RJ Lakshmi Karunakaran speaks to young architect and natural builder Mushraff Hebbali about her praxis of building homes that are harmonious with nature.

Take a look around. Look at the homes, offices and buildings that surround you today, and wonder what they are made of. What do you see? I am sure in 90% of the case you will find that you are sitting in the middle of a concrete jungle.

The cement industry is one of the highest producers of carbon di oxide which is a potent green house gas and concrete itself causes damage to the most fertile layer of the earth – the top soil.

We have long ago moved away from the practice of building natural buildings. Natural Building includes a variety of building techniques that focus on creating sustainable buildings which minimize their negative ecological impact. Natural Buildings often rely on non-industrial, minimally processed, locally available, and renewable materials and can also utilize recycled or salvaged materials.

Mushraff Hebbali, is a young architect and natural builder who is a part of The Natural Builders of India. She along with her colleagues have been working on the revival of traditional building methods and helping build small homes for families.

Mushraff Hebbali handcrafting a home

” I saw injustice in the modern buildings. It spoke of the large divide that we have created between us and nature, and in that process between the haves and the have nots. This drove me to explore natural building’.

Mushraff talks about the philosophy of natural building and how it is tied to being harmonious with nature. She also describes the process of hand crafting a natural building and stresses on how it is a process that brings together people and communities.

Mushraff and colleague working on a mural

Listen in to this fascinating interview: