Beer bottles bring light, colour into this Chennai home

Chennai is setting innovative examples when it comes to living sustainably, recycling and bringing new life into used materials. Several individuals are coming together to ensure our environment is cared for throughgreener living. A walk through Adyar’s bustling Indira Nagar, and you will certainly spot a house using bright-green-hued beer bottles on its facade — across three floors. City-based environment enthusiast Syed Radha has turned his home into an eco-house, that demonstrates how cost-effective materials like beer bottles can be part of a contemporary dwelling.

The exterior of the house is covered with these inexpensive beer bottles — which not only look appealing, but also bring in ample amount of light into the home. But, we cannot wait to take the indoor staircase to reach the first floor, to view the walls filled with glass bottles.

Sixty-five-year-old Syed leads us to the master bedroom and a meditation space on the first floor of the house. The wall of green and brown glass bottles, separating the master bedroom and the meditation area, looks like a chic and colourful installation — providing an artsy view of the world outside. “We wanted to have a perforated screen wall that would separate both the master bedroom and the meditation space. We were also looking for low-cost materials that would allow light for the plants in the meditation space to grow. Glass bottles suited our needs perfectly,” Syed, a retired employee at an oil and gas firm, tells us.

Syed resides in the home with his wife and three sons. He says the bottles not only make their house bright and warm, but give a fun element with interesting patterns being created indoors, as a result of varying amount of light percolating through them.

Designed by city-based architect Murali Murugan, the glassbottles feature turned the home’s exterior affordable.

“Beer bottles costed us under Rs 2, and made for an interesting design feature on the inclined façade. So, we collected a total of 1,250 empty beer bottles for the construction. Maintenance of the facade is also easy as it just needs a splash of water for removing the dust gathered on these bottles,” Murali elaborates.

Reusing of beer bottles is a unique construction technique, he adds. Even on the hottest day, these bottles allow fresh air to flow indoors, keeping the house naturally cool.

“The hues and tones of the bottles make the home’s presence bold and also commanding to the onlookers,” adds Murali.