured a theme that homes with
less than together.
unifies the afforesting plans at Z ED. The those of poor ventila-
clusters are— Bayleaf, Bilva, Begonia, tion.
conventional
Babul and Basil. Some of these plants options. n Solar hot water with cluster–based
are sacred. Some of them are known for
servicing backed up with low
This section presents all aspects of T–
their aromatic and medicinal value.
Z ED. Please ask for the pullout, All That voltage heating elements for cloudy
They all have a firm place in the hoary
periods.
You Wanted to Know About T–Z ED. . ., if
stories of our ancient past. And they
you need to know more about any or all n No personal domestic lights
provided a unifying theme in our effort
of these Z ED features. The near–
to christen the clusters.
exhaustive Q & A will put you at rest on
These ZED homes are configured in area Car Wash That Conserves
scores of issues that should arise in
options that suit your need [see matrix
your mind.
of home areas detailed in accompany- T–Z ED provides water–conserving
ing document, Pencilling Z ED]. No home Here we take you through a tour of the
car–wash nozzles akin to the hand–
is like any other. Each has its varia- individual aspects of T–Z ED Homes.
held telephonic ablution nozzles in
tions, and its oddities, and distinctive There are four streams — what T–ZED
WC s—without using a bucket one
elements. facilities mean to you at your home, in
uses less water than a bucket to
terms of Amenities, at the Services
There are then fifteen single-family wash a car.
Core, and on Zedscaping, or the
homes in the rear block—called the
planting and vegetation plans.
Candida cluster.

10
 required at your home. T–ZED
homes offer you built–in energy-
efficient lights.

n No personal pumps since water

needs are met by the Services
Core.

n Bath tubs as an option, but no

jacuzzis are permitted as a
guideline to residents.

n Using lower–volume baths and

fitting taps with water–saving
flow restrictors

n Installing water–efficient flush

cocks (this alone could save an
estimated 40,000 litres of water
per household per year)—that is
a saving of four million litres at
the campus every year.

n A handbook for every household

with tips on reducing water use.

n Use of recycled grey water for

toilet flushing.

n Personal UPS is an option.

n Insulated, light coloured and

well oriented houses will ensure
naturally low heat loads inside
homes. Vastu elements
We—you and I—may not be fastidious about this
n Insulated garden roofs to enable water-
conserving sky gardens for each home. Central ancient knowledge system. We do not understand
much of it either. But we do not wish to defy them.
water availability takes care of garden needs,
too. Z ED homes feature the following.
n No home has an entry facing due south.
n Intelligent electric switch controls to enable
n Master bedrooms are to southwest in all homes,
reduced power bills. Master switching system at
without exception.
home addressable from a mobile phone.
n Simple gauges and meters for power consump- n Kitchens are to southeast, or northwest, in all
homes, without exception.
tion pattern analysis, metering and billing for
fresh water, and hot water; separate bills for n Puja alcoves possible to carve out of family
essential lighting and for other appliances and rooms, but that’s an option you exercise.
fans; and for refrigeration and air-conditioning. Ser vices Core
n Unmetered abundant supply of flushing and
If there’s a reason you choose to live in a gated
gardening water.
community such as this, it’s the assurance of many
n Fresh organic vegetables from a cooperative
others as neighbours who share the advantages of
patch within the campus.
living together.

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The T–Z ED campus offers many facilities beyond
what it needs to. But then, remember, T-Z ED Homes
is about demonstrating many values that go far
beyond the usual norm.
n Centralised, intelligent
security system; Panic T-Z ED Homes will
buttons in every home have an internet shopping
to enable security
link with a local
alerts.
supermarket, with regular
n Intelligent lighting
co–ordinated deliveries.
systems for homes,
common corridors and
other areas, and for
public lighting of the campus areas. They save
energy; appliances last longer.
n EPABX facility that offers you one phone connec-
tion with direct dial facility. Every home offers
three more cable-pairs for external connections.
n Optic fibre connectivity for broadband
connectivity and cable TV .
n Elevators for each ZED Homes cluster, with a
compact machine room.
n Rainwater is collected, and stored in tanks or in
virtual tanks that the shallow aquifers will serve
as.
n Car-wash ports with water connections and
water-conserving outlets.
n Centralised, intelligent fire detection system
(beyond legal requirement)
n Fire fighting system (beyond legal requirement),
using hose reels with chilled water from
distribution grid.
n Central services (electrical systems that relate to
common areas, pumps, lifts) including security,
gardening, building maintenance and repair.
n Disabled–friendly drop kerbs and ramps for
roads, corridors and connecting vestibules.
n Solid wastes separated by residents into
recyclable groups (paper, metal, plastic,
organic, mixed, toxic)
n A waste management plan that takes care of
treatment in a manner that will involve low
maintenance and low running cost. Ensures the
campus takes responsibility for all waste, while
benefiting from it.
n Gravity fed tanks across the campus catering to
every home in each
cluster.
n Services Core Block
with central plants for
chilled water which will
serve your needs of
refrigeration, freezing,
airconditioners—all
generated in-house.
n Gas banks on your floor to avoid gas cylinders
being housed inside your home.
n In-house power generation that takes care of
all power needs without interruption.
n Organic solid wastes recycled through vermi-
composting in the common campus areas.
n Old newspaper and other paper sent to
recycling shop.
n Organic vegetables, fruits and flowers are
community assets.
Amenities at Club ZED
n Childcare facility. Don’t worry about young
children – walk to the tots lot at C LUB Z ED ’s
health spa, and pop them home for lunch. This
will be a call that the Z ED community will make
depending on the need for such a facility.
n You can scale down your washing at home. The
central laundry that uses stored rainwater and
biodegradable detergents will be more efficient
and will cost you just as much as the help
you’ll hire.
n You don’t need to go out of your way to stay fit.
CLUB Z ED offers a contemporary fitness centre.
We hope to have a consulting nutritionist on
call on certain days of the week.
n A conferencing centre [50 capacity] with
secretarial support.
n Theme restaurant in a semi open-air setting.
Organic home meal from restaurant encour-
aged.
n An ozonized poolside you can use in winters,
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 too. The waters are warmed to
ambient temperature by a unique
energy–efficient heating process.
The pool draws, like many things at
ZED , on zero energy values by
avoiding use of energy-inefficient
ceramic tiles. The surface is clad in
a blend of designer stones and
sand-simulating granular surface
material—no ceramic tiles.
n A convenience store that caters to
residents’ household needs. BCIL
negotiating an internet shopping
link with a local supermarket, with
regular co–ordinated
deliveries, to reduce time
taken and distance
travelled for the monthly
bulk shopping.
Besides, the EcoStore
provides recycled paper,
biodegradable detergent,
organic vegetables, fruits,
flowers, rice and dal
varieties, other domestic
consumables like tooth-
paste. This is apart from main-
stream market produce.
n An affordable art mart that will
display a range of oil and wash
paintings, craftwork, and bric-a-
brac.
n A health farm with options on
ayurvedic stress-busters
n Generous bicycle storage.
n A ‘pedestrian first’ policy – with
good lighting, drop kerbs for prams
and wheelchairs.
n Car parking spaces are laid with
porous block paving over gravel to
minimise surface run– off. Runoff
from sky gardens, roads and
pavements is drained to the
underground storage, with excess
water being distributed to the
is vegetated areas of the campus.
n A road layout that keeps vehicles to
walking speed.
Pool waters at Club ZED
are warmed to ambient temp
by an energy-efficient heating
process...
n Bio-fencing with warm, cheerful
installation art for the periphery
walls.
n Ecofriendly plants.
n Permeable roads, bike and jogging
trails.
n Cars are out of the way—it’s a
child-friendly space.
n Energy-efficient design — with
homes facing north or east to make
the most of the solar axis, and to
bring in sunlight in place of
artificial lighting.
n A water strategy that enables
reduction of consumption. This
includes installing water-saving
appliances and making the most of
rain and recycled water.
n Don’t spend a fortune on utilities
bills. Whether it is on water, or
electricity, or heavy duty appliances
like the air-conditioner or refrigera-
tor. You can rest easy, knowing
that you are not abusing natural
resources.
n You don’t have to eat organic
vegetables got from miles away
from your home. You will have a
choice from within the campus.
n Location that is strategic. The
airport is 12–15 minutes away,
and the railway station is 40
minutes away. The city’s shop-
ping district, MG Road, is 25–30
minutes away in peak traffic.

n A real and online library —books, ZED values

CD s, VCD s, DVD s. n A central chilling system that is

n An amphitheatre for the occasional based on a benign chemical,
concert, or birthday bash, or formal ammonia— no CFC s and HCFCs. The
gathering of T–ZED ders. chiller plant takes care of every

ZEDscape home’s air-conditioning, and

refrigeration need.
T–Z ED has been designed to encourage,
inside the campus, alternatives to car Customized refrigeration at every

use, including: home cuts energy bills by 50 per cent.

