Hazarattaiah works with the Bangalore-based Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), an autonomous body under the Union ministry of environment and forests. His organisation is involved in conducting research and development and promotion of use of bamboo in housing construction. Hazarattaiah himself lives in a bamboo house along with his family at the IPIRTI campus since 2001. His house is not the only bamboo-based house in the campus. It also boasts of a 897 sq ft large two-bedroom guest house and a few bamboo-based two-storey houses under construction at the campus. The bamboo-based exhibition centre at the campus was constructed in 2002 at a mere cost of Rs 350 per sq ft.