Some of the Commonweal’s work…

employing older and relatively more systemic design and construction approaches:

Kumar Residence

At Ekkattuthangal, Chennai

Year 1993     Area 1150 sft    Cost Rs. 500,000

Athar Residence

At Kottur, Chennai

Year 1994     Area 3700 sft    Cost Rs. 1,800,000

Sathars Restaurant

At Gandhiji Road, Thanjavur

Year 1995     Area 2000 sft    Cost Rs. 800,000

Ranganathan Office

At Shenoy Nagar, Chennai

Expansion and renewal of a 1958 City Improvement Trust dwelling, provided with a new additional floor of office space – that houses the Commonweal’s office – in a consciously more sedate design and with alternative building techniques, including RCC filler slabs and exposed brickwork in gauged mortar.

Year 1992-97     Area 1900 sft    Cost Rs. 800,000

Mohan Residence

At Karandhai, Thanjavur.

Year 1996     Area 1100 sft    Cost Rs. 350,000

A small two-storied house built abutting the State highway with alternative building techniques, including RCC filler slabs and rat-trap bond exposed brick masonry in gauged mortar and using pre-cast cement concrete louvered jallis, to insulate the inside from the noise of traffic while permitting it to ventilate.

Marie Campage & Henoc Marceau Residences

At Manapakkam, Chennai

Year 1997     Area 1200 & 900 sft   
Cost Rs. 630,000 & Rs. 470,000

Nasser Office, Godown & Residence

At Valasaravakkam, Chennai

A part- two-storied godown to store set property with an office area incorporated in a mezzanine floor and a house-in-two-parts joined by an entrance courtyard at the top level, accessed by an external staircase, executed in exposed concrete and rough-concrete block masonry, including RCC filler slabs, rat-trap bond masonry in gauged mortar and large-format joinery/steel windows.

Year 1998     Area 3700 sft    Cost Rs. 2,000,000

Prakash Shah Residence

At Bharathipuram, Chennai

Year 1998     Area 3415 sft    Cost Rs. 2,160,000

K. S. Latha Residence

At Anna Nagar, Chennai

Year 1999     Area 1860 sft    Cost Rs. 1,400,000

Chapel for MITHRA

At Illeedu, Vizhupuram District

Year 1999-2000     Area 2400 sft    Cost Rs. 420,000

Chapel for a rural hospital for the physically challenged built with compressed earth block masonry (made from earth on site) and a high ceiling Mangalore-tiled roof over pre-cast brick panels on light-weight steel roof trusses and wooden louvered openings along the two ends of the central aisle.

Samathuvapuram

At Kutthambakkam, Thiruvallur District

Year 2000     Area 31900 sft    Cost Rs. 10,025,000

31,900 sft in 100 EWS housing units, 9640 sft in two community buildings & infrastructure

Murali & Balakrishnan Residences

At Thoraipakkam, Chennai

Year 2000-04     Area 1000 & 1800 sft
Cost Rs. 600,000 & Rs. 1,050,000

Ganesan Residence

At Trustpuram, Chennai

Year 2003-04     Area 2300 sft    Cost Rs. 2,040,000

Ashok Rao Residence

At Manapakkam, Chennai

Year 2004-05     Area 1840 sft    Cost Rs. 1,430,000

CWDR Office & Guest Rooms

At Pannaiyur, Kanchipuram District

Year 2006-07     Area 2290 sft    Cost Rs. 1,900,000

Part of a larger campus planned to include a meeting hall, dormitories, and work-sheds enclosing internal courtyards, these buildings employed random rubble masonry in the foundation and plinth, compressed earth block masonry (produced on site) walls, grass-thatch roof over Bamboo purlins on Palmyra rafters and RCC filler slab for the staff quarters roof only.

Suresh Oliver Residence

At Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram District

Year 2007-09     Area 6694 sft    Cost Rs. 11,800,000

Seshagiri Residence

At Kottaiyur, Karaikudi

Year 2010     Area 2000 sft    Cost Rs. 2,400,000