3H summer school 2015

UNITY & DIVERSITYBUILDING FOR CULTURAL

ENCOUNTERSAuroville Green Practices

3H SUMMER SCHOOL 2015

© 2015 Auroville Consulting

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UNITY & DIVERSITYBUILDING FOR CULTURAL

ENCOUNTERS

© 2015 Auroville Consulting

This publication documents the three-week Auroville Green Practices 3HSummer School 2015 ‘Unity & Diver-

sity; Building for Cultural Encounters. The publication was prepared in a collaborative way by participating students.

Those were: Alisha Jain, Anoushka Sharma, Anushree Bhattacharjee, Astha Chopra , Bhairevi

Aiyer, Harshitha G, Kritika Sahu, Pragya Sharma, Ridhima Khanna.

3H SUMMER SCHOOL

2015

“YOU SEE THINGS; AND YOU SAY, ‘WHY?’ BUT

I DREAM THINGS THAT NEVER WERE; AND I

SAY, ‘WHY NOT’?”

– GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

Auroville Green Practices

3H SUMMER SCHOOL 2015

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FOREWORD

Africa, continent that has a lot to offer to the rest of the world now keeps struggling to feed its people and negotiate a position within the highly globalizing world. Though Africa is considered as the birthplace of mankind and the first physical address for the Homo sapiens, 4 centuries of active slave trade, a fol-lowing period of scramble for African land and resources, then post-colonial influences and civil wars after independence in the 1960’s still haunt the continent.

The Africa House, through mediums of space and atmosphere, shows the other picture of the continent. It claims that Africa is the future if nations and the ‘civilized north’ are to undo past misdeeds on the globe. Cultural Diversity, majestic nature, simple living will have to reign in order to guaran-tee peace and harmony within the world. Africa-House has a vision of becoming an ‘outside-hub’ of

spaces where nature is both a spectacle and an everyday phenomena. Spaces of congre-gation where man is at peace with nature.

Auroville is a unique venue in this world where a spiritual dialogue with the environ-ment and nature happens. The Africa house aims to contribute to this dialogue by creat-ing diverse spatial and formal elements in harmony with each other and the environ-ment. Africa is a collection of diverse people, cultures, religion and geographic settings. Africa as a continent has a potential to reveal how collection of variety’s can coexist.

Involving education and practical building technologies, the summer school is an impor-tant chapter in setting cornerstones for the gradual development and realization of the Africa House. Temporality is by

itself an African reality. Seemingly small but ‘presently-relevant’ steps are essential in order to establish good grounds for the Africa House. It is also important to see some of the ‘tempo-rary’ interventions as being part of the overall vision of the Africa House. The city-building process in Auroville has always been gradual. So the building processes in the present time will always be a conceptual endeavor to realize the bigger and overarching goals of Auroville.

Brook Teklehaimanot HaileselassieDelft, the Netherlands –23rd July 2015

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

3H Summer School is the result of the dedicat-ed work of Balu Ramalingam, Diego Zecchinel, Eric Ntakirutimana, Fabian Ostner, Iraguha Yves, Lavanya Pawar, Martin Scherfler, Tahir Kadir, and Vimal Bhojraj. We would like to ex-press our deep appreciation to the team of the Auroville Unity Pavilion, for their encourage-ment and support in providing a venue for the program. Another special thanks Miriam from the African Pavilion group for her support in manifesting this program. Many thanks to the countless Auroville resource persons that in-teracted with the participants and shared their expertise. The 3H Summer School 2015 was made possible through support from Auroville Consulting and the Auroville Unity Pavilion.

List of contributing resource persons:

Audrey Wallace-Taylor, Artist, Auroville Arts Services

Balu Sundaram, Director, Auroville Bamboo Research

Centre

Deepti Tiwari, Facilitator, Last School

Krishna McKenzie, Permaculturist, Solitude Farm

Lara Davis, Architect, Structural mason, Faculty, Auroville

Earth Institute

Lucas Dengel, Executive, EcoPro

Manu Gopalan, Founder, EartHauz Architecture & Design

Martin Scherfler, Consultant, Auroville Consulting

Ribhu Vohra, Founder, WasteLess

Ross Elliot, Facilitator, Theater Sports

Suhasini Ayer-Guigan, Prinicpal Consultant, Auroville

Design Consultants

Samuka da Índia, Facilitator, Capoeira

Toine van Megen, Co-Founder, Auroville Consulting

Vikram Devatha, Executive, Auroville Consulting

3H SUMMER SCHOOL

The 3H Summer School program is an initiative using Auroville and its outstanding experience in human unity & sustainable living as a plat-form for the learning and personal growth of students from around the world.The program is based on the 3H approach that nurtures hands (skills), head (competencies) and heart (inner capacities) of all participants. The 3H Summer School 2015 served as an ex-perimental educational laboratory, connecting theory and application with core human values such as justice, compassion and dignity around the lead theme of ‘Unity & Diversity; Building for Cultural Encounters’. Nine students partici-pated in this three-week program held from 12th July to 1st August 2015 at Auroville Interna-tional Township in Tamil Nadu, India.

