Organo Editorial Blog

Antharam, Kandawada & Damaragidda are going to turn from barren lands to biodiverse environments. The process has already started.

At Organo, localization is a key factor which differentiates the community/ eco-habitats from other communities. In line with the Triple Bottom line philosophy of Organo, at least 75% of the workforce required to run and maintain the eco-habitat are recruited locally.

Creating micro climates conducive for a healthy and congenial life is key to creating a vibrant eco habitat. The concept of Thermal Comfort is key to understand the micro climate and temperature within and around a locality.

Being from an architecture background, we speak to a lot of people. What we realised is that there are many families living in the city who want to lead a healthier lifestyle. Who want to reconnect back with how they have grown or their parents have grown. Who want to live in a more eco-friendly way.

In continuation with our article Farmer Consumer Connect- Humble beginnings, Organo has been working with the farmers in the villages around Organo Antharam project to source safe and witnessed food grown using natural farming methods. This is an attempt to complete the food requirements of the families who are part of the eco-habitats.

According to the data published by the government of India in February 2020, pesticide consumption in our country was more than 40000 metric tonnes. Telangana ranked fourth in the nation-wide list with over 4,900 metric tonnes of chemical pesticide consumption in that year.

Right from our 1st day of schooling, we have been taught the importance of plants and the role they play in our day-to-day lives. But with time, we all seem to forget its importance and take it for granted altogether. It’s funny how the people who once never hesitated to voice their love for nature now find themselves living in a concrete jungle.

Sleep is as essential to our daily needs like food and water. Although we may feel that sleep simply rests our tired bodies, our brain remains active throughout the night. Sleep plays a critical role in the brain as well as physical functioning.

At Antharam water resilience is a big goal we are trying to reach.To accomplish this, we are looking at various ways in which surface rain water run off can be tapped.Although ground water sources can be reached if we go deep enough, we do not want to do that.

Organo Antharam community is an eco-community designed for feet rather than wheels. The intention was to create simple and safe street experiences that also brought back opportunities for residents to enjoy serendipitous meetings, carefree play, quiet areas for contemplation and vibrant spaces for collective gathering and celebrations.

Access to safe and witnessed food is an integral part of the experience of living in an Eco habitat. The farming practices followed in our eco habitats take a localization approach to cultivation.

To design a water-balanced and drought-resilient community, at Antharam, detailed hydrogeological studies have been made and a 60-lakh liter dug well is being made.

Everybody is unique. You will start believing that uniqueness comes from simple changes. Breakaway from the conventional cookie-cutter homes and enjoy the one-of-a-kind rural lifestyle and modern amenities of the farmhouses at Antharam. The best part of the cluster design is that no streets look alike, offering a unique experience.

In 2014, the Koalas in Australia made global news for hugging trees. But this seems very unusual for anyone who knows that Koalas are tree-dwelling creatures.

“Clutter is an overabundance of possessions that collectively create chaotic and disorderly living spaces,” says Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago who studies the causes of clutter and its impact on emotional well-being.

According to US EPA, Heat islands are urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas. Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies.

Meet Vijaya Durga, Co-Founder, Organo eco-habitats who takes her work seriously but wears her success lightly. She has headed 100s of construction projects and with every project she has consolidated her position as the Numero Uno as far as quality & timely delivery are concerned with zero compromise on design values and impeccable work ethics. She has built organisations, surpassing every expectation and setting new benchmarks.

Antharam’s sustainable practises transform the community and its resident’s into prosumers at a micro-level. The primary difference between a consumer and a prosumer is that the consumer buys various products for consumption while the prosumer takes adequate steps to produce the products and then consume them. Antharam's design is based on the model of a prosumer community where production and consumption happen parallelly. Here are simple measures taken in account for the execution of the same. 

There are various studies which state that our mindset, habits, moods and life all together depend on the way our homes, communities and cities are designed and this is because we spend more than 90% of our time indoors. It has a much larger impact on the children that are exposed to these environments and shapes their personality as they grow up. Hence the built environment plays a huge role in affecting the health and well-being of us and our family members.

The eco-habitats by design are located away from the cities and in rural or per-urban areas. For any community to become an eco-habitat, there should be a symbiotic relationship between the community and its surroundings. The relationship can be with respect to any physical aspects like water, air, food etc., as well as people to people connect. The influence of this relationship is more pronounced to a certain extent of physical and emotional space. In order to define this space, we at Organo have taken the seven strands of sustainability or saptapatha (earth, water, air, people, food, shelter, and energy) as parameters around which the influence zone is defined.

