Director General Bunglow

I am very pleased to note the efforts made by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) in promoting appropriate and environment friendly construction technologies as a part of its mandate in the sphere of rural development and promoting sustainable development goals in rural areas of the Country. These construction technologies use locally available and sustainable building materials that are eco-friendly, cost-effective and energy-efficient.

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
Hon'ble Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare & Panchayati Raj, Government of India

I am happy to learn that National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), is unveiling the book titled ‘Creating a masterpiece - using appropriate building technologies’. I am sure that the book will inspire many other institutions and people to adopt such appropriate and sustainable construction technologies. I wish the NIRDPR all success in their endeavour for enabling sustainable rural development in the Country.

Shri Amarjeet Sinha, I.A.S.
Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India

I understand that one of the mandates of NIRDPR is to promote people centered approaches leading to sustainability. Dr WR Reddy, the present DG was magnanimous enough to give me the opportunity to design the Director General’s official residence using appropriate technologies. Opinion leaders from across the country would visit, so the idea was for them to see and experience the building and take the message forward. Right from the design stage to execution, we have followed the norms of sustainability religiously. DG’s residence is probably one of the first earth building in the public domain in this part of the country. The design and technology details are explained in this book. The present time needs this kind of interventions to be replicated and spread across the country. I wish the NIRDPR all success in their endeavour for enabling sustainable rural development in the Country.

Shri G. Shankar Padmashri Awardee,
Chief Architect, Habitat Technology Group Trivandrum, Kerala.

Inspired by the cost-effective and eco-friendly technologies, such as Laurie Baker’s and the others’, the Director General’s Bungalow at NIRDPR is built, using mostly the locally available materials and with a traditional touch of a mud house typology. Promotion of these technologies can give a great fillip, not only for accelerating provision of shelter for all, through Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and other schemes, but also attract the attention of those who splurge resources with highly negative environment effect and motivate them to adopt these technologies. It also aims at making a ‘Bold Statement’ in favour of these technologies for all to adopt, namely, Compressed Mud Blocks (CMB), Filler Slab roofing, Rat-trap Bond brick work, Mud Plastering, Tandoor/ Terracotta tile flooring, Bamboo railings/partitions, Pergolas, Rain water harvesting, Waste water treatment and recycling, Solar energy harvesting etc.

Dr. W. R. Reddy, I.A.S.
Director General NIRDPR