AUROVILLE

Auroville is a growing international township near Puducherry on the Coromandel Coast in India. Spread over more than 4000 acres for an intended population of 50,000 resi-dents, it is an inspiring model for sustainable practices and ecologically responsible living. Founded in 1968, Auroville is based on the vision of The Mother from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and is endorsed by UNESCO and Gov-ernment of India as an ongoing experiment in human unity. The Auroville Foundation was established in 1988 by an act of parlia-ment of the Government of India to govern its affairs. Over the years, Auroville has won international acclaim for its efforts in social and environmental sustainability. The current population of Auroville Township is over 2200 residents from about 45 nations.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

PARTICIPANTS PROFILES & LEARNING 10 - 21

FROM DESIGN TO MANIFESTATION 22 - 29

DESIGN CHALLENGE 30 - 39

OUR FUTURE COMMITMENTS 40 - 51

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PARTICIPANTS PROFILES & LEARNING

“TO CHANGE SOMETHING, BUILD A NEW

MODEL THAT MAKES THE EXISTING MODEL

OBSOLETE.”

– BUCKMINSTER FULLER

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ALISHA JAIN

My name is Alisha Jain, born and bought up in Delhi. I am currently pursuing Architecture from IP University and have completed my second year. I stand for equality, serving and compassion. I personally like to express myself through verbal communication. I am good at conceptualizing, detailing and graphic designing. I am passionate about issues related to children, especially educa-tional facilities. The best part of the program was knowing my individuality through different self-introspection sessions which helped me accept my fears and mistakes and helped me grow as a person .I learned a lot about sustainability, design and construction processes through the hands on sessions. It inspired me to follow a more sustain-able lifestyle and do my bit for the environment. I will incorporate different design strategies that I have learned here, in my work to improve it and come up with a better design- a sustainable one.

TAHEER KADIR

My name is Taheer Kadir, from Ethiopia. I work as a builder, along with organizing workshops for training students in construction. My child-hood consisted of school, helping my family in the farms, and starting work in bamboo con-struction at the age of nineteen. I have always liked expressing myself through dance and music. Playing drums is also one of my favou-rite hobbies. I stand for freedom and human unity, which is resonated in what I liked best about this program – working with people from different backgrounds and seeing them smile. I have learnt something new every day, including the realization that time flies. I was overloaded with different projects but that has taught me how to manage time and work. The change that I have seen in myself is becoming more hardworking, and I have started to appreciate teamwork. Taking feedback from others is what I have started to work on.

ANOUSHKA SHARMA

I am Anoushka Sharma, pursuing architecture from MBS SPA, Dwarka, New Delhi. I have com-pleted my third year. I stand for determination, compassion and passion-as giving. I have been brought up in a nurturing environment and I emulate my family and live by values of helping people. I express myself through music and dance. Networking and public relations are soft skills that help me professionally. This programme has been a beautiful turn in my life where I have grown as a person not just an architect. I have enriching experiences by exploring unique spaces, interact-ing with Aurovillians and worked with capable and skilled mentors. I have observed that with genuine intention and efforts we can realise our dream project. I have grown more as a human being and architecture student. I got courage to be an independent being a type 1 patient. I would like to practice sustainable architecture and never want to stop learning.

ERIC NTAKIRUTIMANA

My name is Eric. I am from Africa United. I stand for unity and peace. My upbringing taught me to spread happiness. My way of expression is to spread joy. I do construction work and plumbing. I love to play football and cook food for people. My best part in program is to help all on site and to see Africa and India together. I learnt how to make others and myself happy. I don’t like to change myself. Since there is no change in me so I will be the same, always spreading happiness and bringing smile on other people faces.

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ANUSHREE BHATTACHARJEE

My name is Anushree Bhattacharjee, I was born and raised in Delhi. I am currently pursuing archi-tecture at IP University, Delhi. I stand for clarity of thoughts, freedom of expression and positivity. I have been a part of various workshops and envi-ronment protection drives since childhood which has always raised my concern towards the protec-tion of nature. I find freedom of expression in singing, writing and designing. I aspire for making people aware of their environment and preserve it. My professional skills include my developing knowledge in architecture, leadership and com-munication. The Summer School made me realize the importance of providing for oneself minimally in order to live a sustainable life. This program has helped me become better at accepting my faults. Interactions with people from different cultural backgrounds fused with the priceless environment of this city contributed to one of the many unfor-gettable memories in my life.