While analysis any technology, it becomes very important for us to analysis the cost-benefit analysis of the overall strategy. Especially in an eco-habitat such as Antharam, where one system has an impact on a lot of other variables, it becomes even more crucial.

As a one of its kind community in India, Organo Antharam is what we call in our Studio - a Cluster Homes Community. It was conceptualised to replicate rural design aspects of a village clubbed with urban aspects of urban areas.

Food is one of the main strands of the Saptha Patha principles based on which Organo’s eco habitats are designed, built and operated. The concept of locally sourced food is integral to ensuring that living in the eco habitats is sustainable as it benefits both the local producers (farmers) of food and consumers of food (Eco habitats residents). The producers get a fair price for their produce and the consumers get genuine, locally sourced and witnessed food.

The whole event went very well. I’ve never seen any seventh graders being so proactive and curious about the topic. We went there with an expectation that it would be a monologue but the children asked questions and participated in discussions which helped us share our thoughts and experiences with them.

At Naandi, we have created a water-balanced community. This means that the annual water budget is below the total amount of rainfall falling on the land. The community has been managing only with rainfall and Borewell's until now. Some of the water falling on the land is diverted to ponds and rainwater storage structures but most of it is directed to deep aquifer recharge bore wells. These Borewells improve the ground water table.

Well! No one has ever bothered to ask the Hare his side of the story, so let me tell you the story from a different point of view…I met the Hare and sat down with him for a heart-to-heart talk.

All homes are connected to form a micro-grid within the community. A micro-grid allows power-sharing between homes within the community.

Every year during festival months, the flowers from farms are harvested at least a week in advance and delivered to the wholesale markets in the city. In most cases, the flowers such as roses, also travel from other neighboring states like Karnataka (Bangalore) owing to the city’s demand. Retailers from all over the city congregate at the wholesale market to buy flowers and sell them at shops.

For all those people who have a tough time sticking to a gym routine or workout routine, we are here to give some good news. In fact, it’s pretty NEAT, quite literally. An acronym for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, NEAT is the energy we spend in everything we do that does not include sleeping, eating, sports or gym exercises. To be more specific, it constitutes the energy expended walking to work, typing, performing garden work, undertaking agricultural tasks and fidgeting.

Have you tried Gardencersise yet? Hear ye, hear ye! It’s time for all the lovers of gardening to revel in their passion and go for it with renewed vigour. Yes, gardening has been officially declared as one of the best forms of burning calories. So far, we only knew of the therapeutic benefits and now with an increasing number of studies declaring it as a perfect exercise, the green thumbs can rejoice! Here’s one for starters –keeping your garden in shape keeps you in a much better shape than the ones you’re tending to! Let’s then go on an easy, breezy ride of getting into top form even as we create the ideal space for our green co-dwellers.

Organo is undertaking social impact initiatives in the five villages identified as part of the eco-habitat boundary. The villages being Antharam, Hasthepur, Venkannagudem, Nowlaipalle, and Kandlapalli.

There is a lot of advice that goes on nowadays about conserving energy. Switch off the fan, switch off the TV, the phone charger, the light, the fan, etc. Every little bit of energy saved is carbon stopped from escaping into the atmosphere. To make sure global temperatures don’t exceed 1.5 degrees, you have todo whatever is within your power.

Not so long ago, India was known as a country where the family elders were treated with utmost reverence and families revolved around them. But in the last decade or so, with individualistic mindsets on the rise, the seniors are being accommodated according to our convenience and comfort. With the rat race consuming the best of us, our parents and grandparents have been left behind to fend for themselves. With no peers for company and not wanting to interfere in their children and grandchildren’s lives, an increasing number of elders are experiencing isolation & loneliness like never before, more so in cases where one partner has passed on. The way living spaces are being designed and built isn’t helping either. The ubiquitous apartment culture may be a boon for the convenience-seeking youngsters but has turned into a bane of the older people’s existence. With their friends scattered all over the world, and their own limitations imposed by aging, they are being increasingly left to their own defenses.

We were recently invited by COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CSD) to be expert speakers as part of their CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR PhD. SCHOLARS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES.

Imagine a swimming pool, and what do you see? A slab of sterile blue water, surrounded by tiles. It doesn’t have to be like that: imagine instead a pool of fresh, clear water, fringed by native plants and that is close to nature. Bio Pools or Natural Swimming Pools are a replica of village wells where naturally, the water is fresh.

