The popular approach to sustainability today favors myopic solutions that yield immediate gains and forgets the long-term impacts of our actions.
Dr. Harish Tripathi & Jyoti Tripathi - Architects, Architect Harish Tripathi & Associates
Sustainable refers to an attitude, not a product. It is the mindset which sensitizes you to use assets afforded to us by the planet. One needs to consume Nature with the purpose of returning value instead of parasitically depleting existing systems. This attitude demands that we sacrifice the comfortable conditions we create for ourselves, in a bubble, at the expense of the natural environment. Future generations shall bear the burden of this infliction, let us not add more to their suffering.
In the pursuit of sustainability, our decisions are intended towards the optimization of existing assets guided by a long-term narrative. What does this comprise of? First, adaptive reuse of existing situations and infrastructure by introducing new programs. Second, a visualization and realization of long-term impact of our current actions.
We put a lot of thrust on adopting passive methods in planning, designing and orientation. We sensitize and align ourselves with nature by identifying the benefits of our unique situations/contexts. Consequently, we attempt to understand the vernacular by engaging with local materials and local wisdom.
In terms of services and systems, our aim is to maintain a balance between needs and desires – the profound difference between which defines the pursuit of sustainability. Being natural is close to our heart but the goals of sustainability are always on the front seat for the given situations. Thus, we constantly try to propagate the best practices of water management across all our projects. An understanding of the solar paths and wind movements as terms which intertwine to create favorable environments is paramount to our process. Lastly, we strive to get into the DNA of new materials as a habit to be true to our sustainable goals and accommodate innovation into building sciences.