IRAGUHA YVES

My name is Iraguha Yves, and I come from Rwanda, the Heart of Africa. I was born in the capital city of Kigali, but grew up in the country-side. Growing up, we did what kids normally do – things like chasing animals and playing in the mud. I have studied Economics and I want to pursue PhD in the same, from Delhi. I am also skilled in building construction and designing, and my hobbies comprise of playing guitar and football. I also like producing electronic music. I believe in freedom and generosity. I have had new experiences during this program which include becoming almost an expert in bamboo construction. The tea time and the African Dinner night have been my favourite parts of the program so far. Working for the pavilion has stretched my limitations, making me more open to a sustainable life, while also honing my professional construction skills.

ASTHA CHOPRA

My name is Astha Chopra, and I am from Delhi. I am currently pursuing architecture, and starting my third year in IP University, Delhi. I’ve always found it easier to express myself through writing, which I consider one of my skills. Apart from this, evolving ideas through graphics and semi-devel-oped knowledge in spatial planning are what my professional skills comprise of. I stand for courage, justice and mutual respect, which resonate with my strong beliefs in gender equality and a fairer world. I have always been a bit resigned in taking the initiative for new experi-ences- this program has helped me overcome that, by giving me a chance to finally learn cycling and try new varieties of food. I have also learnt a lot in terms of design and construction. Auroville has provided me with a new perspective- that of living sustainably, and inspired me to become a better person.

DIEGO ZECCHINEL

My name is Diego. I came to Auroville from Switzerland in 1981. I abide by unity, diversity, equality. I have worked as a building construc-tion contractor. Being a workaholic, apart from projects, I do projects given by people, prepare material for the next work in hand, take care of vegetation in Samrithi and a lot more. I spend time with nature, repair the roofs, machines, tools etc the remaining time. We have experi-mented with the central pillar of the pavilion. We were overburdened initially. But with the workshop students, it has been an interesting learning experience. The girls are more eager to learn. Next time, we should start earlier as we know bamboo takes time to get harvested. About the world, there is too much consumer-ism nowadays. The planet wants to survive, but we are heading for disaster because we are polluting. In Auroville, we earn and live sus-tainably, which is a good thing.

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BHAIREVI AIYER

My name is Bhairevi G. Aiyer and I abide by sin-cerity, centredness and humility. I am someone who expresses through art, music, writing and acting on my beliefs. As a civil engineer graduate (’15 batch) from VIT Vellore, I’ ve gained a basic understanding of structures, waste management and technical softwares. But this program opened my eyes to sustainability. I’ ve met creative, pas-sionate, pro-active people with a vision for a sustainable world. Auroville is a hub for actual, eye-opening innovation in any field from music, art, agriculture, product design to architecture and sustainable infrastructure development. I was very thrilled to learn from and network with profes-sionals from sanitation, waste management and construction fields. I’ ve gained courage to embark on an unconventional path to pursue my passion. But I will convert this to action despite fear. I plan to improve my technical base by visiting Auroville again to work volunteer.

BALU RAMALINGAM

My name is Balu Ramalingam, I have been born and bought up in Auroville. I have been working with Auroville Consulting for the past 3 years. My educational profile includes schooling at Auroville and further studies at Puducherry University, which has contributed in generating awareness with respect to my surroundings. I stand for confidence, determination and sincer-ity. I aim at providing maximum number of stu-dents the kind of exposure they expect to get at Auroville in terms of educational experiences. I personally like to express myself through verbal communication. I am good at organiz-ing and managing workshops. Best part of the program was that the students were sincere and hardworking. The Summer School program has inspired me to evolve my role not only as a coordinator but also as a participant.

HARSHITHA G

My name is Harshitha. Brought up in Bangalore, I have currently finished my 3rd year of archi-tecture in MSRIT, Bangalore. I truly believe that compassion, honesty, integrity, passion, courage, wisdom and acceptance are qualities needed for a purposeful life. I express myself by writing, mostly poetry and articles, painting,, drawing and colour-ing which help me look at the world more cre-atively. My unique professional skills include my understanding of spaces, contours, aim of projects and sensitivity towards existing landscape. My skills in writing, AutoCAD and Revit also help me professionally. My favourite part of the program was interacting with new people from different places and backgrounds, learning their cultures and sharing ideas. I learnt how to listen and work in a group. The workshop has changed my way of thinking, and changed me as a person. I am going to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

FABIAN OSTNER

My name is Fabian. I am born in the South Ger-man city Munich, later on studied architecture in Bremen and Berlin. Already during my stud-ies I travelled to India for longer periods which ultimately brought me to Auroville in 1994 for a training. This experience and two subsequent long-term visits brought me to the decision to join Auroville in 2000. Since then I am living and working here – passionate about archi-tecture and its meaning in today’s world, the organization of Auroville, its master plan, the land and the cultural references of Tamil Nadu and India. It has been a great learning experi-ence on many levels and Auroville’s quest to manifest an actual human unity is something which inspires every day. The summer school with participants from various countries and backgrounds is one of these experiences which beautifully contribute to Auroville’s growth.

