Preserving India's heritage of mud architecture. Biju Bhaskar of Thannal.

Chapters:
00:00 - The rise and fall of mud architecture.
00:55 - Introduction to Thannal
01:22 - Philosophy of Thannal
01:55 - Story of Biju Bhaskar (Founder of Thannal)
03:11 - Thannal and travel
04:25 - Thannal workshops
05:46 - Use of natural materials and plant derivatives
07:02 - Documentation in Thannal

India has a rich tradition of mud architecture. Even today more than 65 million of about 118 million houses in the country are made of mud. 2 seconds… But as the country progresses, mud architecture is slowly being supplanted by concrete. Even in rural areas where the mud was once the go-to material is turning towards concrete.
Mud houses are often associated with decadence and poverty, while concrete is a symbol of upward mobility and modernity.
This notion is being challenged by a 47-year-old architect, living on the foothills of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. His love for India’s vernacular architecture had taken him on a journey across the country, experiencing and documenting different materials, styles and skills that made these dwelling spaces unique. His organisation named “Thannal” has now become a sanctuary for preserving these mud techniques and a seminary for architects to come and learn this art. Biju Bhaskar is an architect by training. His first 10 years after his architecture degree saw him handling commercial projects. But that was not his calling. In 2011, Biju founded ‘Thannal’, a natural building awareness group along with his wife, Sindhu Bhaskar. he then travelled extensively to the most rural parts of India, with his family, to find, learn and document these ancient architectural techniques. Biju through Thannal did not want to design-build more natural homes like most architects would do. He instead sought to create more people who would build and design natural buildings. He also wanted to educate people on the significance of mud as a sustainable building material and ensured all material containing such knowledge was available. Thus he built a 550 sq ft Earthbag home and an artisans studio in Thiruvannamalai along with his wife and children and started to conduct workshops. Today, we are starting to see a large population of Indian youth migrating back to the villages. This population is also keen on making a dramatic shift in their lifestyle by growing their own food and building houses using locally sourced materials. Biju believes that over time groups like Thannal will become a catalyst in helping these people transition easier.