Kochi , June 5: Eminent architect Benny Kuriakose has called for greater use of timber in the construction of buildings so that the sustainability goals can be achieved and climate change catastrophe can be reversed.
Delivering the 22nd tri-annual ‘Beyond Square Feet’ lecture series organized by Asset Homes at Hotel Tribute Royale on the eve of the World Environment Day on Saturday, Mr Benny Kuriakose said that planting as many trees as possible and making use of them in the construction of buildings will be the best way to reverse climate change.
“Trees are the best entities that absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and emit oxygen, which we badly need, in return. But when they are burnt or allowed to decay – for use or after use - the carbon dioxide that gets stored in the wood is released into the atmosphere again. Burning contributes to global warming also. But when we cut the trees and use them in buildings, which also we need, the CO2 gets locked in the wood and not released back into the atmosphere. In such a way we can help us live comfortably and sustain the environment around us. The buildings made of wood are proven to last very long also and ten times more eco-friendly than the platinum-rated buildings. There are many multi-storey buildings in the western world which use 80-85 percent wood that last long,” said Mr. Benny Kuriakose.
“However, in order to reverse climate change we need to plant trees in the space equivalent to North America’s geographical area,” Mr Benny Kuraiakose added.
Mr Benny Kuriakose said that by reusing the timber after demolishing old buildings, this contribution to sustainability is made and hence it is valuable in the sustainability angle. He said his ideal architecture application mostly revolved around vernacular architecture, use of recycled materials, conservation of buildings and use of timber.
The eminent architect said that our fad for the western architecture is in the wrong direction. “Western architecture is making India’s heatwave worse,” he said. “The climate catastrophe is not far away in 2099 or 2100. It is here, as seen in recurring floods since 2018, so we have to act and live in harmony with nature,” he said.
In his welcome address, Founder and Managing Director of Asset Homes Sunil Kumar V said that the world is observing the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day this year with the UN reminding us once again that we have only one earth to live. He said that when the different parts of the world believed in exploiting natural resources, our forefathers taught us that man is part and parcel of nature. “But now we are fast losing the green havens and even fighting for drinking water at one time and then facing a flood at another time. So we need to espouse the cause of sustainable living for ourselves. Asset Homes is committed to the idea of sustainable development and practices this by all possible means," he said.
Asset Homes is organizing the Beyond Square Feet Lecture on the occasion of World Environment Day, World Water Day and World Habitat Day every year.