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KRITIKA SAHU

My name is Kritika. I am studying architecture in Delhi. I stand for dedication, equality, respect and generosity. My mom always wanted her child to learn and explore everything. So she made me learn every form of art, sports, music and dance. After learning everything my family gave me full freedom to select anything. I am passionate about everything that makes me happy. There are so many things that I love to do are photography, sports, sketching etc. I kept on thinking but I was unable to select one particular thing that is my best part in this workshop. Because all moments are so unique that they can’t be expressed. What I learnt here, there is no point in telling until I implement things in my future. That day I am gonna shout so hard because of joy. As a person, I am just getting better day by day by experiencing things and meeting new people.

LAVANYA PAWAR

My name is Lavanya. I was born in Pune which was transforming from city to cosmopolitan city, driven by curiosity I explored art, science and nature. I saw people struggling all life to get a roof on their head to survive. This im-pacted me deeply how I can make their lives better. I studied Electronics Engineering and Architecture. My dream project is to design a Smart Self sustainable island. Inspired by steps taken towards green and sustainable architec-ture I chose to do my architecture internship in Auroville. I am passionate about discovering beauty in design and architecture, And like to spread knowledge that I know to all who want to learn. The African Pavilion project was good opportunity to share knowledge and executing it with same enthusiasm throughout the pro-cess of design and construction.

PRAGYA SHARMA

My name is Pragya Sharma. I am an architecture student from Delhi. I stand for self-confidence, excellence and optimism. I express my thoughts and values through paintings and my architectural designs. I’ve learnt 5 technical softwares which I enjoy working on. My interest in art and photogra-phy help me professionally as well. The best part of this program was to see the pas-sion in people regarding their work and how they mentored us to learn, experiment and grow. I’ve learnt so much about sustainable architecture, unity in cultural diversity. I’ve become clearer in my thoughts and expression. My approach to problem solving has become more methodologi-cal. All these experiences have given me a vision. I am going to start working on it and make people aware of consumerism and environmental issues and educate them about the solutions. I definitely want to live a sustainable life now onwards.

MARTIN SCHERFLER

My name is Martin. I stand for integrity, com-passion and courage to create. I was born in a small village settlement at the heart of Austria. I grew up playing in the local forests, running after the soccer ball and supporting (often re-luctantly so) my parents in their daily farm work and their restaurant business. I hold a masters degree in sociology.In 2005 I moved to Auroville, India where I have been living and working since. Inspired by some of the environmental and educational work done at Auroville, I chose to make this my main area of activity. I am passionate about creating programs and projects that contribute to environmental and social justice and give participants a sense of completion. I love to share this passion with students, volunteers and interns of all ages and backgrounds. People can count on me for being responsible, doing what I say I will do and for me trying to do the best I can.

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RIDHIMA KHANNA

My name is Ridhima Khanna and my inner strengths are a combination of creativity, empathy and receptivity. Born and brought up in the capital city of India, I am currently pursuing Architecture at MBS SPA. I find peace in reading books along with dance, art and writing as other reflectors of my personal expressions. Metaphorically, I believe my personality is similar to the visual play between 1/3rd ice formations of an iceberg above water while the remaining rests deeply. Under-standing spaces, evolving strategies for a design project and graphic design account for few of my professional skills. Other than the architecturally relevant learning, the summer school program has taught me to evolve myself as a better citizen on humanity grounds. This course has embedded a fresh breath of life within the very roots of my existence, which has further motivated my actions towards a better and well nurtured future for gen-erations to come.

VIMAL BHOJRAJ

My name is Vimal Bhojraj. I stand for creativ-ity, joy and helpfulness. I come from Ooty, the Queen of Hills. When growing up I was a stubborn young boy at home, then I went to boarding for high school, which helped me to discover what life is. In 2004 I came to Auroville with the intention to stay for two months only, but I stayed on and made Auroville my home. My joy is the learning that I experience in every project I take on and completing a project as imagined is what makes the most flourishing experience. My work at Auroville Consulting broadly involves communication design in the form of photography, film making and graphic design. I enjoyed the process of producing the video and photograpic documentation in this Summer School. I have learnd that I would like to be better prepared the next year’s program.

MANI

My name is Mani. Born in a village and brought up in Auroville I strongly believe in equality and compassion. My deep rooted affection of planting trees shows my humanitarian nature. From a very early age I have been helping village students and engaging in social activities. I express myself by dancing, cooking, climbing, trekking. I love stroll-ing through the forest with my dog and cycling with him. My skills include bike racing, rock climb-ing, carpentry, and farming. The 3h summer school program has taught me a lot about bamboo construction and improvisation on site and tech-niques on making a structure stand. It was a very different experience as I saw myself become more humble and open to other people’s ideas. I am a better team player now and my willingness to learn has increased. The best part of this program was making new friends, learning new ideas and gaining knowledge.

