Terracotta facades & jaali
A terracotta facade is a skin of fired clay that shades and cools a building while giving it a warm, textured face. It works through thermal mass, a ventilated cavity behind the clay, and shade. At our own RR Nagar studio, Akshara Vinyasa, a drip-irrigated terracotta wall keeps the building comfortable through peak Bengaluru summer […]
Rat trap bond brickwork explained
Rat trap bond is a brick masonry technique where bricks are laid on edge to leave a hollow cavity inside the wall, cutting brick and mortar use by about 30% and trapping air that keeps interiors cooler. Popularised in India by architect Laurie Baker, it suits Bengaluru’s warm climate when the site and the masonry […]
Lime wash: a natural wall finish
Lime wash is a natural wall finish made from slaked lime and water that soaks into porous walls and hardens into a soft, chalky, matte surface. It breathes, resists mould, and ages into a mottled patina instead of peeling, which is why a breathable lime finish suits humid Bengaluru walls better than a sealed plastic-emulsion […]
Rammed earth walls explained
Rammed earth is a wall technique that compacts damp soil, sand, gravel, and clay in layers inside formwork until it cures into a dense, load-bearing wall. It needs no plaster, stores heat through the day, and gives a striated, earthen finish. Whether it suits a Bengaluru home depends on your site, your soil, and how […]
Building a mud house in India
A mud house is a home built with load-bearing walls of raw earth, shaped as adobe blocks, rammed earth, cob, or wattle-and-daub rather than fired brick or concrete. Earthen walls hold heat slowly, so interiors stay cooler through hot days. That thermal logic is why mud has sheltered Indian homes for centuries, and why it […]
Filler slab roofing how it works
A filler slab is a reinforced-concrete roof in which lightweight clay pots, Mangalore tiles, or terracotta blocks replace the concrete in the slab’s lower tension zone, the part of the slab that carries no load. It uses less concrete and steel, weighs less, and keeps the rooms below it cooler. The technique was popularised in […]
Oxide flooring- a complete guide
Oxide flooring is a seamless cement floor coloured with iron-oxide pigments, also known as Indian Patent Stone. It is hand-troweled in place, sealed, and polished to a soft sheen that stays cool underfoot and ages into a patina. It suits warm Bengaluru homes for its calm, earthy surface and its low-energy, vernacular make. This guide […]
Athangudi tiles a complete guide
Athangudi tiles are handmade cement floor tiles from Athangudi village in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu. Each one is cast by hand: natural oxide pigments, river sand and cement are poured over a glass plate and sun-dried rather than kiln-fired. The result is a glossy, colour-rich floor that stays cool underfoot and softens into […]