13
 Instead it puts into practice the latest
thinking on protecting the environ-
ment, bringing together in one project

Urban Village Sans P

Village arallel
Parallel many ideas tried out elsewhere.
Our existing lives are so stress-filled
At once caring and sharing . . . with so many dislocated daily activities
that it is hard to believe that the
majority of us are even prepared to
It is time we found systems and techniques that allow humans to provide for keep going. It is becoming so difficult
their legitimate needs without doing substantial harm to nature. to balance the competing needs of
Henry David Thoreau. work, family life, career, financial
stability, that for many of us, at least
one of these ingredients is allowed to
slip.
But then, most of us realize that our
lifestyles are not just inconvenient —
there is every indication that they could

T
–Z ED ’s skill lies in the way it ZED naturals spell gloom for the next generation.
brings together a number of In as many aspects of the buildings, T– You can see that T–Z ED is not just a
proven methods—none of them Z ED has employed natural, recycled or bunch of buildings. Its soul lies in the
particularly high tech—of reducing reclaimed materials. values you will engender in going
energy, water and introducing Z ED beyond making a living, to living.
Again, wherever possible, we have
features that bring luxury and comfort
encouraged use of building materials
to the dweller. And, crucially, it creates
traditional to the region, such as
a campus that is affordable on the
natural flooring stone, terra-cotta tiled
running costs.
roofing and
We have defied economic logic by
natural floors.
creating much less as built area than is No r ocket
permitted by the norms—a mere s cience here
225,000 sq. feet against FAR norm of
Every single
over 400,000 sq. feet.
aspect of T–ZED
The footprint—or the area buildings
has been
consume—is no more than 80,000 sq. designed to
feet, against the total land expanse of
conserve finite
232,000 sq. feet. natural re-
We chose not to mar the skyline with yet sources, and to
another high–rise. Here’s a set of have minimal
buildings that will lend grace over impact on the
years to the cityscape without offending environment.
the land’s sensitivities. However, the
While we have striven to reduce entire scheme of
environment impact with a reduced elements does
physical footprint, as T–ZED residents, not rely on
you have to work together to reduce complicated
your ecological footprint. technology.

14
The place to sit down, and
chat away . . .
Club ZED takes away commuting from your shopping

Any work of architecture which does not express

serenity is a mistake.
J Krishnamurthi

T
o the old Bangalorean, its salubrious you step out ... these had to be detailed with care,
climate is at once a blessing and a love and attention. Little things like steps that help
blight—the latter because, just about every you negotiate levels were important, too.
one who visits Bangalore wants to make home here. The forms had to be organic, free–flowing. Design
There are over 1,500 families, those lifeless had to be unconscious, not inviting your attention,
statisticians tell us, that migrate to the plateau for yet agreeable to the eye.
good, every day. But that’s another story . . . The long, curving restaurant space reflects a contem-
At T–ZED , we set out to make the most of the city ’s porary steel cable truss roof with an overhanging
cool conditions. With so fabric that gives the
much as land expanse at ambience a gay, tropical
the campus, the natural A significant struc- character. From the
choice on designing the restaurant that overlooks
tural feat is the Seminar space
Club Z ED ’s string of the articulated
that hovers over the limpid
facilities was to be plantscape on either
minimal on architectural turquoise of the pool waters.
side, you are guided
distinctions between An expansive glass front, and through small interreg-
indoors and the out. port holes in glass on the nums of spaces that
The buildings had to accommodate the
floor lend a charming element
expand into the landscape, prosaic functions — the
of diversion to this Z ED –
while the sights, sounds of kitchen, the washrooms,
airconditioned conferencing
the outdoor waft through the pool changerooms.
the living spaces. We had centre. This serves as a And as you move along
to ponder over the scale of centrepiece for Club Z ED . the radial, the health
buildings, their size and spa [that doubles as the
spaces that have to tots lot] rests, while the
necessarily be enclosed and the level of natural and amphitheater with its inviting green spread lies
artificial illumination. The textures of the walls, the draped in a curved hollow.
floors, the roofs, the columns, and the land areas as A significant structural feat is the Seminar space that

15
 Misgivings you may nurse

We have taken pains to ensure that

the zed airconditioning system, apart
from the Z ED water conserving and
detergent-reducing dish-washer and
the Z ED refrigeration system is
demonstrated at Club ZED . The aim is
obvious: to dispel in your mind any
misgivings you may nurse on how
these systems will work eventually at
your home.
Club Z ED is not just a set of spaces.
It’s a harkback to the traditional
chaupal that invited the neighbor-
hood to meet, converse, exchange.
The convenience store, or the library,
the laundromat, or the food courts in
a pleasant mix of traditional thatch
and mud architecture ... all of them
presented us a rare opportunity to
showcase zed building values, and to
you the time to catch up with
neighbours.
When you step back and look at it
all, you’ll see a subdued play of
hovers over the limpid turquoise of the pool waters.
natural elements. We have reminded ourselves all
An expansive glass front, and port holes in glass on
through that while the aesthetic is important, we
the floor lend a charming element of diversion to
can’t afford to forget our concern on conservation.
this Z ED–airconditioned conferencing centre. This
serves as a centrepiece for Club Z ED.
The poolside is a played down, relaxation version,
with echoes of the traditional Kalyani—steps in
timeless stone leading you into the tepid waters. The
pool, we remind you, is warmed by a friendly, low–
maintenance energy system that ensures you find the
waters warm and inviting even on a winter morning
or evening.
The earth–toned walkways ... lighting that wash the
paths ... vegetation that forms a three–layer cascade
of groundcover, shrubs, and tree species ... the use
of rough–hewn stones and earth that mock at formal
design...

16
 to let a mountain of green cascade the
building.
Embodying the T–Z ED Ideal The hallmark of Z ED design, its sky
gardens that use light–weight mulch in
Putting environmentally intelligent design to the test. . .
place of heavier soil on the upper
tloors, and every balcony space, had to
be sewn into the internal spaces
seamlessly.
Yo u c a n ’ t j u s t s t a n d t h e r e a n d a s s e r t t h a t t h e w o r l d s h o u l d b e
T–Z ED lends a subtle dimension to the
d i ff e r e n t . Yo u h a v e t o p r o v i d e t h e p r a c t i c a l r e s o u r c e s a n d i d e a s f o r
treatment of pergolas, the texture of
change.
materials and colours, and the
World Resources Institute.
checkerboard of light and shadow in
the lower segments as the building
turns askew.
The spinal road that meanders between