SATYAVAN

Born in the arms of warm Red Auroville soil, my name is Satyavan. My understanding on various subjects in life owes to the education I pursued at Auroville. Diplomas in EEE, hardware and software and mobile technology are a part of my interests in technology. I stand for serving people, spreading happiness and positivity. Interacting with new people helps me grow as a person. The summer school workshop contributed to a unique experience in terms of understanding bamboo construction tech-niques and learning about new cultural back-grounds. The best part about the program was making new friends and trying to learn Hindi. I feel my sensitivity grow towards a sustainable tomorrow along with a hope to enthusiastically participate and volunteer in more workshops.

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FROM DESIGN TO MANIFESTATION

“FREEDOM IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF COMMIT-

MENTS, BUT THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE - AND

COMMIT MYSELF TO - WHAT IS BEST FOR ME.”

- PAULO COELHO

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AFRICAN PAVILION

In order to create awareness of the ideals of Auro-ville among the new generation of young Africans, it was proposed that an ‘Africa House’ should be built in the International Zone of Auroville. The Af-rica House would accommodate African students and guests and allow them to directly experience Auroville. At the same time, the House will present Africa to the international audience of Aurovilians. The approach is to create a complex of buildings that will house activities and presentations related to all the countries and cultures of the African continent. A proposal for the layout of the Africa House was made in 2005 by Brook Teklehaimanot, Chair of the Architecture Department of Addis Aba-ba University, Ethiopia. The Africa House project collaborates actively with African student groups in Tamil Nadu, arranging cultural programmes and work sessions on the site itself. It also wants to support the possibility for African students to come for studies and internships in Auroville.

TEMPORARY STRUCTURES

To accelerate the manifestation of the African House temporary structures that can host events and accommodate visiting students are being planned. The 3H Summer School program 2013 supported the African Pavilion Group in the design and building of temporary structures such as a community hall for events, a kitchen, a compost dry toilet, a open to sky bathroom and three student cottages. Young Africans and Indians worked together on the construction of some temporary structures of the African House. We hope that this will at-tract well-wishers and collaborators in order to swiftly manifest the African House project and to be able to share African Culture with Auro-ville and the world at large.

AFRICAN ARCHITECTURE

When I – a non-expert on topics of African culture, architecture, history beyond a normal general knowledge – was asked to work on the temporary structure for the African pavilion and in this line write and present about “African architecture” it soon became clear that it would be an impossible task if aiming at a concise summary. Looking through different sources the vastness of the con-tinent with its so varying landscapes of incredible dimensions, the cultural diversity, the millennia of historical references still determining much of today’s built environment is fascinating and over-whelming . Images deeply embedded in our hu-man psyche, places and landscapes so powerful in the way they stimulate our imagination and inspire our dreams today as they did throughout the ages, manifold expressions of buildings serving humans to cope with climatic extremes, protect them and their animals and crops, express their social, cultural and religious values and their understand-ing of the world … all these impressions left me in

a dream-like state with my head swirling and intoxicated … wanting to see, explore, listen, understand more of Africa …Out of all this what fascinated me most were the many simple dwellings of normal people – dwellings which independent of their geographical location are based on a shared perception of sustain-ability: Perfect examples of an efficient use of resources paired with an overall humility and artful expressions of marking one’s status and existence and with that in mind not so different in the basic philosophy from dwellings in other continents. The examples of modern architec-ture in Africa then touching me the most were modern translations of this basic understand-ing of sustainability – buildings to protect, to educate, to transform, to bring humans together celebrating their lives, their culture, their aspirations and connect them with the great spirit …

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DESIGN CHALLENGE

“OTHERS HAVE SEEN WHAT IS AND ASKED

WHY. I HAVE SEEN WHAT COULD BE AND

ASKED WHY NOT. ”

- PABLO PICASSO

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Design BriefDesign a space of about 12,56 m2 that can be used to accommodate visiting students, volun-teers or care takers. The structure will be a tem-porary one with a life span of about 10 years. It should address following parameters:- keeping in mind minimal needs of occupant- sustainable and efficient in use of resources- material choice to be taken by participant: op-tions include bamboo, light weight wood frames, earth materials, natural stones etc.- easy maintenance and adaptability to change, expansion, relocation- natural topography and water drainage to be considered- master plan constraints (proximity to road, en-trance...) to be considered- reference to simple architectural traditions of Africa

Expected are well-thought out solution which can inspire the project holders and help them in fur-ther fundraising efforts. The design concepts may be built in future or will serves as a comprehen-sive idea collection and case studies to answer the growing need of temporary and cost efficient shelter at Auroville.

