{"id":"aigc-v0-6327dadf-2e08-58fe-a001-8c686174d2cd","title":"Kamal Bungalow: Harnessing Sunlight for a Sustainable All-Season Home","description":"Explore Kamal Bungalow, a thoughtfully designed sustainable residence in Pune that ingeniously utilizes solar energy for year-round comfort. Discover how thoughtful orientation, water harvesting, green roofing, and eco-friendly materials contribute to its eco-conscious design.","timestamp":1772164430,"category":"travel_and_lifestyle","headline":"Kamal Bungalow: Harnessing Sunlight for a Sustainable All-Season Home","modifiedHeadline":"Pune Home Showcases Sustainable Living","subCategories":["scid_c4c79fca"],"subcategoriesName":["Home Decor"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"5cee2cbf-66c3-4893-80e5-f0ba3f16c30a","bundleTitle":"Home & decor","cardData":null},"fcSummary":"Kamal Bungalow in Pune showcases sustainable living through smart design. Founder Leena Dandekar minimized her ecological footprint with solar power, water conservation via rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling, and climate-responsive architecture. Green roofs, refurbished furniture, and local materials further reduce environmental impact, creating a self-sufficient haven with productive gardens and a thriving ecosystem.","summary":"Pune's Kamal Bungalow showcases sustainable living: solar power, water conservation, & eco-friendly design for year-round comfort.","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/science_and_technology/IN/en/feedpost-specials/aigc-v0-6327dadf-2e08-58fe-a001-8c686174d2cd?byte=true","sourceUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/science_and_technology/IN/en/feedpost-specials/aigc-v0-6327dadf-2e08-58fe-a001-8c686174d2cd?byte=true","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/bOW_MMSKriZ0.webp","content":"

\n Step inside Kamal Bungalow, a home where sustainability meets smart design. Learn how solar power, water conservation, and natural elements create an eco-friendly haven that thrives in all seasons.\n

Foundation of Sustainability

Leena Dandekar, a proponent of sustainable living and founder of the Raintree Foundation, embarked on a personal mission to construct Kamal Bungalow in Pune.

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Driven by a strong conviction to minimize her ecological footprint, she aimed to demonstrate that an environmentally conscious lifestyle need not be expensive or complicated. This aspiration materialized when she relocated to Pune, presenting an opportunity to build a standalone family home. Her vision evolved beyond mere shelter, encompassing a desire for a self-sufficient lifestyle with home-grown produce, minimal reliance on artificial cooling, and maximum water conservation, especially pertinent given the home's location in a drought-prone region. The initial step involved acquiring an urban plot on the city's outskirts, with the overarching goal of creating a 'sustainable' residence, even before fully defining its characteristics.

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Harnessing Solar Energy

A cornerstone of Kamal Bungalow's sustainable design is its intelligent utilization of solar energy. Fundamental to this approach is the home's orientation, a crucial element that cannot be altered. Given its location in the Northern Hemisphere, the roof is strategically sloped towards the south to maximize solar absorption. This south-facing orientation allows for optimal energy capture by a comprehensive solar panel system, integrated with inverters and batteries stored in the basement. While solar power serves as the primary energy source, the grid is employed as a backup. This careful planning ensures a consistent and renewable power supply, significantly reducing the home's dependence on conventional energy sources and its environmental impact.

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Climate-Responsive Design

To effectively manage Pune's intense summer heat and chilly winter mornings, Kamal Bungalow incorporates thoughtful architectural features. South and west-facing balconies are strategically positioned to shield the interior living spaces from the harshest midday sun, allowing direct sunlight only after 4 PM. Conversely, bedrooms and the kitchen, areas of high morning activity, are oriented towards the east. This captures the gentle morning sun, naturally warming these spaces and reducing the need for artificial heating during cooler months. This passive design strategy leverages natural light and thermal gain to create comfortable living conditions throughout the year with minimal energy intervention.

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Water Conservation Systems

Water management is a critical component of Kamal Bungalow's sustainability ethos, especially given its arid surroundings. Prior to construction, three borewells were dug to facilitate rainwater harvesting. All rainwater runoff from the roof and the entire plot is channeled into these recharge wells. Furthermore, a sophisticated greywater filtration system is in place to recycle water generated from sinks and showers. This treated greywater is then reused for flushing toilets and irrigating the terrace gardens. The plot's natural steep slope was ingeniously exploited to use gravity, aiding the movement of greywater through various filtration mediums, a process enhanced by the aesthetic addition of vibrant floral plantations within the filtration tanks.

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Green Roofing & Materials

Kamal Bungalow features 'green roofs' designed for fruit orchards and trees, maximizing sun exposure for produce. This was achieved without compromising the building's structural integrity or incurring excessive costs. The load-bearing columns were strategically utilized to support the weight of the plantation. To conserve water, lawns are kept minimal and planted with drought-resistant varieties. The home's air conditioning system prioritizes fresh air intake and uses certified 'green' cooling gases, employing energy-efficient HVAC technology. Additionally, all construction materials adhere to IGBC standards for green buildings, and finishing materials are sourced from within a 400 km radius, further reducing the project's carbon footprint.

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Refurbished Furnishings

A significant aspect of Kamal Bungalow's sustainable and personal charm lies in its interior. All loose furniture pieces are either refurbished or repurposed, reflecting a commitment to circularity. Despite initial concerns about potential style clashes among furniture from different eras and origins, Dandekar has masterfully curated a collection that creates a cohesive and warm ambiance. This approach not only minimizes waste but also imbues the home with a rich narrative, filled with cherished items passed down from loved ones. The result is a deeply personal and inviting living space that tells a story of thoughtful design and environmental consciousness.

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Productive Gardens & Ecosystem

The gardens at Kamal Bungalow are a source of immense pride and joy, functioning as a vibrant, productive ecosystem. This includes a dedicated vegetable garden and a food forest brimming with fruit trees, all of which are native to the local climate and thrive year-round. To support local biodiversity, numerous flowering shrubs and trees have been planted to provide a continuous food source for bees, complemented by bee boxes. Free-range chickens contribute fresh eggs for breakfast and provide nutrient-rich manure for the gardens. This self-sustaining system, established on a small urban plot, becomes more robust and productive each year, embodying a philosophy of living in harmony with nature.

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Kamal Bungalow: Harnessing Sunlight for a Sustainable All-Season Home

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