A
ll architects care about campus, called the Candida cluster. the clusters forms a subtle frame for the
building right. But at T–Z ED , We bore in mind the need for the connecting wooden corridors that
the big questions were and resident’s right to privacy, and exclusiv- extend an old–world elegance to the
have been: How can we build this ity. Each home had to have its identity, street. They also reduce traffic speed by
urban community which will live up to while integrating with the whole. making the streets seem an uncertain
its promise of a quality lifestyle while The external facades, the split levels environment for cars.
being the envy of the rest of the city? between each Z ED home in the cluster, The Z ED masterplan achieves a pleasant
Most architects use three basic design the treatment of the corridors that place to live—with good quality
criteria: aesthetics, performance and connect ... all were hand-crafted to outdoor spaces. The plan provides
cost. At T–Z ED, in order to deal with the create spaces security and
threat to natural resources posed by that invite demarca-
modern-day building techniques, we the softer tion of
added two additional criteria: build- eastern and
At T-Z ED , no two houses public and
ings must be designed to be environ- northern sun. private
are at the same floor level. We
mentally intelligent and built of At T–Z ED , areas.
took good care to ensure that
materials that utilise, not exploit every Everything
resources. building’s elements of ‘Vaastu’ were not
about the
We turned down the possibility of a configuration defied. ZED
high-rise and chose to hug the treeline. changes at masterplan—
Discovering a building through the each level. from the
foliage and not looking at it from a No two layout and
distance, had an appeal we couldn’t houses are building materials, to the energy and
resist. The high-rises are less sophisti- the same at the floor level. We took water supply systems—has been
cated—they fight the environment, and good care to ensure that elements of designed to drive towards resource
do not take advantage of natural ‘Vaastu’ were not defied. efficiency.
forces. More out of deference to the carefully BCIL ’s aim in designing T–ZED has been

We first carved out the three segments crafted Z EDscape, we designed the to create an attractive urban village,
of the land—Club Z ED , the five clusters homes to overlook the green outdoors reflecting and enhancing the local style

of Z ED Homes, and the single family from almost every side of the house. and flavour, while lending warmth and
homes tucked away at the rear of the Terraces were pulled back at each level cheer to the campus and the home.

17
 natural stone and laterite make for
energy reduction. The mix of
materials ensures thermal and
The Matrix of Materials
Matrix visual comfort for every home.

n Internal walls. Since nearly all walls

Designs that create a new aesthetic
are plastered we have employed
light-weight fly-ash blocks and
full– and half–brick soil cement
I f y o u w a n t a g o l d e n r u l e t h a t w i l l f i t e v e r y b o d y, t h i s i s i t : h a v e blocks.
nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful. Or believe
n For internal wall finishes, homes
to be beautiful.
will use natural stainers, plasters,
Judith Miller, Architect-writer.
paints, marble powder finish, and
Singapore putty.

n Roof slabs are a combination of

filler and reinforced concrete. The

O
ver the years, we have ucts that go into making every T–Z ED filler slabs employ laterite blocks

learned to accept less. In home. with pine wood cladding in places

where exposed.
a sense we have not been Construction materials, finishes
n Floors. Natural Kadapa stone
asking enough of designers. We have n External walls. Exposed reinforced
polished to a sheen. Combinations
settled for buildings that trap heat, that concrete frame, designed to have
of blue-grey Kota stone and a mix
consume much more energy to cool, and uniform projections. Use of steel to
of burnished sandstones.
be optimized since it is the single
cost more than they should.
largest consumer of energy embod- n External areas around the buildings
Requiring that designs meet environ- in slate, rough granite, and gravel
ied in buildings today. No ugly,
mental standards is usually seen as an distended column-tops. over sand beds. Judicious use of
obstacle. At T–ZED we viewed them as a Athanagudi stone.
n External walls in soil cement blocks
challenge. And every design professional with smooth finishes rendered on n Washroom walls. Clad in stone or

who worked on the plans, showed a rare the insides. Exposed exteriors. slate with surface treatment to make

n Warm tones at the ground level them water resistant.

ability to create a new aesthetic.
with stone facades, and vermiculite n Windows and glazing. Frameless,
T–Z ED Homes has widened the agenda
cement plaster—a fly ash-based glazed and wire-meshed
beyond architecture, cost and building
blend of cement which has a rubberwood shuttered windows. No
performance. High on the creative foaming property that offers greater grills. Some granite jambs. More
agenda was the matrix of materials that volume at lesser density, thus rustic towards the outdoor, the sky
went into the making of the homes. We enabling greater insulation and gardens and the balconies.

asked ourselves whether our buildings higher thermal comfort in homes. n Doors. Frameless, flush doors

needed disproportionately large quanti- n Laterite exposed work in certain covered with rubberwood doors.
sections to lend warm, earth tones. n Accents on granite in the Z ED
ties of energy to construct and maintain,

whether the harvesting of the materials n Quarry dust in place of ecologi- clusters, parks, and lift foyers.
cally destructive sand for PCC and n Wardrobes are offered as options.
could potentially destroy other species,
plastering work. In rice husk and particle or bamboo
and whether any of the materials are
n While concrete framed structures do boards. The energy values of such
toxic.
signify greater embodied energy, the materials will be certified.
We present here a checklist of the prod- soil cement blocks, and the use of

18
Smart Lights that Save
Making the most of present-day technology

There is so much an individual can do, even in a society that ignores

or discounts environmental costs.
S t e v e L e r n e r i n E c o - P i o n e e r s.

H
aving said as much, we will run you home. You are networked into an EPABX facility that
quickly through this section. will allow free internal voice calls.

The external lights (gate lights, path-
ways, parking and façade) shall be on a timer with
an ambient light sensing device; both devices shall
intelligently determine in combination whether it is
appropriate to switch the lights on, or put them off.
The lights in the lift lobbies, corridors and stairs,
shall be “group switched”. This is a system where
one light in a group of three shall come on as a
base light (as daylight dims), while others come on
for a short while only when a person is walking
(activated by a PIR sensor and switched off by a
timer).
You can organize with the business centre to receive
your calls (acting as your office or taking messages)
when you are out.
The low–rise T–ZED buildings do not legally require
any fire detection or fire fighting provisions, nor a
security system. But as a T–ZED measure of safety
and security, we offer a centralized fire detection
system, and an intelligent security system that
includes panic buttons to the central security post,
and boundary wall surveillance.
The fire fighting systems will utilize water from the

Of course, you have the option of

setting your home lights and other
devices (including AC units) to be on or
off at the flick of a master switch.
Essential circuits (refrigerators, clocks)
can be bypassed by the master switch.
Besides just switching on the master
switch manually, you can also ask it to
be switched on or off by your mobile
phone so that your house is comfortable
and the water warm even as you swipe
your card to enter your home.

Fibre optic connections will offer you

data, voice and video capability at

19
distribution grid of chilled water to douse the rare
fire.
T–Z ED offers you homes
that come complete with
built–in energy–efficient
lights. If you do have a
favourite bedside lamp,
you have the option of
plugging it in.
choice without being “punished” by the state for
saving energy or generating your own. Recent legal
reforms in the power
sector have already
started working this
The low–rise T–ZED issue towards our side.
buildings do not legally
require any fire detection or
fire fighting provisions, nor a

Electrical needs at security system. But as a T–Z ED

T–ZED measure of safety and secu-

Normally a campus of rity, we offer a centralized fire

this size could consume detection system, and an
over 1000 kW of power
intelligent security system
(imagine 500 air-
that includes panic buttons to
conditioners or 400
geysers running at the the central security post, and

same time), between all boundary wall surveillance.

the rooms and wash-
rooms. Such profligacy
adds to our cost, environmental damage, and
global warming.

At T–Z ED, without any compromise on the quality of

life, the base load required will be 200 kW and the
incidental loads required shall be another 300 kW.

T–Z ED Homes shall provide a Bescom connection of

up to 500 kVA while this campus shall be a first in
providing you renewable energy for practically all
your needs. The captive power generated at the
Service Core will use pongamea oil in place of
high–polluting and fossil–based diesel.

This captive power shall be silent and offer reliable

good quality electricity that shall cover the 200 kW
base load. The vegetable oil will be supported by
diesel in the event of shortages.

The pumping of water from the aquifer to the

ground tanks for treatment is a daily affair that
takes up energy every day. This function shall be
taken care of by an array of solar cells that will run
any time the sun shines; it requires no battery
storage.

T–Z ED shall lobby for progressive implementation

of new energy policy that enables you to be a
generator of your own energy at any scale of your

20
 from the Water Supply Board of its
regularity in the long term future.

