Eco-House: Towards a Sustainable Future

The Anglo-American term “eco house” is part of an emerging ecological hypothesis in architecture that prioritizes ecological responsibility for a sustainable future. This paper reviews and compares the technical, regulatory, and green rating frameworks applicable in India for sustainable habitat. Furthermore, the paper examines the extent of benefits achievable through Indian exemplar studies in three categories: best practices, green rating models, and solar models/net-zero energy models. Finally, the paper presents a cost-effective ‘Eco-house prototype,’ a design-build research project in Raipur. The house demonstrates the adoption of energy efficiency (both embodied and operational), water efficiency, and good indoor environmental quality measures, resulting in an ecologically sustainable habitat.