Private Residences: Ecological Homes Rooted in the Earth
We believe a home should be a sanctuary that breathes with the land. We design residences using on-site soil and passive cooling techniques, ensuring your living space is as kind to the earth as it is to you.
The facade of the Ananda residence in Hyderabad, where we renovated an existing structure to minimize waste. The new walls are built with compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB) in alternating courses, a technique that creates a self-shading, thermally efficient surface.
The entrance to the Ananda residence, showing the harmony between the renovated structure, lush greenery, and the new earth block extensions. We prioritize adaptive reuse, breathing new life into existing buildings with sustainable principles.
A before-and-after comparison of the residence in Hyderabad. We transformed the original house by reconfiguring spaces, expanding the living area into the garden, and wrapping the structure in a new, ecological skin of earth blocks and louvers.
The multi-level interior of the Sans Souci Residence, showing how we play with levels to create connected yet private spaces. The staircase and arches, built with compressed earth blocks, define the home's character while ensuring natural light and ventilation.
The multi-level interior of the Sans Souci Residence, showing how we play with levels to create connected yet private spaces. The staircase and arches, built with compressed earth blocks, define the home's character while ensuring natural light and ventilation.
A cozy bedroom in the Sans Souci Residence featuring a mezzanine level to maximize space. The tall volume enhances cross-ventilation, and the use of natural materials like wood and earth creates a warm, healthy living environment.
A cozy bedroom in the Sans Souci Residence featuring a mezzanine level to maximize space. The tall volume enhances cross-ventilation, and the use of natural materials like wood and earth creates a warm, healthy living environment.
Another view of a mezzanine bedroom, showcasing the exposed tile ceiling and smart use of vertical space for storage and sleeping. This design is a core part of our passive cooling strategy, keeping the lower level cool in summer.
Another view of a mezzanine bedroom, showcasing the exposed tile ceiling and smart use of vertical space for storage and sleeping. This design is a core part of our passive cooling strategy, keeping the lower level cool in summer.
This bedroom demonstrates how we integrate storage and structure, with wooden cabinets built into the mezzanine support. The narrow windows are strategically placed to ensure privacy while allowing for natural light, reducing the need for concrete lintels.
About Private Residences: Homes Rooted in the Earth
We don't just build homes; we re-imagine the site's potential. Whether it is sourcing soil for walls directly from your foundation excavation or strategically staggering windows to ensure privacy while maximizing cross-ventilation, our process prioritizes natural cooling over energy-intensive air conditioning. We invite you to talk to us about how your site’s unique topography can shape your home's design.
Ecological architecture is more than a design style—it is a functional necessity. In our practice, we start with passive design principles. By analyzing the sun path and local wind patterns, we orient spaces to keep indoor temperatures comfortable naturally, often removing the need for air conditioning entirely. We use Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB) and rammed earth walls, materials that possess excellent thermal mass and allow the building to breathe.
Sustainability extends to every corner of your home. We integrate water management directly into the structure, implementing greywater recycling reed beds and rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. In projects like the Ananda residence in Hyderabad, we retained the existing structure to minimize demolition waste, extending the living space with an ecological 'skin' of earth blocks.
What you get is a home that ages gracefully. We avoid toxic finishes, preferring lime plaster and natural oxides that remain stable over decades. Every design decision—from the height of the mezzanine to the placement of a jaali wall—is made to enhance livability without complex technology. If you are planning a home that prioritizes long-term health and a deep connection to nature, let’s discuss the specific ecological possibilities of your plot.
Biome Environmental Solutions
We are a collective of architects and enthusiasts who believe that a home should be a sanctuary that gives back to the land. We spend our days getting our hands dirty with mud, stone, and salvaged materials, learning from the specific context of each site to create buildings that belong to their environment.
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