Olde Bangalore makes a gallant effort to re-create some of the lazy elegance and laid-back ambience of an era gone by. Set in the wonderfully green environs of Utopia, the building takes your breath away by its very friendly and welcoming simplicity, and its imaginative use of large, open spaces – all of which seem to be exhorting its patrons to just come over and relax! Designed by architects, Chitra Vishwanath and Martin, the Olde Bangalore building is a wonderful study in the sobering effect of ecological responsibility in a drunken sea of consumerist frenzy!

All the mud excavated from the basement was sun-baked on site to become the bricks that built the large structure, thus saving on enormous amounts of a non-renewable, fossil-fuel like Coal. The imaginative use of open spaces, wide corridors and the setting back of western walls have all gone into ensuring that the temperatures in this building never exceeds 27-28*C at any time, thus obviating the need for tons and tons of air-conditioning. Add to that the annual harvest and use of lakhs of litres of rain-water along with the recycling of waste-water (without electricity) and one begins to see the enormous possibilities that hold out hope for our beleagured planet!