HYDERABAD THE HINDU SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2012 PROPERTYPLUS 3 Construction stones in demand A flowering plant The traditional ones from A.P. cost less compared to marble and granite and yet provide durable floor finish, says SATHYA PRAKASH VARANASHI opularity of building materials is im- Pportant in the real estate market since shops tend to promote what sells more. for all seasons An alternative material, possibly equally good, would find it difficult to break into this circle and would either end up with low sale volume or higher price. Flooring has been a witness to such trends, where few materials bag most projects. Andhra Pradesh is home to varieties of construction stones, including Tan- door, Bethamcherla, Shahbad, Cudap- pah and such, which make excellent floors. Most of them derive their name from the place of origin and are trans- ported across South India based on or- ders. In principle, these Andhra stones cost much less compared to marble and granite, yet provide strong and durable floor finish. All of them come in small sizes, take good polish, have narrow joints, stay fresh even in shelf life and come in different colour too. Tandoor Tandoor is more commonly used, and comes with in grey or green. It common- A Betamcherla floor can add to the visual appeal. ly comes in 2 ft. x 2 ft. size, and slight size way to clean would be with dry mopping. edges need to be cut at an angle to variations are possible. The slabs are laid So, the key is to ensure good rain protec- achieve a narrow joint. No two adjacent on the sub-floor made of mortar and a tion. stones will look exactly alike, unlike semi-dry mix of cement and sand, to a Bethamcherla is a marble look-alike marble; hence the floor gets a beautiful perfect level, followed by machine pol- stone slab, hence popularly nicknamed pattern. ishing. They never appear over-shining, as Bethamcherla marble. The material Slabs with golden shade appear very hence maintain a natural feel even after comes mainly in golden brown and buff rich when laid across a large area. Re- polishing, going well with buildings grey colours, though a few colour varia- cently, special machine-cut thinner PLEASING TO THE EYE: Thunbergias in full bloom. – PHOTO: N. CHANDRAMOHAN REDDY made of natural materials. tions are also available. Being tiles, pop- floor slabs have also been available. If it Tandoor is a hard material, hence ularly in 10”x10” size, there would be is beneficial, the owners can call one popularly used in public buildings and many joint lines visible. agency for both supply and laying, re- houses. It is prone to scratches but can The stone tends to be thicker even as ducing inter-agency problems. be used in all conditions and areas in- floor slab, up to two inches thick, where (The writer is an architect working for cluding kitchens and outdoors. But if the prior floor level calculations become im- eco-friendly designs and can be contacted outdoor floor gathers water, the only portant. Because of the thickness, the at [email protected]) HMDA Growth Corridor will destroy green belt his is in reference to ‘Mov- emissions, making the city Ting towards 100 per cent rated the most polluted ave an opinion on issues carbon city’ published in among the Indian Hconcerning building pol- Property Plus on September 1 Metropolis. icies, construction practise issue. The HMDA is forgetting and real estate develop- It is deplorable that the that the ‘Growth Corridor’ ments? offers ‘Home Blog’, a co- Hyderabad Metropolitan De- which creates more and more It could be about your ex- lumn to share your observa- velopment Authority traffic would end up destroy- periences in buying a plot or tions and experiences with (HMDA) is proposing a ing the ecological balance constructing a house or the other readers. ‘Growth Corridor’ with mul- there by expunging natural way you had to chase a car- Mail your suggestions, ti-storeyed buildings on ei- habitat. It is in this context penter or mason to get a comments and inputs to ther side of the ring road, and in the interests of the fu- work done. Property Plus, The Hindu, which callously destroys the ture generations that the pro- Feedback on stories ap- Begumpet, Hyderabad-16 or green belt around the city. posed HMDA 'Growth pearing in the supplement email the same to The people of Hyderabad Corridor' needs to be amend- is also welcome. ‘propertyplus.hyd@ are already getting choked ed. The Hindu Property Plus thehindu.co.in’. with increased traffic carbon Kumar Vavili hey are the flowers a child would bloom in partial shade also. love to draw and colour. Simple in Amend the soil with copious Tshape, yet