Architecture as Ecological Repair: Regenerative Construction

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation in India has intensified the municipal solid waste crisis, placing landfill sites such as the Wagle Estate dumping ground in Thane under severe ecological and geotechnical stress. These sites are characterised by heterogeneous waste stratification, methane generation, leachate contamination, and long-term differential settlement, making them unsuitable for conventional architectural interventions. While existing international and Indian precedents focus primarily on landscape-based rehabilitation, there remains a critical gap: the absence of an integrated architectural design framework that responds to landfill conditions while incorporating circular construction systems and socially productive programming. This research aims to address this gap by developing and testing a comprehensive design approach. The study investigates: (i) structural and environmental constraints of closed landfills, (ii) development of a waste-based modular construction material the EcoReform Block, and (iii) environmental performance comparison of this system with conventional construction methods. The methodology combines site-based investigations, including geotechnical analysis, groundwater testing, and gas profiling, with literature review, material experimentation in accordance with IS 383:2016, environmental simulations using GRIHA-based frameworks, and stakeholder consultations with waste picker communities and municipal authorities. The findings demonstrate that landfill-responsive design strategie such as raft foundations, passive gas venting, phytoremediation, and constructed wetlands-are both structurally viable and environmentally effective. The EcoReform Block achieves over 65% reduction in embodied carbon compared to conventional brick. The study proposes a replicable framework for transforming landfill sites into regenerative civic infrastructure.