The Brickhaus in Thiruvananthapuram is a perfect blend of aesthetics, modernity, and sustainability. Built by architect Srijit Srinivas in 2019, the exposed bricks on the house give it a feeling of familiarity and warmth.

The 4,250 square feet home stands out for its imaginative design, smart space utilisation, natural light, and eco-friendly features.

“Brick in itself is a beautiful material. Usually, people make houses with bricks and plaster them to cover up their imperfections. Only a very well-designed house having form, scale, and proportion would look good in exposed brick,” says Srijit Srinivas.

Brick buildings often face issues like water seepage. To address this, Srinivas used Pidicrete, a waterproof compound, in the cement mortar. Additionally, they applied stone clear to preserve the brick’s appearance and shield it from rain.

The house comes adorned with jali designs and many nooks and corners that allow sunlight inside. “Additionally, the skylight creates an ever-changing pattern of light throughout the day which gives the inmates a unique experience at different times of the day,” adds Architectural Digest.

Image courtesy: Srijit Srinivas

What stands out is the fact that it is a net zero building, where the total power consumed is equal to the power produced by the house. This has been achieved through a ‘Grid Tied’ power system, explains Srinivas.

This system comes with a 5 kWp installed on-site solar capacity that produces 20 units of electricity per day.

“The surplus is fed into Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) main power grid. At night, power is supplied to the house by the KSEB mains power grid. The owner pays nothing at all for electricity in the house,” says Srinivas.

Rainwater from the roof and rear terrace is filtered and let into the well to replenish the underground water table.

This water is also treated through a purification system as the groundwater contains chemicals and isn’t suitable for drinking, according to Srinivas.

“Turbidity is removed with a pressure sand filter. Iron is removed with an iron removal filter. Odour, however, is taken care of by an activated carbon filter. Well water can dry up, and that’s why we set up this rainwater recharge system as well,” he claims.

There is also a biogas unit located in the backyard. The organic waste is converted into biogas and used in cooking.

“The owner was very particular about needing eco-friendly elements in his home. His ideas for solar net zero energy, biogas and water recharge requirements need to be well appreciated by the larger society,” remarks Srinivas.

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