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CONCEPT- Derived from everyday architecture of

Africa.- Combination of essentials derived from a

diverse culture. - Fractal scaling

- Simplistic and symbolic architecture

MATERIALS USED- Granite columns emerged in water for

raising the base at a level of 600mm- Wooden flooring of work tree (acacia)

- Wattle and daub for wall infill- Bamboo and thatch roof

CONCEPT 1By Alisha, Astha, Anushree, Ridhima

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CONCEPT- Shape and windows similar to African architecture

- Decorative element on outer walls - Mud clay and coconut fibre walls to maintain temperature

- Pakamaran leaves as floor slabroof similar to African with bamboo and cement jute bags

CONCEPT 2By Anoushka, Bhairevi, Harshitha, Pragya

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CONCEPT 3By Kritika

CONCEPT- Vaulted roof

- Openings in walls beneficial for daylighting andventilation

- Openings to be covered with mesh so that noinsect can enter inside.

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OUR FUTURE COMMITMENTSParticipants voluntary projects

“WE ARE ALL INTERESTED IN THE FUTURE,

BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE WE PLAN TO SPEND

THE REST OF OUR LIVES.”

- VILLAIN IN SUPERMAN COMIC BOOK EPISODE

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DIMENSIONS

“Dimensions” focuses on empowering mentally handicapped children by developing solutions to integrate factors that impact them in their most vulnerable situations. One in every 10 children is born with or acquires mental, physical or sensory disability which calls upon a necessary shift which our ‘World society’ must endure towards a bet-ter tomorrow. Gauri, for example, a 16-year-old Autistic child is blessed with immense artistic talents waiting to be explored if only she is given the opportunity to express as freely as any other student of her age. ‘Every Child is Special’. The same holds true for disabled children, also but not many think so, including. The Constitution of India as it applies uniformly to all citizens irrespective of whether they are mentally healthy or not. This demands a new policy making program which clearly states and identifies special needs as a separate category touching multiple ‘Dimensions’ in the lives of these children, based studies for the type of

disability, IQ levels, sensitivity and triggers. Educational systems can improve with a better rating system for schools’ specializing in edu-cating special needs students. Targeting groups like parents, teachers and residential societies can generate public awareness to help special children to live a healthy physical, mental and emotional life. Commitment to watching docu-mentaries and attending awareness workshops by parents, educating teachers for handling children with care and community gatherings can lead to a fresh and positive hope which can be instilled in many students like Gauri, ultimately, projecting compassion and respect as figments of a highly evolved species.

Ridhima Khanna

HUNGER

India with a population of over 1.2 billion, has seen tremendous growth in past 2 decades. Food grain production has increased almost 2 times. While India produces sufficient food to feed its population, it is unable to provide access to food to a large no. of people, especially women and children. 194.6 million people are undernourished population in India. By this measure India is home to quarter of the undernourished population in world. Malnourished children have a higher risk of death from common childhood illness such as malaria. 1 in every 4 children are malnourished in India.The main issues I see are:Unhealthy food given to children or sometimes children don’t have required amount of food ac-cording to their needs.

Shifts I want to see:- I want that every child in this country should get proper nourished food. - I want that people should make donations so

that food produced in India can be supplied to the poor children.

I will bring a small change by working on this issue. So I will work in my area only. I stay in Pitampura, Delhi. Firstly I will collect funds from people. There are so many societies so I will be able to get funds easily. There are 2 govern-ment schools in my area where all the slum children go and they don’t get proper food. So I will hire some people who will cook healthy food for those children and then supply that food to the schools. In this way children who suffer because of hunger and malnutrition, that will not happen in my area. In this way I will be able to decrease this problem. It’s a small ef-fort that can bring change in mindsets of other people. So that they can also do something like this.

Kritika Sahu

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LOST SPRING

Street kids in India have always been regarded as a big ‘problem’ by the urban population. Street kids comprise mostly of runaways or orphaned kids whose lives lack basic amenities like health, education, etc. There are some who are sold off by their parents and coerced into begging at streets.

‘Lost Spring’ refers to kids being deprived of a childhood that is deemed ‘proper’; where they have to fend for themselves and cannot experi-ence a nurtured upbringing. There are about 100 million street children in India who do not attend any school and spend most of their time on the streets. Their age ranges from 6-15 years generally. They are prone to high health hazards, and get involved in activities detrimental to their health. Today’s youth is India’s future, and to ensure a full development we cannot leave the unprivileged behind – they cannot hide behind the rising urban population, nor can only the latter comprise of India’s development.

I wish to bring smiles on the faces of these dis-advantaged street children by helping to create an environment for their holistic development in order to enable them to become a part of mainstream society. My aim is also to nullify the stereotypical mind-set that these children get about them being different, at an early age.

There are many NGO’s and activists working towards the same goal as mine. By taking their help, I want to build small homes in as many localities as I can to act as night shelters for the street kids. My next step would be providing basic education and health facilities freely, and giving these kids a space to interact and grow in a nurtured environment. I also want to push for policies that will help secure the lives and futures of the street kids.

