With Heritage As Purpose, Rosie Paul Champions Equality & Sustainability In Architecture

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” –  This quote adorns the website of Rosie Paul and Sridevi Changali, the co-founders of Masons Ink. The words embody the core philosophy of their architectural practice which is deeply rooted in ecological awareness and the recognition of women and marginalised communities in the construction industry. The Bengaluru-based architects focus on sustainability, heritage conservation, and social architecture to bring innovative design with a purpose. 

Rosie Paul is part of the 2024 Women Climate Collective cohort, a platform supporting emerging leaders in climate action. In an interview with SheThePeople, she described the current architectural landscape in India and elaborated on her commitment to a sustainable and inclusive approach to design.

Founding Days

As a child, Rosie was fascinated by her family's ancestral house in Kerala, where traditional architecture seamlessly resided in the lap of nature. She and her sister grew up watching Captain Planet, a show about an environment-saving superhero. Lucky for grownup Rosie, her friend Sridevi turned out to be a fan of the show too.

Rosie and Sridevi met in architecture school at the Manipal Institute of Technology, where they first realised their mutual passions for sustainability and heritage conservation. To further delve into the intricacies of responsible architecture, they went on to train at the Earth Institute in Auroville, Pondicherry.

"That's where I was honed into understanding the importance of living sustainably. I learned how to build with mud, stone, and other natural materials. I fell in love with the material and have never let go of that ever since," Rosie described.

These learnings planted the seed for Masons Ink, an architectural firm not only focused on aesthetics but also on social impact. Through their organisation, they are also committed to closing the gender gap in the construction industry, where the contributions of women have long been undervalued and overlooked. 

Shaking Up Gender Norms In Construction

Rosie described her eye-opening observations of India's male-dominated and unorganised construction labour industry. "As a women-led firm, we felt the responsibility to bring more women not only to our architecture office but also to construction sites, where women face numerous issues," she said.

"In India, we have a lot of women on construction sites, but they are only there as helpers. The men get trained in bringing materials, mixing, and building walls, etc to become masons. Whereas, the women are not even given an opportunity of formal training. They only do manual labour and all of the heavy lifting. Sometimes they also bring their children because there are no creches or childcare."

Five years into launching Masons Ink, Rosie and Sridevi planned on formally training women to become masons. While the solution sounded obvious, the reality on the ground was too complicated for a simple fix. Rosie said that women are often held back by societal expectations and responsibilities that hinder their career growth. 

"There is not enough support for the women to commit that much time to training, they have difficulty travelling, household responsibilities, etc. So, you have to go beyond just training, understand their needs, and see what can be done. We want to come up with a solution to not only ensure that they are trained but also that societal conditioning is broken."

For this, Rosie and Sridevi have been collaborating with many different organisations that can train them in financial education, alternate construction methods, soft skills, and leadership. Their goal is to holistically empower women in the industry to become financially independent and confident. 

Crafting Sustainable Design

Rosie stated that the construction industry contributes to at least 40% of the global greenhouse emissions. "A lot of architects don't know that climate change is something they need to think about. Unfortunately, we are married into the whole cement and steel idea without really looking at their implications on our climate."

However, Rosie and Sridevi are inspired by traditional architecture where the use of natural materials is not only culturally resonant but also energy efficient. They are conscious about locally sourcing materials, which also ensure that their designs are in harmony with the environment and climate resilient. 

"Something that we strongly believe in is that like it is very important to study the 'vernacular', which means the architecture of the local region... For example in tropical climates, houses have a central courtyard or a large veranda. The idea is that the sun cannot hit the inside walls. Also the materials used, like mud, take longer to heat. The warmth comes slowly only in the evening and keeps you comfortable if the night gets cold. So they needed less energy in heritage architecture."

Rosie detailed that sourcing local materials also supports the local economy and helps preserve traditional knowledge and techniques that are increasingly under threat from industrialised building methods. Natural materials are further ethical as they can be recycled compared to cement and glass.

Raising Awareness, Women Climate Collective

Beyond their construction projects, Rosie and Sridevi are involved in awareness programs to involve budding architects in their advocacy for sustainable practices. They also do workshops for school children about safeguarding the heritage of their city and fun activities like building with mud.

As part of the 2024 Women Climate Collective cohort, Rosie hopes that she can further educate young architects to integrate climate-conscious practices into their designs. Through this initiative, she also stands as an inspiration to more women in leadership, encouraging them to ignite positive change.

"It is quite exciting to be part of something that has other women like me, who are trying to play an active role in climate action. What is also great is that it is multidisciplinary, so you have people working in architecture, waste management, fashion, etc... You feel supported enough to express any issues and the purpose team puts you in touch with possible mentors who have been bringing positive change for many years... So it has been a great journey so far and I'm excited to see where it goes."

The Women Climate Collective has been an impactful platform for many climate leaders who are working towards a better future. Rosie's involvement in the cohort highlights the importance of collaborative action and mentorship in driving meaningful change in the architecture and construction sector.