Supplying the Precious Liquid

Precious T- Z E D ’ s wa t e r p l a n

Four easy principles by which water can

T-ZED’s planners offer a plan that is far-sighted, self-sufficient, be harvested from rain are:
and removes the nightmares of water shortages. Here’s how . . . Use le ss: Increase efficiency of use
less:
(recycle), employ water–consuming
devices and adopt conscious ethical
I n a s u s t a i n a b l e e c o n o m y, t r e e c u t t i n g d o e s n o t e x c e e d t r e e restrictions on consumption (don’t
planting, the fish caught do not exceed the sustainable yield of waste) to reduce demand. T–Z ED uses
fisheries, and water pumping does not exceed the aquifer recharge… many such devices as you will see in
Sara Stein, Restoring Ecology in Our Backyards other sections of this Dossier.
Grow your own: Tapping harvestable
yields as autonomously as possible
(harvest from your roof). T–Z ED employs
an elaborate harvesting plan as
explained elsewhere in this and other

I
t’s easy to forget the importance of ently stealing agricultural freshwater documents.
water when the monsoon is in resources from the countryside to the Store a lot
lot: This is because renewable
swing. We use our water resources city (using the city ’s superior paying
resource yields like rain are diurnal,
to capacity. We have seen in recent capacity), and it creates waste (grey and seasonal. We get all our rains in
years in every city and every village, the water) or sewage (black water), ideally about 90 hours in the 8,700–plus hours
alarming short supply during the requiring treatment before merging that a year offers—that’s one per cent
summer months. back with the resources of nature. of the entire year’s time.
Water shortages are here to stay. There Myth of water growing in pipes . . . It is this capital cost of storage that is
is no magic wand we can wield to daunting, and where the most develop-
The fact that water does not grow in
produce water. But our long years of pipes explains why the pipes are often ment work is scheduled at T–Z ED.
work on water management has helped Build two–way
dry! But, levity
us harness water resources well. apart, all piped networks for
T–Z ED’s water strategy will make it easy supplies Water shortages security: Every
for residents to conserve this precious, essentially come consumer is also
are here to stay. There is no
taken-for-granted resource, by reducing from some a producer. We
magic wand we can wield to
water usage and making the most of natural resource are beginning by
other sources such as rainwater. produce water. But our long setting the
ultimately
Domestic water use is typically 135 litre traceable to rain years of work on water unparalleled

per person per day (roughly 15 lppd for or other management has helped us example of not

drinking and cooking, 30 lppd for precipitation. T– taking a Water

harness water successfully.
washing our things and spaces, 30 Z ED has set out Supply Board

lppd for washing ourselves, 50 lppd for to harvest this connection. The

flushing, and 10 lppd wasted). Add urban domestic water directly from the day is not far off when the municipal

rain, which otherwise chokes our services shall allow us, no, require us,
another 65 lppd for a small garden,
drains. It makes more sense to do this to flow freshwater back to them for
and you have a total of 200 lppd.
rather than consume water from storage and distribution for other use.
If domestic water is used indiscrimi-
municipal pipes with no assurance However BCIL is committed to one
nately, urban areas end up inadvert-

21
undertaking: we will provide water
supply connection from the Water
Supply Board, some day in the future —
if, that is, the Z ED water plan does not
provide adquate water.
Manage our own water resources
Can we really manage with the water
available on the campus.
Well, picture this possibility, which is
soon to become reality at T–Z ED Homes:
A community of 500 people, living on
two hectares of land, harvest an average
of 80 lppd (See box on Per Capita
Stake) from their roofs, gardens and
roads. Imagine storing some of this
water in an underground tank as it is
nearly soft, for use in cooling devices,
and charging a shallow underground
aquifer (which can be treated as some
sort of a ‘virtual water storage’) together
with the rest of the rainwater that the
land receives through the year.
At T–Z ED , this storage amounts to 4
million litres harvested from all the roof
tops and 12 million litres harvested
from the green areas around the
buildings in the land expanse. That
amounts to 40,000 liters per capita of
potential stored groundwater.
Being shallow, it is economical to pump
this water with solar photovoltaic pumps
and ozonize it for use in cooking,
washing and bathing.
The average household consumption for
these purposes is 60 lppd, including hot
water demand (so 80 lppd contains a
safe margin), dishes being passed
through running water, and a comfort-
ably long shower. That makes for a total
Campus need of 30,000 litres per day,
or 11 million litres a year. (We should
avoid, as conscionable citizens, use of
bath tubs every day that drain wastefully,
after each use, up to 280 litres).
Ozonized waters
While this type of water would not need
any treatment, by way of abundant
precaution, T–Z ED’s plans include such
domestic water being ozonized to
drinking water quality, so that all
kitchen sinks, wash basins, bathing
and ablution nozzles have high quality
water.
The faucets at each home will all have
aerating nozzles so as to conserve
water.
Little that’s lost . . .
If you take into account the waste
treatment plant and the water it
recycles (see the following page on
Waste Turns to Relative Wealth),
practically no water is lost except to
leaks and transpiration of plants or
perspiration of human beings, or to
evaporation in machines. And there is
no need for a drain or sewage outlet in
the system, as all water and waste
become a resource rather than effluent.
And all this can be implemented with
22
an additional capital cost. That’s the responsibility
BCIL has taken on, of incurring an extra
infrastructural cost if it means securing a Z ED
value.
Why aren’t they all doing this?
So why doesn’t everybody do all this when they
build housing colonies? First, because most people
make the cardinal mistake of assuming that water
is cheap and available in plenty.
Next, all of us carry this mortal dread of relying on
any source other than the Water Supply Board—the
Board has no magic wand, and the water sources
they rely on is as finite.
Besides, the water from the Supply Board in
internittent, unreliable in quantity and quality, and
corrodes pipes.
Third, we are not educated adequately to under-
stand that the cost of treatment of water naturally is
even cheaper than chemical treatments available.
Last, we are lost in the myth of “water growing from
the pipe”.
A ll of us carry this mortal
dread of relying on any
source other than the
Water Supply Board—the
Board has no magic wand,
and the water source they
rely on is as finite.
In putting these plans into place, we have relied on
a sound understanding of First Principles and
choice of systems that are well-established, and low
on technology, as well as maintenance in the years
ahead. .
Central laundry saves water
At T–Z ED , there is also a central laundry using
soft water, with optional self-service or your
housekeeper calling in at the Laundromat at Club
Z ED . Personal laundries washed at home should
be discouraged because, though we have de-
signed to make this possible, they are unneces-
sary, promote waste, and do not easily allow
monitoring of detergents use.
Since all water resources are chemically pre-
cious and reused, all laundries should use biode-
gradable detergents in this system. And this is
easy when done at the Laundromat than at home—
you save the trouble of having to buy such deter-
gents.
This helps. Water that is free of chemically heavy
detergents can be treated and reused. Scouring
detergents-based water is nearly impossible to
treat.
Water served hot, cold,
or normal …
Z ED plans, include the chilled, normal,
and heated drinking water that is dis-
pensed in all homes with a built-in wa-
ter dispenser—this is a health, safety
and energy-conserving measure, apart
from the luxury of getting hot or cold
water online. The built–in panel, is of
stainless steel, good quality, and is
available at your home free of electric-
ity.
23
 The greenhouse also feeds Campus needs for
mother plants.

In addition to consuming the nutrients in wastewa-

Wa s t e t u r n s t o r e l a t i v e ter, the anaerobic and aerobic phases of the

treatment process also breaks down toxic chemicals
wealth found in sewage, rendering them harmless.

The process
Owning up for the community’s refuse
All the water produced from baths and showers,
Green planning has been tested, and has shown its worth. The idea
wash basins and sinks (grey water) is non–
is gaining momentum, and it’s finding people who live by it.
pathogenic. The waste (sullage from showers, wash
Robert McNamara
basins, and kitchen counters) lines from homes
lead the sullage water to the waste treatment
system. The water passes through the filtration
chambers, and is then ozonized to rid the water of
turbidity and residual pathogenic content.