striking in hues, Thun- amounts of compost or well-rotted bergias are versatile in providing manure to improve texture and to re- gardening solutions too. They can ing shrubs are ideal for creating a tain moisture. Select a sunny location climb, creep, cover and screen, adapt- privacy screen or simply providing a that receives direct sunlight for six or ing dutifully to whichever responsib- lush green backdrop for other flower- more hours a day. ility they are assigned. One only has to ing plants. Regular and deep watering is need- choose the ungainly locations in a gar- Thunbergia erecta is used as shrub ed for the plants, allowing the soil to den and drown them in Thunbergia. and can also be grown as topiary, dry slightly between waterings (but Thunbergia genus, which belongs to hedge and as groundcover. total dry soil will cause wilting and the family Acanthaceae, consists of Thunbergia alata is a large spread- premature flower drop). about 100 species of mainly climbers ing creeper that can be used in con- Since Thunbergias are rapid grow- and shrubs from warm areas of Africa, tainers, hanging baskets or to cover ers, application of balanced fertilizer Madagascar and Asia. very large spaces of the garden every two weeks during blooming pe- Some of the Thunbergia species are ground. riod will help in better growth and commonly used in gardens for their Thunbergia mysorensis is massive blooms. Thunbergias need a sturdy showy foliage and large, bright flow- climbing shrub with pendant branch- fence or trellis to withstand the weight ers. Thunbergia is named after the es and inflorescences, which can cover and to be protected from strong 18th century Swedish botanist and ex- large areas, creating green shade in winds. Regular pruning is required to plorer Carl Peter Thunberg. the garden. maintain the shape, or to train the vine in required direction. Characteristics Great vines But vigorous pruning may inhibit Several of the best-known Thunber- Thunbergia grandiflora and Thun- flowering. Pruning shall be taken up gia species are evergreen, fast growing bergia laurifolia have very rampant after the blooming cycle is complete. climbers, excepting Thunbergia erecta growth habit and are great vines for which is a shrub. Leaves are large, the quick covering of arbours, trellises Pests and problems thick, deep green, and oval shaped, and fences. Though Thunbergias are generally with the edges often saw-toothed. They can be successfully used as a very hardy, they are susceptible to spi- Flowers are large, funnel shaped with screen or as container plants and can der mites, white flies, scale insects and five spreading lobes, in blue, white, cover large walls, buildings, lamp nematodes. These problems can be orange, yellow, and purple varying posts, old trees or any unsightly overcome by normal pest manage- with the species. spaces of the garden. ment practices. Propagation of these They bloom almost year round. With a robust and twining habit, plants is through seeds, cuttings and producing long hanging clusters of layers. Gardening blue or white funnel-shaped flowers N. Chandramohan Reddy Thunbergias are aggressive vines and dense, deep green foliage, they which can be trained on pergola, trel- can be trellised to create a spectacular (The author is a forest officer and lis, fence, porch, arch, or wall in short effect. can be contacted at: time. They can be grown in large con- Many of the Thunbergias prefer full nchandramohanreddy tainers. These easy-to-care-for climb- sun and well-drained soil but can @gmail.com) Unispace brings top brands to city pread over 9,000 sft and across Sthree levels, Unispace brings to- gether the top brands from Europe and that too quintessentially luxury bath space products. The store that opened this week at Jubilee Hills with extended space dis- playing latest range of sanitary ware and accessories stakes claim of setting standard for contemporary showcas- ing and retailing Bath Space luxury products in the city. It also features the largest customer configuration lounge, an ultra-mod- ern meeting space which allows pro- spective customers to browse at leisure. They cannot only select their specific choices for fittings from the range of brands, colours and designs, but will also be able to configure and customise products to meet individual UPPING THE STANDARDS: The Unispace showroom which opened needs. this week at Jubilee Hills with extended space displaying latest Says Satish Bhargav, CEO, Uni- range of sanitary ware. – PHOTO: BY ARRANGEMENT space, “We wanted to create an envi- ronment where the trendy Adds Aparna S. 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