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Showing posts from January, 2017

Importance of Passive Design for House Design and Construction in India

Passive design is inspired by climate, framed by the environment and built for comfort. In an ecologically diverse environment such as India, there is no one size fits all approach to passive design in both residential and commercial properties. Depending on your location in India, your passive design needs will be influenced by hot dry conditions, wet and humid conditions and cold and damp conditions. Architectural forefathers understood the challenges of adapting home to climate in India. For warmer climates in India, a traditional way of cooling was with stepped wells, a pond dug into the ground or surrounded by walls above ground allowing the air to be-cooled by evaporating water in an enclosed, shaded zone. This innovative technique stood the test of time, providing cooling techniques in larger homes in India for generations.  At Homes Plan India, we continue this innovative legacy with the same goal: to design buildings that place paramount importance to its occupan...

Why Outdoor living spaces are as crucial as the interior spaces when designing a new house plan

House planning is about creating an overall design that successfully uses the entire plot. When designing a new house it is absolutely vital that the outdoor space is considered in co-relation to the interior spaces of the house. Internal space planning is certainly important, but the outdoor space should not be compromised. They should complement each other and the outdoor space should be designed so as it feels just like stepping out into another room and is an extension to the interior space. Outdoor living spaces provide breathing room for the plot and frame it with which the rest of the design can sit. Critically, they are the key entertainment and living spaces and should be designed to fit the requirements of the rest of the building.   Thinking about the design of the outdoor living space should take place at the same time as the rest of the house is designed - at the beginning. If it is designed as an afterthought then it is likely that it will not fit with the rest o...