I think all natural landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful – anywhere in the world. The picture above shows one such scenic landscape I encountered on my trip with the Society to Save Rocks. Yeah, rockscapes have always attracted me with an almost magnetic force, I find myself drawn to them instantly, I love them. Having joined the Society as a member last year, I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had of exploring these interesting landscapes and understanding the ‘feel’ and atmosphere of the space they exude.
Our journey between the Orvakal Rock Park and Belum Caves in Kurnool was smattered by such scenic landscapes. Idyllic fields of soothing green against a backdrop of gorgeous rock formations and an angelic blue-grey sky.
Our journey between the Orvakal Rock Park and Belum Caves in Kurnool was smattered by such scenic landscapes. Idyllic fields of soothing green against a backdrop of gorgeous rock formations and an angelic blue-grey sky.
And…wear-worn, dust bathed trucks being loaded with mounds of quarried stone, men digging deep into the earth’s crust trying to claw out every cubic foot of building material that drives the construction industry (gasping for breath from a recession drowning, so I hear) and their homes.
Sustainable building is the key to a greener and better future, that’s the word out. Sustainable – using locally available materials for construction to reduce the carbon trail in the construction process and the functioning of the building, when complete. Most of the LEED Accreditation for green buildings awards points for the use of such locally available material. Well, a chance look at the ‘back-end process’, the engine turning the wheels, made me count my stars. I’m lucky to have seen and experienced this beautiful natural heritage. A few generations down the line might not even know of the ‘awesome’ hillsides of these fully weathered rocks that they missed, because I don’t think there’ll be anything left.
This was an aspect of sustainability I never thought of before. I’m all for sustainable architecture and construction. Use of local materials – yes. But what if we’re irreparably damaging and eating away natural landscapes and micro-ecosystems? What happens when all that silica-rich rock is quarried away? And is our construction really sustainable when all we’re doing is changing entire precincts of natural topography?
Commercialism will never cede, nor will our hunger to make profits out of thin air. Construction activity will always go on, ebbing and rising with economic upturns and downturns. What then is our solution for sustainable architecture and construction? – An architecture that is responsible both sides of the coin.
