Ar. Sanjay Patil established his practice Environ Planners in Nashik in 1981. Wholeheartedly supporting the 3R maxim of ‘Reduce, Recycle, Reuse’ – Environ Planners is firmly rooted in the ideology of sustainable design. The story started with a large barren plot on which Patil built a small farmhouse for his own family, and seized the opportunity to use a series of arches that he had procured from an old wada. To go with the farmhouse feel, lots of plants were planted all around. Twenty years and two hundred other wada-retrieved elements later, the story evolved; the plants grew taller, the flowers blossomed, the family needs changed… and the little weekend dig became a 5500 sq ft vibrant, engaging, and contemporary home with all the features of an old wada!

In encompassing nature, understanding the vernacular, embracing traditions, and fusing these core values with modern technology and new-age innovations emerges contemporarily relevant architecture. “Respecting nature has always been an integral element of my design approach. The need of the hour being sustainable development, the firm’s efforts are consciously directed towards application of energy efficient principles to building design,” says Ar. Sanjay Patil, the founder of Environ Planners, Nashik.

In central India’s hot, sultry summers and bitterly cold winters, energy efficient design principles inspired by vernacular building traditions help create comfortable ambient conditions indoors. The use of external verandahs, central courtyards, water bodies, pitched roofs, thick masonry walls, and ample greenery protects the interiors from excessive heat and extreme cold, while also allowing adequate but filtered natural light to stream in. Judiciously placed large windows allow continuous air-flow through built and unbuilt spaces and facilitate cross-ventilation, thus cooling the interior.

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