Learn how Cluster Design at Organo Antharam Hyderabad is Improving Cross Ventilation. Our unique staggered design provides increased Ventilation!

Are you ready to Build a Legacy by contributing to Sustainable Development and Counter-Urbanisation? Organo Antharam Hyderabad offers the solution. Learn More!

When we chose Antharam for our next project, we made sure it was not on the highway. We picked the site that was closer to the village. In addition to Antharam, there are four other villages within a radius of 5 kms. We named the project Antharam to bring the focus to the village and its activities.

Facts we need to know about solid waste management. Solid waste management is a universal issue that matters to every single person in the world. And with over 90% of waste openly dumped or burned in low-income countries, it is the poor and most vulnerable who are disproportionately affected.In recent years, landslides of waste dumps have buried homes and people under piles of waste. And it is the poorest who often live near waste dumps and power their city’s recycling system through waste picking, leaving them susceptible to serious health repercussions.

It’s so strange that we focus mostly on the visible aspect of our lives when our existence is mostly dominated by the invisible aspects - Mental, Emotional and Spiritual. Most of us live in our minds and are ruled by how we feel and how connected we feel. And yet, all that we focus on is the `body.’ It’s like preserving the wrapper and chucking the chocolate into the bin! Wellness experts the world over have come to the conclusion that the meaningfulness and mindfulness are the keys to a healthy body as well.

Think local. Build Eco-Habitats. Flourishin harmony. Leave a legacy.If you’re someone who is committed to living consciously, you’ve already proved that your mindset is a refreshing departure from the take-all and use-all approach. You’re over and done with the maddening pace of life and now, all you’re looking for is a sanctuary where you can create your own little serene cocoon and live a healthy life in harmony with nature.

Humans, since the dawn of time, have organised themselves into communities and lived happily off the land around them. It was not until the Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the 1700s that people began moving away from their villages for work. Although slowly coming into effect in India by the mid-1800s, Asian countries had largely remained unaffected by industrialisation in the way the West had.

Haven't we all heard of IKIGAI by now, even if we haven’t read the book? At least most of us have. The four circle diagram (which apparently is not the original IKIGAI but modified by another coach circa 2014) has been the most viewed on search engines the world over. The logical mind loves concepts and processes and the creative mind loves the free flow.

What is a Prosumer Community? Typically, any community in the city is a consumer economy. This means, there is insignificant production but a lot of consumption (food, milk, energy, water, etc.) happening within the community.

Natural Killer Cells are part of our immune systems. As the name suggests, they play a critical role in fighting virus-infected cells and tumour cells. It has been proven through experimental studies that a chemical called Phytoncide increases the NK Cell activity. Phytoncide is a chemical that is released by trees to form a web of protection against microbes and other harmful drugs. Evidently, small plants such as vegetables also emit these chemicals.

Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old traditional Hindu system of medicine with abundant secrets to a healthy and fulfilling life. One can use the wisdom of Ayurveda to gain inner peace, balance in bodily systems, longevity, vitality, and good health.

It’s quite often said, “Money can’t buy happiness”, and yet the vast majority of humans are motivated by the very idea of amassing wealth. Whatever income background one hails from, the want seems to be the same – the fisherman is just as keen to make money as the software CEO – that desire is innate. Why would we be so concerned, as a species, with chasing something that supposedly cannot make you happy? The truth is that money can bring happiness, or of course, anguish, depending upon how we decide to use it.

Waterlogging on roads in monsoon and dried up borewells is a common scene in our cities. With the water crisis becoming one of the major global crises, at a fast pace, it has become the need of the hour to incorporate water conservation techniques at a global level as well as individual level. More importantly, these issues are directly affecting our lives on a regular basis

What are Continuous Contour Trenches? A continuous contour trench is dug at a right angle to the slope and are planned along contour lines. Doing so stops the water flowing downhill in its tracks by the trenches, and water percolation into the soil below is facilitated.

My son lives in Amsterdam and he had some capital gains that he was looking to invest in for buying property. We were looking around for places but could not find anything that struck a chord with us.

Long long ago, we lived in villages surrounded by human beings were an integral part of. With least intrusion and invasion, we coexisted with other forms of life in symbiosis. Almost every other person was engaged in some form of agriculture. Most of our ancestors were farmers. Crops were abundant and good health was taken for granted.

