A fully self-sufficient passive solar home is not just a concept. It’s for real. And it’s in India. DNA travels to Kodaikanal and watches in awe as the mainland country’s first Earthship project takes shape

Alex Leeor, 35, from Brighton, UK, has arranged about 800 tyres and a few truckloads of mud on a remote, difficult-to-access hillock tucked away in Karuna Farms at Prakaspuram village, some 15 km from the main town. Leeor is building what is set to be mainland India’s first Earthship