This water is pumped again on a dedicated

network of plumbing lines, to be used for toilets

M
any activist groups across
flushing and the sky gardens in each home.
the country have waged
At homes, T–Z ED uses water-conserving flush cocks
endless battles to regulate and clean
at the closets (advanced versions of the humble
up after environmentally destructive waste is
ones in a train toilet). All Z ED gardens employ drip
spewed by poorly planned housing colonies, or
irrigation techniques. These two functions alone
industries. At BCIL , the shift in strategy is clear: the
claim over 135 litres per person per day.
search is for more energy-efficient, less polluting
methods of meeting human needs. This has opened In most conventional situations, sewage water

many exciting avenues. release (‘black water’ from WC s) is treated in a

septic tank, which is an underground chamber in
One such is the chemical-free system at T–Z ED that
which the sewage water stays for about a day
uses the purifying power of nature to treat wastes.
before moving into the soak pits to be leeched by
It’s a blend of aquatic plants and microorganisms
the earth.
that feed off the nutrients in the
sewage. The two-stage, multi-
chamber process beds are located
in a compact area. It is odour-free.
The clean water that comes out
irrigates ferns, orchids and
vegetables, some of them in a
greenhouse area and ultimately
charges the underground shallow
aquifers.

Even earlier in the cycle, the waste

water that is created by washing,
bathing and cooking is filtered and
ozonised so as to be safely released
for toilets flushing or used in a drip
irrigation system in the skygardens.

24
This sanitary system has been around a
long time, and has served the function
well. But the decomposition of waste
takes place in anaerobic conditions
[without contact with air and oxidiz-
ing], and creates an effluent that is
high on odour. Often this water is used
in gardens. This carries potentially
harmful pathogenic bacteria, and can
contaminate underground water
resources. This system does not ensure
black water is treated adequately.

T–Z ED Homes introduces DEWATS , a

proven technology practised over the
last two decades successfully in many
places in India and elsewhere.

Here the septic tank is replaced by a

tank where the black water flows
through multiple champers, all
separated by baffles. This treats the
sewage by 90 per cent. This relatively
clean water is treated in a reed bed
under sand (called the root zone
system, where the treatment is aerobic).
This ensures that the sewage is clarified
without any residual odour.
PIX from Dewats slides of SP Launch
This treatment is safer than septic
Presentation
tanks, and is as clean as the best
centralized sewage disposal systems.

In theory such treatment can make These baffled chambers ensure that the sewage is clarified without residual odour

water potable again, especially if it is and the clarified water is used for water–conserving farms — (below).

let out into a ‘polishing’ or treatment

pond under the sun. At T–Z ED it is
designed to be used for gardening
needs - common lawns, greenhouse
and vegetable patches. Eventually it
charges the groundwater’s shallow
aquifer.

The system offers two big advantages—

organic farm–fresh vegetables and
plants for the community; and no
chemical treatment at any stage, thus
avoiding the long–term effects of toxic
build–ups in the body or on the land.

25

City-specific Z E D –AC’
–AC’ss
When in Bangalore, design for Bangalore, is the T-Zed
credo. Here we tell you how.
Even the most eco-conscious consumer finds it hard to go home
without a sizeable amount of unnecessary packaging.
James Campion in Once Upon a Universe.
T
–ZED homes offer for every one
of its 95 homes a customized
air conditioning system, that is
hugely different from the conventional
AC ’s you have known in homes [split
units that fit as stand-alone equipment
on your wall] and in office blocks [the
centralized duct system].
T–Z ED offers homes with no dust, no
pollution, no germs—if managed well,
you will keep away the dozens of
species that usually make home in your
home—lizards, roaches, mites, and the
lot.
The Z ED air–conditioner comes at 60
per cent of the cost of the regular. We
bear that as infrastructure cost. And
critically to you, it brings down by 50
per cent the running cost. There is also
the guarantee of performance with
service support on call for the resident.
Let us tell you more.
A better option . . .
If you have had a split unit fitted in
your office or home, do you recall ever
having to enforce the performance
guarantee? Besides, it’d never have
crossed your mind to check if the system
Bangalore where many air-conditioned
buildings are being cooled up to the
first week of December, when it is
colder outside!
The Z ED air-conditioning is aimed at
improving efficiency—in the making of
the system, and in the running of it.
Since it is not done as a retrofit after
the building is already created, we have
the advantage of custom–designing a
system that is in conjunction with the
building and the city ’s climate.
‘One solution fits all’
Why consultants go for the central AC
system, or for the split in homes and
offices, is the sloppy engineering charm
of “one solution fits all”. But the catch
guzzles more energy to provide more is, air-conditioners are, in principle,
cooling—there’s a bill you pay every energy–guzzling devices that [a]
month, and think you didn’t have a overcool the air in humid times to
better option. condense out the water, then [b] heat it
And if you don’t see the AC system in all over again, and [c] cool the air, not
isolation, but see it in the context of the person, and treat perfectly accept-
the building, you will notice that able fresh air as a liability.
buildings are poorly designed for The larger global hazard of warming
thermal comfort, poorly oriented and has resulted largely due to emissions of
poorly insulated—you only have to look ozone depleting substances driven by
around as you AC and refrigeration.
weave through the
dense traffic on a
morning, and you
will see so many
glass–and–
aluminium towers
that face west and
soak more than
half the day ’s
heat, with their
AC ’s toiling harder
to keep the
inhabitants cool.
So we have these
absurd situations
in salubrious
weather such as in
26
Utterly simple Z ED option
L
et’s look at air–conditioning the
T–Z ED homes. In a city like
Bangalore, the older citizens would dismiss
the very idea as ridiculous, as the climate contin-
ues, despite all the abuse and the population
surge, to be ‘air-conditioned’—you only have to
step out of an aircraft after a ride in from any city
in India, to know the difference.
Yes, it helps to improve the quality of air. Eliminat-
ing dust and occasional humidity will add to
human comfort, enhance productivity, and the life
of furnishings.
Do–Nothing helps, too
Though there are obviously situations where do–
nothing would be a perfectly acceptable solution in
Bangalore, this is so only if you do nothing and
stay with that solution forever, accepting the five
percent bad times with the good, not heading out
to buy a split unit the moment the mercury touches
35 deg. C one of these summer afternoons.
The conventional solution has it that the AC
(typically a split, which is not very healthy, as it has
no fresh air input) is used only during the ‘hot’
times.
City–sensitive cooling
Instead, at T–Z ED what we are building is a system
that’s sensitive to the city ’s climate. After all, it is
daft to install a system that is designed to work in
the Sahara and in the jungles of Borneo!
People don’t like to lug their AC units with them
Energy Standards
When you set out to buy a refrig-
erator, or any such heavy-duty ap-
pliance, look for the small print in
the catalogue that details the power
rating of the system. There are stan-
dards set for energy use for differ-
ent sizes of refrigerators. For in-
stance, the current BIS standard for
the most popular 165–litres refrig-
erator is 750 KwHrs a year under
what is uncomfortably called ‘lab
conditions’ — this translates to
about two units of power consumed
per day on your power meter. Now
a 22-cubic-feet refrigerator [over 600
litres] in Japan or the US uses as
little as 561 kilowatt-hours a year!
Of course, they are expensive, but
bring a massive energy saving,
year after year that makes up for
the additional one-time cost.
27
when they transfer residence, but are currently More we buy, more
forced to do so due to the perception that central the global risk
AC is expensive, itself born out of the “one solution
Annual refrigerator sales in less-in-
fits all” mindset.
dustrial nations are on a 15% trot a
So when in Bangalore, we design for Bangalore. At
year. China has the biggest refrig-
T–Z ED , air conditioning is approached in three
erator industry in the world. Only
parts:
15 years ago Chinese homes didn’t
(a) Do nothing when the outside air is good (which sport fridges. Today 20 to 25% of
is very often)—just filter or wash the air and homes in rural China have refrig-
feed it in. erators. It is as high as 90% in the
(b) Sensible cooling in the dry seasons and dry cities. India is not far behind. Shows
periods of the day, something that can be there is a sore need for devising
accomplished by using water as refrigerant. You technologies, like at T-ZED, that bring
don’t need to fret over humidity. These are greater efficiency.
indirect evaporative systems that do not directly
add water to the indoors, and are used as
low–energy air–conditioning system with full
window units. Since the water is relatively soft controls. And, it runs at 1.5 times the efficiency of
and collected from the roof during monsoon, it a regular split unit — saves you over 50 per cent in
enhances the life of the monthly bills.
Z ED AC .
So why isn’t it done
(c) To really make it crisp elsewhere already? Well,
and comfortable for There is another because this solution
every hour in the year, reason that these energy– requires, initially, large
we provide for latent efficient systems are not volumes of order for
cooling by chilled tooling —if the pricing is
implemented—they do not
water sent to these Z ED to be competitive.
necessarily pay the AC
AC ’ S in your home Second, such climates as
supplier, or the consult- the one in Bangalore are
The T–Z ED AC is a con-
tainer about the size of a ant, what they perceive as not common, so the