We have long been aware of the positive correlation between maintaining good physical health and a longer, happier, existence.

Learning to live with nature was the most significant adjustment we’ve had to make after moving to Naandi. There are times when we find frogs behind our washing machine or even in our shoes! During the monsoons, it is pretty common to see frogs around and we sometimes have a whole family staying in our utility. Likewise, there are other insects and critters that come in sometimes too. We live in their space and they are bound to stray into ours. It is only a matter of getting used to it, though.

Organo signed up for IGBC's (Indian Green Building Council)IGBC Mission on Net Zero, which was recently launched on the occasion of Earth Day 2021. This is a big step for Organo because IGBC's vision of India GBC's Net Zero movement aligns with ours.

What is planet-first thinking? Why is it relevant now more than ever? Meenakshi Iyer Founder of NorthStar Solutions and Services & Personal Agility Coach organised and hosted a virtual coffee meet on Earth Day.

Good health is a pot of gold that we all chase (aside from actual pots of gold, of course)! One that is a drive built into our DNA, which serves as the most basic survival mechanism for our species.

The onset of the summer season reminds us to switch on our ACs and reduce the thermostat setting to 18 deg C, lower our blinds and switch on lights, increase the fan setting to max etc. It also reminds us to take out our fancy pair of sunglasses and apply multiple layers of high SPF sunscreen and sun blocks to protect our skin from the harmful UV rays.

At Organo, our consistent endeavor is to provide a holistic living experience of which food is a cornerstone. As a part of this, we have started social impact initiatives that help forge a connection between the producer and the consumer (residents of Organo’s eco-habitats) in the village of Antharam.

The word rurban (rural+urban) refers to a geographic territory or a landscape which possesses the economic characteristics and lifestyles of an Urban area while retaining its essential Rural area features

Controlling odour is one of the most important and yet most challenging aspects of a sewage treatment plant. Foul smells are often a source of igniting objections from the neighbor's. However, as levied from the Telangana govt it is mandatory to install STP in a housing community with an area of more than 10,000sqm.

Typically, in a Real Estate investment in cities, more than 50% of the cost is spent in land acquisition. The other components such as shelter, and infrastructure depreciate over time. Not only this but the natural resources such as groundwater table, flora and fauna are also depleted and destroyed.

“I love the Rurban way of living in Naandi. Having grown up in a village, this is the perfect place that I have found to reconnect with my roots. My home at Naandi has all the amenities of modern living that I can look for. In fact, I would say that it is more modern than my house in the city! Yet, the rural way of life blends in so seamlessly here.

Organic food has been a rage for health-conscious consumers over the past decade. But one question that lingers in everyone who looks to buy “Organic”

“The only little compromise that we’ve had to make was the distance. Yes, Naandi is a little away from the city, but come to think of it, hardly so. It simply comes down to starting the day a few minutes or even an hour earlier than otherwise to be able to reach my workplace on time. That, in my opinion, is hardly a compromise for the life that we live here.

Bio-pools are wonderful to swim in. But as the name suggests, it is a biological environment which has ecosystems thriving in it. Depending on the season and aquatic life, there will be algae blooming in the

At Rurban Nest, the families have started harvesting their own safe and witnessed food.

On World Water Day, 22 March, during an event organized by Dr Reddy's Lab and Confederation of India Industry (CII), I enjoyed being one of the speakers to talk about the value of water.

we also love Naandi for the sporting facilities it offers. We are all sports enthusiasts and cannot wait for the weekends to enjoy a game of badminton or basketball.

According to the Global Status Report, 2017, the building and construction sector is responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions globally

Over the years, experiential learning has proven to have a wide range of benefits that contribute to a child's development.

Visiting our home at Naandi every weekend is a special experience for all of us in the family. Buying a home here has been one of the best decisions of our life. ‍

At Naandi, one of the goals was tocreate a water-balanced community. This means that the annual water consumption must be less than the total yearly rainfall falling on the community.

It was a warm Sunday morning, 31st January 2021; Organo Et School welcomed residents of Rurban Nest Community, Nizamabad who were all excited to attend the Isha Yoga workshop. Despite their hectic schedule these residents woke up earlier, rolled their mats, carried their bottle of water, and lots of energy to the venue. It was a pleasure to have Francesco Marelli and Deepa certified Hatha Yoga Teacher from Isha Yoga Centre to introduce all our inquisitive participants the basic of Isha Yoga. The session began with Francesco talking about how by practicing yoga every day one can experience a profound sense of harmony both within oneself and the world around.

