Protect Your Natural Heritage With Climate Responsive Design

The climate-responsive architecture of the Estate Manager’s house at the dry-arid Hyderabad Collective facilitates a 10°C lower indoor temperature in summer.

Ever found yourself distracted by a rare natural sight? 

Perhaps a full, clear rainbow after a drizzle. Or artistic rocks formed over several years, worthy of every kid’s “precious thing” collection. Maybe spotting an impeccably concealed moth that gives your eyes a run for their function. And finding peace in the chirping discord of crickets and frogs.

What we find to be “rare” experiences today are daily delights in the depths of wilderness—natural, untamed environments that have much of the forest’s character and soul, which speak to us in ways words can’t describe. We are striving to preserve this essence through 100+ acre community-owned Beforest Collectives, spread across diverse geographies in India, from the ancient rainforests of the Western Ghats to the dry scrub forests woven in the millennia-old rocks of the Deccan Plateau.

Freshwater streams at Beforest’s 100+ acre Hammiyala Collective in Coorg, Karnataka – a coffee forest located in the hilly rainforests of the Western Ghats, ready to welcome a forest-loving community

A walk in the wild is not merely a walk. At Beforest, we believe it is experiential learning for kids, adults, and everyone who calls Earth home. While today learning is literally at our fingertips in the form of digital media, immersive, real environments are what add a much higher definition to the knowledge we gain through screens, offering yesteryear playground-like spaces for unhindered exploration. Hence, protecting these environments as they are is all the more important to instil a deeper understanding and appreciation of our natural world among future generations.

Why Climate-Responsive Design Matters

While conserving these sagacious landscapes and regular interactions with them can rebuild our bond with nature, their existence itself is in question today. Uncontrolled developments intended for the betterment of human society have been turning our wild, natural heritage into manicured, fabricated blocks that further break us into silos, naturally as well as societally. 

Aerial view of the landscape of Poomaale 1.0 Collective in Coorg, where the construction footprint is restricted to only 15%

We at Beforest recognise this pressing need for more sensitive developments. As much as we need to keep moving to get by life, we also need our landscapes to be designed in ways that are more attuned to natural processes – sustainable, long-living and self-replicating designs that integrate activities and resources instead of segregating them in order for future generations to shape themselves from the experiences they receive from these landscapes – all amidst the impending threat of climate change.

We cannot predict how nature will act and react to our acts, but we can prepare for whatever may come through design strategies that reduce our chances of complete wipeout and help us share the legacy of these landscapes we own collectively with our kids and theirs.

Climate Resilient Design Strategies We Adopt at Beforest

Landscape Study & Zoning

Thinking of resilience begins from the get-go. Designing for a 100-acre landscape is daunting, and even more so when need to factor one of the most dynamic and (today) unpredictable parameters – climate. At this initial stage, all the stakeholders of Beforest Collectives do their part in an all-hands-in approach. Architectural consultants, civil engineers, biodiversity conservations, ecological design thinkers, farm operators, landscape and hydrogeological surveyors, as well as local authorities work in collaboration with each other to broadly categorise the landscape into 3 main ecological zones. Economic zone for housing and forest-friendly farming activities for the communities, Mixed zone for processing and mixed farming for wildlife, and Wilderness zone dedicated to low-minimal intervention.

Food Production Zone of Beforest’s Hyderabad Collective, where native, regional, seasonal and diverse foods are grown in layers

Permaculture Design

At Beforest Collectives, we apply permaculture – a comprehensive design framework built on a set of ethics and principles. It supports climate resilience by creating sustainable and self-sufficient ecosystems that can withstand environmental stresses. By integrating diverse plant species, permaculture promotes biodiversity, which enhances the resilience of the ecosystem. The diverse plant life creates a balanced environment where pests and diseases are naturally controlled, reducing the need for chemical interventions. This approach helps maintain soil health and manage water, crucial for surviving droughts like in the case of our dry-arid Hyderabad Collective and heavy rainfall like that of the Mumbai Collective, even in nature’s mightiest phases that we witness at our forest-friendly coffee estates in Coorg with its challenging monsoon.

Trenches to harvest moisture and create microclimates in the trial permaculture coffee block of the Poomaale 1.0 Collective in Coorg

Additionally, permaculture’s emphasis on the use of renewable resources and energy-efficient practices reduces the carbon footprint and mitigates the effects of climate change. Techniques like rainwater harvesting, composting, and mulching improve water conservation and soil fertility, ensuring that the land remains productive even under adverse climatic conditions. By mimicking natural ecosystems, permaculture designs create a harmonious balance that supports long-term sustainability and resilience, making it an effective strategy for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Climate Responsive Architecture

Our in-house architectural team, as well as our housing partners Biome Environmental Solutions (one of the leading sustainable architecture firms in India), are involved throughout the landscape design process – from study and surveys to construction of members’ homes, community and hospitality spaces (like our wilderness guest house – the Blyton Bungalow). The foundation of every built space is designed with the utmost ecological sensitivity and climatic considerations. Using only natural and locally available materials, applying passive cooling construction techniques and forms to create spaces that are comfortable for humans as well as leave little ecological footprint. 

(Embed YT video here – Coffee Estate Retreat Blyton Bungalow, Coorg by Beforest (youtube.com) )

We are working our way towards a green, sustainable future for people and the planet. 

Are you someone who resonated with all the above? And are you looking to actively become a part of this sustainable lifestyle movement, where the future generations learn the values of life through open, natural classrooms that don’t need a formal enrolment, just a curious and conscious mind?

If yes, experience a slice of this lifestyle by staying for a weekend or more at our forest-friendly Coffee Estate Stay in Coorg – the Blyton Bungalow, in the heart of our first collective – the Poomaale 1.0 Collective – where a bygone coffee estate is being revived to life by reimagining it as a layer of a rainforest ecosystem.