Author: Ichchha Vijayendra Singham
Site Location: Himachal Pradesh
Institute: Pillai HOC College of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Ashwathy Rajagopal

description

Himachal Pradesh- a north Indian state with difficult terrain and was often seen as in isolation from the modern and western influences of the world, untouched by the modern and western influences of the world. Over the past few years, Himachal has been frequently affected by ominous flash flooding resulting in landslides due to washing away of soil. The idea of the project is to form a prototype for housing in Himachal with disaster resistant techniques of construction. The design responds to the cold temperate climate of the Himalayan mountains, remoteness of the site as well as aims for resilience to earthquakes and landslides. The building is designed with heavy stone filled gabion retaining walls at the bottom and a light wooden structure on top covered with wattle and daub panels as an infill material. Undressed stone in gabion walls is used because it can be picked up from waste and also it reduces the labour. It is crafted with a balance between local knowledge and modern construction techniques aiming to encourage community participation and ownership. the idea was to not just provide a structure but system from start to end where users take part in it and have better understanding of their impact.

drawings

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