At Organo, we build natural swimming ponds and not chlorinated pools. These pools are closer to diving into a freshwater lake than into a typical pool. the advantage is that after a refreshing swim, we do not have to worry about taking a bath to wash the chlorine away from the body and it does not leave you with itchy red eyes or dry skin. Along with creating a chemical-free environment, the ponds also act as a habitat for flora and fauna.

being self-sufficient and the importance of sustainable living is crucial among the many things that this pandemic taught us. A conducive environment to achieve any of these has become difficult in an urban space where there is hardly any space left to breathe. Taking positive advantage of the ‘work-from-home possibility, people are moving beyond the city limits, to the suburbs that offer better residential spaces. There may arise a debate on preserving the ecosystem with the crowds shifting but luckily, times have changed with alternate design approaches that embrace both preserving the ecology and sustainable human existence. 

The evolution, growth, and development of any city is the aggregate of a set of processes that have been effective in that area over a period of time. The problems created by the unsystematic and unrestricted extension of a city give rise to issues like unhygienic slums, polluted environment, uncoordinated development of residential, industrial,

There were many issues during the execution of the Earth Air Tunnel Draft than what we had anticipated. Adding to it, there was a gap in our marketing communication, which created an unrealistic expectation. We realized that we we’re not specific that the Earth Air Tunnel Draft lowers temperature considerably but does not function as a replacement to an air conditioner.

I love everything about Organo. We had a whole lot of family visiting us during the housewarming and after. And everyone had only good things to say about our new home at Naandi that we moved into six months ago.

We were driving by one day and came across this place. We simply fell in love with the place and the more we explored and learned about life at Naandi, the more eager we were to move out of our city apartment.

Organo Et School’s purpose is nurturing a learning environment for all stakeholders where inclusive holistic eco-living is celebrated. 

More than 80% of electricity in India is generated by thermal power plants which include fossil fuel, biomass and nuclear energy.

Nizamabad’ first eco-community, Rurban Nest is shaping up well with the construction work going on in full swing. Multiple level activities are going on simultaneously through the hands of skilled personnel.

Most of the households in the cities are equipped with conventional geysers. However, an increasing number of eco-conscious & wallet-conscious households are installing solar hot water systems on their rooftops. 

As a family, we decided to buy a villa at Naandi, right on our first visit. We could not help it and it felt like love at first sight!

Initially, we were a bit apprehensive about moving to Hyderabad and to Organo, since I have always lived in cantonments, coming from a complete fauji background.

Organo Naandi has been featured in a film made for Organo as part of “Building a Better Future", a series of films presented by the World Green Building Council and produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions

I have never had any previous knowledge about gardening or farming. In fact, I don’t remember growing any plants in my balcony or terrace, in the previous apartment that we lived at.

Locals fondly call the village Antaram. Ananthavaram, as it was known once upon a time, is the history of that particular village.

At Naandi, we have created a water-balanced community. This means that the annual water budget is below the total amount of rainfall falling on the land.

I have never considered this to be a problem because it is not a very insubstantial amount of money as a percentage of what I earn.

Initially, when I moved into Naandi, I thought I would have to make a lot of adjustments, lifestyle-wise.

Organo Et School’s purpose is nurturing a learning environment for all stakeholders where inclusive holistic eco-living is celebrated

Rurban communities put forward infinite chances for people, the adults, to unwind and rejuvenate their mind and body, and introduces them to a slow-paced life outside the concrete piles.

Indrasen Reddy Bollampally is an active Naandian and a fulfilled Organo's eco-habitat resident.

Often people mistake Organo as a real estate developer company. But we, at Organo strongly refute that statement as we believe that we are integrators of eco-habitats and not a real estate company.

I grew up in Allahabad and the Allahabad of my childhood was a city full of green open spaces. After I moved to Africa, I lived in similar environs amid lush greenery and abundant nature, over the forty or so years that I was abroad. 

There is a world that we are oblivious to most of the time, where more life thrives than anywhere else on the planet.

Responsible weddings make them more memorable to you and the environment. The big fat Indian wedding is an overwhelming affair, with the glitziest of decorations and the fanciest of food.

Every day when I go out for my walks, I see snakes and scorpions. There are plenty of other creatures as well.

Organo believes every person on this earth, be it rich or the poor, are basically environmentally conscious in their own way.