split unit, but going sufficient compensation demand from a poor old

through and above the Bangalore is considered

window openings in your
home — the living area
and the bed rooms. The
Z ED conditioner comes
for the effort, because the
unimportant, which is
solution requires care to
alright as long as one
implement, and because it ignores the fact that
does not blindly “fit all”, Bangaloreans are affluent

with high–quality, white– in a countrywide market. and, worse, able to waste

good like finish. The unit energy and create

will be supplied with environmental damage.

electricity for fans, Not ‘Idiot–proof ’

relatively soft water for cooling, and chilled water
for dehumidification.
Why’s no one doing it?
This Z ED system is an eco–friendly, 100% fresh air,
There is another reason that these energy–efficient
systems are not implemented—they do not
necessarily pay the AC supplier, or the consultant,
what they perceive as sufficient compensation for

28
the effort, because the solution requires At BCIL , we’re glad that that step has
care to implement, and because it does been taken by us with T–Z ED Homes. We
not blindly “fit all”, in a countrywide raise the bar on building technology
market. with this low–technology Z ED air

It is not idiot–proof—it would not work conditioner, as with many of the other

in, say, a high–humidity town like Z ED features you see detailed in this

Bombay or Kochi, and would have to dossier.

be customized in size to implement in In a tech–savvy 21st century we don’t

Delhi which might not make it as want to be part of the bandwagon of
economical. builder companies who expend

Appalling dependence marketing effort (unfortunately, very

Yet we owe it to ourselves and to
discerning members like you, to convert
to such systems. The reliance on
successfully) to sell blatant consump-
tion as a desirable value.
So if do–nothing is going to lead to

conventional AC systems that you see using conventional AC , do this to begin

with every granite–glass–aluminum with—for most part of the year at your

high rise “contemporary ” home (this T–Z ED home—and avoid financially

has of course been common in offices and ecologically expensive cooling

for over ten years now), is truly appall- altogether. At your T–ZED home, you

ing. Someone has to begin to change pay only when you use, and for what

all this. You can start —now—with the you use.

right step.

Dishwasher with a Difference . . .

At the Kitchen sink, every T-Z ED home will sport an ultra-sonic dishcleaner which is discreetly tucked underneath the counter.
A 5-amp switch generates a high-frequency set of ultrasonic sound waves at the rate of 27,000 times per second. This helps
form millions of tiny vacuum bubbles that collapse on the surface of the dish that needs cleaning. The enormous explosive
force dislodges all grime and grease while decimating germs and harmful bacteria. By the nature of the force it creates, the
bubbles reach every nook and crevice and cleans better than
most dishwashers. It can clean fruits and vegetables, meat
and fish, too.

There are no mechanical moving parts. The generating of these

waves is done by an electronic solid state generator.
You can choose to use some minimal detergent quanity to rinse
and dry, but that is not really necessary. Ask BCIL’s officers for
a demonstration—you’ll find it amazing.

29
Z ED refrigerator
refrigeratorss come with ‘no heart’!
T-ZED puts a new spin on an old technology, and makes it work . . .

I a m I , p l u s m y s u r r o u n d i n g s , a n d i f I d o n o t p r e s e r v e t h e l a t t e r, I d o
not preserve myself.
Sri Aurobindo

W
elcome to the new–age tor sure is one such. Given space from the refrigerator will serve two
kitchen. At T– Z ED homes, constraints, it usually takes a corner purposes — one, reduce time you keep
you don’t any more need which is poorly ventilated. the door open; two, keep the door half–
your unwieldy refrigerator. You walk Take the way we open a refrigerator. You open and so reduce temperature loss
into your kitchen to find a built-in, usually use your stable right hand inside.
stainless steel high-finish quality [there are few left–handers amongst us]
This may seem too small a detail, but
refrigerator [for foods, beverages, to open the door, and lift things with
in such detail
vegetables, eggs, and so on]; and a our unstable left
lies solutions
freezer [for meats, ice creams, ice hand. If the
for achieving
cubes]. vessel is heavy
energy
and large, we
There is a third panel designed into the It’s the little things at efficiency.
kitchen wall which is the Water use both hands
home that we take so much You will begin
Dispenser—for chilled, hot and and kick the
for granted. The refrigera- to look at the
ambient temperature water. door shut. The
good old
extra time you tor sure is one such. Given
So here’s a system that is elegant, refrigerator you
hold the space constraints, it usually
visually appealing, has no compressor have at home
refrigerator wide
motor, and no internal fan. The heart of takes a corner which is now, in fresh
open, when
the system lies in the Services Core of poorly ventilated. light when you
multiplied by the
the campus. realise that the
number of times
God lies in the details contraption,
you do this in a
But we are jumping the gun, so to however useful
year —usually
speak. Let’s begin at the beginning. it is, is one of
about ten times
Let’s get to the story of what the ZED the highest energy users in your home.
a day or about 3,500 times a year—
values were that we set out to achieve The reason: it’s perhaps the only
makes for a sizeable energy loss.
on the refrigerator and the freezer. electrical appliance—and an energy
Installing the door hinge on the left
guzzler at that—that operates all 8,760
It’s the little things at home that we side, in a manner that we use our
hours of a year, every year.
take so much for granted. The refrigera- stable right hand for picking up things

30
 Energy has never been a priority . . .

Refrigerators didn’t get to be energy The result? A typical refrigerator in In-

guzzlers on purpose. It’s just that en-
ergy conservation has never ranked
as a priority on the list of design con-
siderations—right from the ‘50s.
Look at how this lack of care in design
has impacted. Until the early 90s, the
compressor was tucked [to make the
system ‘look good’] underneath the ap-
pliance, where it radiated heat right up
into the food compartment! Insulation
thickness was reduced to increase the
inside useable spaces without making
the refrigerator look bulky.
dia up until the Seventies used an av-
erage of 1800 kilowatt–hours per year.
At today’s power tariff, that is about
Rs 750 per month! This power use was
way above any other appliance in the
home. Ironically, it was nearly four
times the consumption of the 1950s im-
ported vintage models, which used
about 500 kilowatt–hours a year and
had their compressors placed on top.
Of course, today’s refrigerators are not
much more efficient. But the industry
has never had to improve features—in

It doesn’t require a rocket scientist to any case, for lack of choice, buyers
understand what this meant. With have, well, kept buying. Worse, the
poorer insulation, the refrigerator’s consumer has not been told of the im-
metal skin got so cool that it tended to portance of energy efficiency—it has
condense moisture (sweat} from the air. suited the industry to let things lie.
This led to another irony—many im-
ported refrigerators in the early ‘60s
had mullion heaters installed on the ex-
ternal body especially under the door
gasket of the fridge to evaporate the
dew!

Of course, your present system has an automatic

off-cycle. But its effectiveness depends on the
surrounding space temperature, cabinet insulation,
door openings, compressor location, compressor It’s for the first time in
efficiency, system coefficient of performance, the
India, that such an
refrigerant used and the defrost cycle, among a few
installation is being made
other things that a lay discussion like this does not
permit us to go into. to take advantage of the

Even under best–case conditions the refrigerator strengths of this 95–home

can cycle off for 16 hours in 24 hours. Almost every community, though it’s
other electrical appliance at home works for a few been done for institutions.
minutes to a few hours each day, and is surely
switched off after use.