Alisha Jain

ARCHITECTURAL INTELLIGENCETransparency In Architecture

Radical transparency means that all the organi-zational data/processes are open to access. This approach has the potential for new technologies to reveal the eco-impact of products ensuring that consumers make informed decisions and companies reform their business practices. There is a need for transparency in every avenue today to eradicate corruption and unjust methods from being adopted.A slight variation of this method can be adopted into architecture, making architectural educa-tion more sensitive in terms of environment, and ensuring awareness in architects and clients both. In Delhi, for example, there are builders and con-tractors who get paid for building residences in a comparatively faster time with less detail to struc-ture. These buildings are not safe for the residents and are generally not eco-friendly. The education on average is sub-par, and more attention is paid to aesthetics than to the lifetime cost and envi-

ronmental effect of the building a student is making.I wish to see a change in the education we, as future architects, are provided with; fur-thermore I want architects to realize that it is their duty to be forthcoming about their methods, and educate clients about terms like lifetime costs and payback. Being eco-friendly is the need of the hour, and infrastructure is a big part of it. I want to start with organizing ‘Awareness Programs’ that will be open for both students and professionals educating them about the state of the world today and how to address them with alternative and sustainable techniques that we as architects can adopt to do our bit for the environment. I would also like to push for a policy that makes it mandatory for presenting reports after every construction that includes all information of the building processes.

Astha Chopra

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UNLEARN

According to the Webster’s dictionary Unlearn means to forget or stop doing something (habit) in a deliberate way because it is bad or incorrect. But how do you unlearn something if you cannot determine if it’s right or wrong?

I verily believe in passion, courage, compassion, wisdom and acceptance as qualities one must em-body to lead a better life. The issue I would like to approach is mainly a change in the education sys-tem in India. Schools play a key role in developing children into responsible adults which is why they must have a holistic approach in learning. Nowa-days students are taught to gain a degree but not to become better beings. For instance, the suicide rate of students in India is the highest compared to any other country in the world. This is largely due to the academic pressure, worry over grades, parental pressure and competition. Many students have breakdowns, burnouts and depression. The shift I want to see is that students must be

made aware of various career options, so that they can decide what they want to take up further in life without any parental or societal pressure, all of which must be treated with the same respect. Children must learn other fields like art, culture and environmental science, animal rights and sustainability. My contribution as a start towards achieving this vision is that I want to conduct seminars in various schools and motivate children to change conventional norms. Field visits and workshops will help children learn better about a sustainable living. From my experience I know the effect the seminars given by passionate speakers in the related fields have had over me. I believe in the change it will bring in the mind-set of children. Moreover, I think that adults are just outdated children so they will catch up.

Harshitha G

ANKUR

Ankur is a Sanskrit word which means new life. Everyone wants to live a respectful and dignified life. It is this need that I want to address. I was in class 2 when my friend with hearing and slight speaking problems used to be hit by the teacher. Along the same time, I had a friend who was of the transgender sex, which was unac-ceptable to his family, and he was taken out of school; and I’ve never heard of him since. Such incidents of discrimination strongly impacted me and I decided to make a difference. My project focuses on a new beginning where they don’t feel left out of the society. It emphasizes on a centre where transgender, differently abled children along with society claimed ‘normal’ children learn, grow, study and play together. I am passionate about this cause because I have witnessed their problem.

There is finally an official count of the third gender in the country- 4.9 lakh, out of which 74%

is illiterate. whereas the total number of dif-ferently abled people is 18 million, where only 45% is literate.

Usually, transgender don’t get the basic education because of societal differences, so they end up dancing, begging and singing for a living when they are capable of other professions. Differently abled children don’t get admission in schools because of societal preferences. They usually only interact with themselves and rarely get to mingle with ‘nor-mal’ children. Therefore the shit I want to see is that they get their basic education like other children and live a respectful life. I want to conduct an hourly workshop after and before school timings where they can mingle with everyone and learn through games which is the best way to understand, connect and interact with each other.

Anoushka Sharma

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RAW EARTH

Vernacular architecture means something that is local or vernacular to a region and is one of the descriptive elements of a cultural landscape. The fact that vernacular settlements reflect the cultural value of the country and built according to bioclimatic characteristics make them even more important.Raw earth aims at working with what we already have rather than trying to get something artificial; it focuses on building from the raw over synthetic. Conservation of vernacular texture in rural landscape is an important issue in today’s world. Old practices and traditions have been replaced by consumerism and foreign trends. A poorly designed structure which doesn’t consider environmental or vernacular factors can ultimately cost the occupant – in addition to the environ-ment. There is a need for training and skill acquisi-tion of the students in the subjects such as con-struction practice, design and sustainability. The effectiveness of climate responsive architecture is evident over the course of its life in lessened

costs of utilities and maintenance. Vernacular architecture provides vital connection between humans and the environment. I want to see a shift in the architectural education, by way of incorporating modern trends into vernacular techniques. Recognition of regional building methodology over contemporary ways is the need of the hour. I would like to incorporate this by organizing hands on workshops which would help students in getting back in touch with their surroundings and start respecting their regional flora. I want students and pro-fessionals to be aware of this issue, working towards making vernacular architecture a man-datory subject and pushing for policies that would help my issue. So by applying vernacular strategies to modern design a structure can ideally achieve net zero energy use, and be wholly self – sufficient building.

