Aadi Villa
Construction Framework
Jul 23, 2025
Aadi Villa is Solarpunk Future's first home, designed to demonstrate sustainable construction at scale in tropical conditions. The project prioritizes local materials, traditional building techniques, and community collaboration to create an alternative to carbon-intensive construction methods.
A breakthrough in blockwork
Central to Aadi Villa's construction is an innovative masonry system that transforms local waste into building blocks. Our Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB) are made from excavated lateritic soil – iconic to Goa's red landscape – combined with sawdust waste from local furniture factories.
The innovation lies in adapting the traditional Flemish bond technique for load-bearing construction without cement or steel. We developed a single CSEB type that can be cut in four different ways to create an elegant pattern and keys while maintaining structural integrity. Benefits include:
Local Material Innovation: Transforms regional waste streams into high-performance building blocks
Carbon Avoidance: Eliminates cement and steel dependency through engineered masonry techniques
Consistent Aesthetic: Uniform, exposed façade celebrating Goa's red earth
Structural Integrity: Strong enough to form dependable interlocking load-bearing walls
Mindful material choices
To ensure seamless execution, the team constructed a prototype wall to test the adapted Flemish bond system under real conditions, providing essential validation before full-scale construction.
Environmental consciousness guided each stage. CSEBs were chosen for their compatibility with local laterite foundations and ability to showcase regional materials. Instead of conventional cement mortar, lime mortar was used—bringing breathability, longevity, and significantly lower carbon footprint. Lime also binds beautifully with the porous masonry substrate.
Integrating modern systems
A key achievement was integrating plumbing and electrical services without compromising the masonry system or aesthetic integrity. The blocks can be chiseled for conduits and backfilled. We designed integrated shafts to carry plumbing vertically through walls.
Empowering communities through collaboration
Local craftsmen embraced this technical innovation. While new to both CSEB and lime mortar construction, masons participated through:
Hands-on Workshops: Training with prototype wall construction
Collaborative Problem-solving: Masons' expertise refined on-site techniques
Skills Development: Knowledge benefiting future community-led projects
Looking ahead: a model for scalable green design
Aadi Villa demonstrates that alternative construction using local materials and traditional techniques can deliver both environmental and aesthetic performance. When architects and communities collaborate to innovate on proven methods, the results can transform sustainable building approaches.