31
So What Does Z ED Offer at your Home?
Does

I
t was Europe that first promoted tional thermo-
‘district heating’, or localised
stat to maintain
heating for community home projects. They different
improved it by the composite heat and power route,
temperatures in
which is a generating system that harnesses waste the refrigerator
heat from the power generators.
and the freezer.
ZED refrigeration
Chilled brine
At T–Z ED Homes we call this the Z ED District that is centrally
Refrigerator [ ZDR ]. It is, for the first time in India, circulated, picks
that such an installation is being made to take up the heat from
advantage of the strengths of this 95–home stored foodstuff
community. The aim is to dramatically improve at the built–in
energy efficiency and eco–friendliness of the refrigerators in
household refrigerator. your house, and
The system is primarily a thermal energy storage returns to the
device using ammonia as a refrigerant to cool a central chilling
non-corrosive brine solution to –20 deg C. The station of the
brine is circulated through a ‘roll bond heat ZDR located in
exchanger’ installed inside the custom–built the Services
refrigerator cabinets. Core Block.

The flow of brine is controlled through a propor-

Ensure the System uses energy right, not you

If you check ratings before you buy, it will determine Warmer conditions as in India need additional care .
the amount of energy the fridge will use, far more Since Indian kitchens are not air–conditioned and
than how efficiently you make use of it. often poorly ventilated. Refrigerators have to work
You can see that factors that impact energy use are harder to keep the insides cool.
— Second, many MNC brands are designed for air-con-
n Compressor efficiency ditioned houses. And Indian companies have not re-

n Circulation fan efficiency engineered the systems.

n Defrost mechanism Third, refrigerators have poor air circulation around

them—this makes for poor heat dissipation.
n Insulation thickness
And last, like anywhere else in the world, consum-
n Size of heat dissipation system
ers don’t want to pay more for greater efficiency.
n Quality of door gaskets.

32
What makes it unique? tion with higher coefficient of perfor- chilled again. Circulation pumps

For one, you don’t have to invest in a mance. This improves mechanical employed at Z ED for this purpose are

refrigerator. The other big advantage is efficiency; and [c] Thermal storage reliable and energy–efficient. Each Z ED

the sharp reduces the home is fitted with a meter that

reduction in compressor indicates the flow rate and temperature

your power and motor of the incoming and returning brine.

bill every size, at the The meter calculates the chilled brine

month. central used by each refrigerator and converts

This saving in
It’s not without reason chilling it to money by multiplying with the
plant. This stipulated rate per unit.
energy comes that we say that by being a
reduces User–friendly
out of [a] the member of the community,
capital cost,
use of three The system is as friendly as your mobile
you will, truly, make a running cost
phase motors phone or TV . The microprocessor base
difference. of energy,
at the central controller lets you set the temperatures
and operat-
chilling within a range.
ing and
station. This This controller monitors the defrost
maintenance
nearly cycle automatically. It puts on the light
costs—you
doubles the moment you open the door. A soft
get to pay
energy alam sets off if you have not shut the
less per
efficiency door properly.
month.
from 55 to 95 It diagnoses independently if tempera-
per cent; [b] The central chilling station As we said, the brine flows through the
ture in any compartment has gone up
uses ammonia compression refrigera- pipes to every house and returns to get
beyond the acceptable limits.

Chilled water

Drinking grade chilled and hot water

The Zed AC Saves You Chunks... that comes from the central ozone-
treated water tank is re-filtered at the
The Z ED District Refrigeration system instead of having one at each of the Water Dispenser which is a built-in
saves energy in multiple ways. 95 homes. panelled unit of high–quality finish.
1. Improved Motor efficiency by con- 5. The use of the thermal energy stor- Chilled or hot water at the preset
verting from single to three phase age reduces by 50 per cent the temperature is available at the push of
motor. connected load for these functions a button. You have the option to set the

2. Improved system efficiency by re- [refrigerators and air-conditioning] temperature as desired, within a

ducing number of motors from in the ZED campus. specified bandwidth, for both chilled

ninety-five of them for as many 6. For the techies among you, may and hot water. Save energy by using the

homes, to just one — each con- we add that the refrigerator load hot water direct for instant coffee or

ventional home refrigerator will control is enhanced by : soup.

have needed a motor. • 40 mm PUF Insulation Normal drinking water

3. Improved COP by using Ammonia • Better magnetic gaskets This is ambient temperature water that
instead of HCFC or Hydrocarbon re- • Open Door Alarm comes, again, from a central ozone–
frigerant. • Elimination of compressor treated source. This is re–filtered at the

4. Improved compression system effi- • Elimination of condenser dispenser unit, and is available at the

ciency by use of one compressor push of a button. The temperature is

• Reduction of internal fan load
preset at 26 deg. C with the option of

33
setting the temperature within a refrigerator? You take that call. You from devising solutions that meet
specified range. could give it to a friend, who is not a specific needs, and not by the insanity

Global par T–ZED der. And no, we can’t make the of the mainstream market’s one
Z ED refrigerator for your friend else- solution–fits–all systems.
Even if we say so ourselves, this is truly
where. Remember, it’s a district
an innovation that puts the T–Z ED
refrigeration system, and needs a
Homes on a global par. It is not
minimum number of homes—about a
without reason that we say that by
hundred as in the case of T–ZED .
being a member of the community, you
will, truly, make a difference. The Z ED District or community-based

Let’s now get to the inevitable ques- Refrigerator is an example of how the

tion: So what do you do with your old future lies in learning from our past,

The shape of things that were

There are two broad aspects to
these. Let’s deal with them.
Electro — mechanical
The changes in refrigerator tech-
nology so far have been fairly
mundane — thicker insulation,
minor incremental improvement
with more efficient motors (inci-
dentally, the fractional horse
power motors offer less than 60
per cent efficiency) and anti-
sweat switches, which allow the
user to turn off the heaters in the
outer walls of the fridge if it isn’t
“sweating”.
One improvement that has made
a difference is the fan inside the
food compartment. Inefficiency
here has been cut by half.
We see two elements—motor ef-
ficiency; and removing waste
heat from the food compartment.
Further gains in efficiency have
come from having a microchip to
control the defrost cycle instead
of relying on a timer. (Timers ei-
ther defrost too often or you need-
lessly heat the inside of the fridge
or you do not often enough, and
the ice on the cooling coils keeps
them from doing their job effi-
ciently).
Refrigerants
Some Indian refrigerators have
moved on to HCFC refrigerants, and
others are moving on to hydrocar-
bon refrigerants.
They are better than CFCs, but are
still harmful. The West is keen on
encashing the market potential in
countries such as ours, by dump-
ing their least energy–efficient
white goods because there is vir-
tually no awareness about energy
efficiency in our markets. The sad
truth is that refrigerators without
any energy efficiency labels will
continue to be sold in India right
into the next decade.
If CFC or the hydrocarbon variant
is a serious hazard, why are en-
gineers not talking about the com-
monly available, technologically
accepted, low–cost, better coeffi-
cient-of-performance, refrigerant
ammonia? This is time-tested and
proven.
One reason for this is that refrig-
erators in India are bought by and
large by the housewife. And at the
risk of being politically incorrect,
we must admit that market re-
search shows they go usually for
the new, better–looking, shinier,
most advertised, bigger than the
next-door neighbour’s refrigerator
without fretting over more impor-
tant things like energy rating.
Energy efficiency is usually not
high on the list.
In India we are far from having
energy labels. It will be years
before the Energy Efficiency Act
gets implemented, and an aver-
age householder starts taking
‘energy use’ seriously before pur-
chasing a refrigerator.

34
Melding the Buildings with
the Greens. . .

My house is my refuge, an emotional piece of architecture, not a

cold piece of convenience.
Judith Miller, Architect.