Anushree Bhattacharjee

GREEN STEPS TOGETHER

It is time we change our goal from “more” to “better”. With firm belief in sincerity, humility, centeredness and compassion coupled with skills learnt during civil engineering, I made the choice of living a life of purpose to serve our environment and the people together.

India has a lot of scope for sustainable develop-ment. To highlight this, India is facing major waste management issues and is experiencing water security problems. Moreover, there is lack of active communication among enterprises, institutions and students aiming to work in the field of sustainable development. Thus, I decided to build a platform to create a growing community of inspired, educated people working effectively towards a beautiful, environmentally and socially sustainable world. This will be a creative online space called “Green Steps Together” for expres-sion, awareness, questioning, sharing and build-ing on ideas.

My journey in the last few months, especially my stay in Auroville, has opened my eyes to the numerous activities of experst workin on sustainability related issues. I wish to bring their innovations and initiatives to the world, through written blog entries or video interviews and messages from them.Sharing of sustainable creative solutions of day to day eco-friendlly practices by the readers will be encouraged. A database of educational institutions/ companies/ workshops/ seminars working in this field will be regularly upfdated with genuine experiences of people attached.In long term, I wish to create a think tank and lead small and large scale community projects through the network formed. This will lead to a more aware generation with the right resources to create a beautiful space by exemplifying liv-ing the green way, together.

Bhairevi G. Aiyer

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LESS IS MORE

High living standards are affecting our lifestyle, leading to more consumption of goods and ser-vices in a less logical manner. But is it necessary to follow it blindly without questioning it or not taking action even if we question it? This is when the issue of NEED VS GREED comes into play. With the current rate of consumption, we will need resources equivalent to five earths. This greed is depriving many people of their basic needs.

For instance, India is growing at around 10% annu-ally. Overall, the developing countries are growing at around 7% per year, and the developed econo-mies at around 2%, yielding a global average of around 4.5%. Thus, in one view, rapid economic growth in developing countries is helping to al-leviate poverty. But our planet will not physically support this exponential economic growth if we let greed take the upper hand.

So it is very necessary to live by the saying “Don’t use a lot where little will do”. Lower quantity allows more time to focus on quality .It’s not about building a large community, it’s about fostering the engaged one. According to me, there is no greater success than that. Most importantly, this makes us less harried and more present. In retrospect, isn’t this what we want? It’s not just the goals we visualise; it’s the happiness and satisfaction when we’ll get there that we imagine.

The change I wish to see is the adoption of minimalistic lifestyle by conducting workshops, where people learn to satisfy their needs over greed. It can be a painful step for those who have strong attachment to their belongings. So the start should be slow and intentional. Any-thing one can do without must be hidden away, to create distance to be able to let go. That motivation will lead to decluttering as steps to-

wards one’s dream, minimal lifestyle. People must be reminded that stripping away unnecessary stuff will make it easier to seek simplicity and experi-ence freedom.

Pragya Sharma

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COLLABORATORS

Auroville Green Practices aims to bring together various stakeholders to envision future townships that offer a habitat that is ecologically, socially and economically nurturing. Auroville Green Practices is managed by Auroville Consulting a unit under the Auroville Foundation.

White Ant Studio is a design unit based in the International City of Auroville and headed by Fabian Ostner. Born and educated in Germany, Fabian works since sev-eral years in India and – after three years in Bangalore (where he worked with a re-nowned architectural firm as project architect) – has relocated to this exciting place on India’s eastern coastline, just 150km south of Chennai.

The Unity Pavilion is meant to be a catalyst for the development of the International Zone. It will be open to all nations presenting cultural activities, and in this way initi-ate the realization of the national/cultural pavilions. In this context, the Unity Pavil-ion’s objective will be to promote understanding between people, individuals and cultures, and in that way work towards an understanding of human unity that is the basis for realization of world peace.

Auroville Consulting provides comprehensive consulting and advisory services for project developers, manufacturers and policy makers engaged in ecologically and socially responsible development areas. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, we cre-ate unique solutions in the domains of sustainable resource management (energy & water) and sustainable management practices.

Auroville Consulting

“WE MAY HAVE ALL COME ON

DIFFERENT SHIPS, BUT WE’RE IN

THE SAME BOAT NOW. ‘

- MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

3H summer school 2015

Education

Transcript of 3H summer school 2015