I
n every aspect of T–Z ED Homes we have
embodied a powerful ideal—that even in an
‘apartment–like’ block, we can learn to live in
harmony with nature. From the day we laid our eyes
on the land, we reflected on how we could let our
reverence of nature permeate the campus.
transforming a brownfield from scratch. And the
challenge of celebrating the T–Z ED values drove our
best creative impulse. This involved weaving in
flowerbeds, lawns, shade trees, fruit and nut trees,
and shade vines in a way that they can treat and
absorb the wastewater and bilogically treated

The sun, trees, stones, and water were elements of sewage water from the waste treatment unit.

the natural world that we have worked on. How do There

we weave all these, and earth, into a form of were two

organic architecture? aspects

to our
How do we make deliberate landscaping around
plans.
each cluster, each home, an essential element in
One, the To bring warmth and
making the Z EDscape harmonious?
carving cheer to the Z ED campus,
From the peripheral walls that had to serve security
out of we chose to introduce a
needs of residents, to elements that herald your
the
entry into the campus, or into the main campus subdued element of
land’s
street—they needed to be imbued with character drama on the entire
contours
that will endure through several decades into the length of the walls.
in a
future ... we sure were challenged by what the land
manner
offered.
that it
Installation art
will use
To bring warmth and cheer to the Z ED campus, we its own
chose to introduce a subdued element of drama on water
the entire length of the walls. The array of paintings resources
that liven the peripheral walls lends architectural judiciously to support the theme–based vegetation
distinction. we grafted onto the campus.
The land expanse offered us a task that meant The very names of the Z ED clusters — Basil, Bilva,

35
Babul, Begonia, Bayleaf, and Candida — gave A cardinal rule of sensitive stewardship of land
impetus to the mosaic of greens that arose at the that BCIL has pursued religiously, is : let the land
campus. breathe, and restore the skin of the earth to barren
The other major aspect of lands. This extended, at
greening was to do with your Z ED , to every stretch of
private garden. land—be it a pathway, or

Architecturally, home gardens an access road, or the

were, from the start, an thoroughfare used by cars.

imperative. If Z ED was about We had to, of course, be

an unparallelled quality of sensitive to the physically
The Campus arterial
life in every aspect of challenged, with drop kerbs
roads are ‘soft’ – no
residential living, it could not for prams and wheelchairs,
be different on its gardens. asphalt or concrete, but and a road layout that
No matter which floor you designed to cater to keeps vehicles to walking
stayed on, we could not do vehicles, including a fire speed.
without a sky garden for your Smooth visual flow,
tender.
home that kindled in you the rounded planting areas,
pleasure of ‘working in the and deep foliage that will
garden’—it had to be more give the visitor and resident
like play than work. alike, a sense of discover-
We have known of passionate ing every structure on the
gardeners who tend to plants campus, and not being
‘like their children’, and even assaulted, visually, by them.
play Handel’s music to bring Soft roads
cheer to these lively and bright things.
The Campus arterial roads are ‘soft’ – no asphalt
And so for the ZED sky gardens. We have carefully or concrete, but designed to cater to vehicles,
nurtured our plans to ensure that these gardens including a fire tender. The road is designed to
evoke a reflection of who you are and what you avoid erosion of soil, ensure that water does not
are—inside of you. With almost every T-ZED stagnate on any stretch, and does not kick up trails
member, happily, we are seeing reflected many of of dust after a vehicle. It allows the water to seep
those sensitivities [or should we say sensibilities?] down to the earth.
you share as a person. The soft road is built over a consolidated natural
Uniquely ZED earth surface, using hollow or perforated terracotta

So we set about creating a set of gardens, with or pre-cast concrete blocks, leveled over sand beds.

patterns, textures, and motifs, that were imbued by A judicious mix of grass and ground cover are

the uniquely Z ED character which to us, at this planted in the spaces between. Once complete, the

moment, is hard to define, but is distinct, unmis- road would be a visual continuation of the natural

takable in every aspect of the campus. landscape of earth, the native vegetation, and
groundcover.
In the making of every plan, we needed to recog-
nize costs of maintenance, mortality of plants in Less ‘brick and mortar’

early years, the need for water conservation, and, As a general rule, ‘raw’ construction is preferred
finally, a sense of cheer filling the campus with over ‘solid’ elements of construction. From the
round–the–year flowering of plants, shrubs and point of view of lower embodied energy, locally
hedges. available stones – granite slabs, uncut stones and

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boulders are preferred over burnt brick. trenches. Any drain, concealed or open, basin–shaped depressions. In dry
Such material take no energy in the is, well, a ‘drain’ on economic re- weather swales meld well with the
making, and are therefore Z ED – sources since they are expensive to greens. They regulate the rate of flow of
adaptible. build. Also, they water, reducing peak flows to levels

Where vertical ‘drain’ the site of that can be handled by the vegetation

surfaces need to precious water at the swale bottom without scouring

be constructed, that the land the soil bed.

The vegetation is invites as This helps in preventing soil erosion,
raw/dressed
chosen to showcase rainfall. and in letting the water to percolate
stone slabs
would be biodiversity in a wide The main aim, into the ground.
embedded in spectrum. Plants are historically, of Dispersion trenches

earth/sand—no storm drains is to These are subsurface features meant to

chosen for their colour,
concrete beds, carry water away accelerate rate of percolation. Typically
texture, form, fragrance,
burnt bricks or quickly and they are a range of perforated clay
seasonality, utility, medici-
cement mortar, efficiently. Z ED surfaces with a network of PVC pipes
with the nal properties. designs aim at reinforced with media filters that allow
exception, of quite the for a larger footprint for the water to
course, of opposite—hold percolate through.
structural retaining walls. Most vertical back and slow down the water flow, Percolation pits
drops, level changes, and steps, will be promoting local infiltration, and In principle these achieve the same end
treated with natural ‘pitching’ of enabling irrigation of local area
result as dispersion trenches, but are
material. planting, without the risk of stagnating used where the horizontal dimension is
Storm Drains with a difference water.
a limiting factor. Vertical pits filled
All water run-off will be handled Unlike drains, swales are contoured in with filter media create larger surfaces
through a combination of swales, harmony with the rest of the landscape. for water to percolate.
percolation pits and dispersion These are well–vegetated, shallow,

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Greening the campus series of covered and open-to-sky system, when it’s May and everywhere

Where does the landscape end and spaces along the main street. else the lawns are parched, you have a

where does the building begin? The street leads to pockets of covered green lawn. Your flowers are growing

Usually, landscape is a four-letter- parking adjacent to the elevator and like the dickens, and you’re not using a

word. People deem it an afterthought. stairway of each of the ZED home drop of city water because it’s your own

More often than not, you have land- clusters. wastewater going out into the garden—

scaping seen as mere cosmetic
treatment slapped on to a barren, ‘left-
over’ space after the ‘ buildings’ have
been erected.
Away from the street, are meandering
pathways that serve as a jogging track,
several hundred meters in length. This
stretch is dotted by courts and plazas,
in times, that is, when it’s not stored
rainwater which is used for irrigating.”
That’s a Z EDscape that will surely grow
on you, over the years ahead.

At T–Z ED Homes, we worked with, rather and pergolas with park benches.
than against, the limitations of the The vegetation is chosen to showcase
land. We have configured our planting biodiversity in a wide spectrum. Plants
in loose associations in the well- are chosen for their colour, texture,
drained, gravelly soil typical of this form, fragrance, seasonality, utility,
region. medicinal properties.
Landscape is a continuously moving, Says Mohan, who has articulated these
changing entity that flows through the elements, “With the recycled water
site and the buildings themselves. It
moves horizontally, defining character
and usage, moves vertically and
defines spaces, weaves through public
and private spaces, intimate and grand
ones. It climbs along the buildings and
creeps into little nooks and balconies,
pauses as those personal sky gardens
and reposes as a green rooftop.

A ‘soft’ street winds through the

development, gently leading from one
cluster to another. Along the journey, it
expands into a foyer, rising gently
along an amphitheatre. It is punctu-
ated by a story telling terrace, or a

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T-ZED
H O M E S Biodiversity Conservation (India) Limited
No. 5, Ali Askar Road, Bangalore 560 052
Tel : 4018 4018 (30 lines)
E-mail : bioconserve@vsnl.com
Website : www.t-zed.com
www.ecobcil.com

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