Fig 2. Conventional program
Fig 3. Chosen program
First and foremost, we took the decision to build one building rather than two. This conformed with the prevalent typology of traditional buildings in Kumaon, and afforded us several advantages: lesser construction costs, better heat regulation (greater volume to surface area ratio), and the ability to be used in myriad ways.
Fig 4-6. Use of recycled / natural materials Fly ash brick, stone, and mud are the principal materials used; the last two are found in abundance on site. In addition to minimal building, this minimizes embodied energy and CO2 emmisions.
Fig 1. First glance Fig 7. Golden rectangle The site chosen for the house was merely the most proximate outcrop to the road; this ensured ease of access, and ease of construction. Similarly, the parking is situated at road level to a corner in line with the same principles. Since we wanted to minimize concrete construction, no metalled roads were made inside the site; all of them are cobbled with stone. One approaches the site via the road (presumably in a motor vehicle), parks it in the roofed parking area, whereupon they are given two options: to take the steps, or the long, winding ramps. Ultimately, both lead to the topmost level of the house (the lounge) via a bridge. The ramp continues to the floor below, providing direct access to the living and sleeping areas of the house.
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Terraces for farming Home
G+2 Level
To the northwest are terraces used for farming; the stones and nud obtained from creating them has been used in the construction of retaining walls, landscaping, as well as the construction of adobe bricks and mud mortar. Cutting and filling has been limited to the sites of the buildings, and the paths conntecting them. Extra mud (if needed) can be obtained from neigboring sites with their consent.
Fig 9. View of house from ramp landing
SHEET 1: INTRODUCTION, CONCEPT, SITE PLANNING
LVL +117.0
Parking + Helper’s Quarters
Road
LVL +129.8
Fig 10. Parking
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Fig 12. Exploded Isometric
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Fig 11. Roof plan
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Bar
WC
Lounge
Kitchen
Helper’s Lounge Storage
Inspired by Richard Meier’s planning, we decided to give the main entrance on the topmost level via a bridge. The bridge leads into a sizeable lounge, which comprises a sitting area, a bar, and a dining / meeting area. This is fed by a service area which consists of a kitchen, stocked with a freezer, dishwasher, oven, storage areas, etc. with a service entrance at the same level. The lounge has views to the Northwest (panoramic view using a ribbon window) and Northeast (vertical windows framing trees in the landscape). A split gable roof allows the south sun into the space, while using fibreglass corrugated sheets to roof the south-facing slope allows the space to gain heat during the day (via the greenhouse effect).
Fig 13. G+1: Lounge, Bar, and Kitchen
Fig 14. Section A-A’
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Fig 15. View from entrance foyer
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Fig 16. Fireplace + Bar
SHEET 2: Level G+2
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Porch Foyer Toilet Kitchen + Dining Bedroom
Drawing Room
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Fig. 17: Exploded Isometric view (G+1)
Fig. 18: Floor plan (G+1)
Fig. 20: Living Room
Fig. 19: Double-heighted foyer
Fig. 21: Kitchen + Dining
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Fig. 23: Bedroom LVL +116.40
Fig. 22: Eastward view
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Fig. 24: Section B-B’
LVL +104.80
The G+1 level was conceptualised as the main living area of the house. It consists of two symmetrical bedrooms, placed on either side of a common living, dining and kitchen. The private bedroom areas can be entered both directly, and via the common living area, and have an attached drawing room as well. This creates multiple possibilities for use, including that of renting out each bedroom separately as homestays. All spaces have views to the northwest, and each bedroom witnesses either the sunrise or the sunset.
SHEET 3: Level G+1
Fig. 25: Entry Terrace
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Toilet
Store 1
Bedroom Store 2
Drawing Room Multipurpose Room
Verandah
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Fig. 26: Ground floor plan
Fig. 28: Panoramic view from semi-open space
Fig. 27: Exploded Isometric
Fig. 29: View from guest bedroom
Fig. 30: Semi-open space / verandah
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Fig. 31: House as viewed from east end of the Aangan The ground floor of the house, like those in traditional Kumaoni houses is used primarily for storage, and has semi-open (for sitting in during the summer) and open spaces (for sun-bathing in the winter). A guest bedroom is also present, in case relatives or friends want to stay the night. The aangan is almost continuous with the ground floor, deriving its shape from the contours below.
Fig. 32: Stairs
SHEET 4: Ground Floor
On the northwestern corner is a multipurpose room, which can be used to house appliances, or people (watchmen, helpers) overnight. The stairs can be fitted with doors mid-landing to enable a multitude of usage scenarios (lounge separate, all bedrooms separate; lounge separate, two bedrooms, one guest bedroom; or the entire building as one).
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Fig. 34: Panoramic view from verandah (servant quarters)
LVL +134.00
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Parking
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Fig. 36: Section D-D’ Fig. 33: Parking
The parking is located at a turning, making parking possible for vehicles coming from either site. 4 standard parking bays are give, and turning radii accounted for in their placement. A staircase runs between both pairs of parking bays, leading to the servant quarters, and a longer flight of stairs leads to the level of entry of the house.
The building is roofed with fibreglass corrugated sheets, which let in light while being unenclosed. It is separated from the hill by a double wall (an air-gap preventing the transmission of moisture). Keeping the parking and the road at the same level does away with the need for motorable roads.
Verandah
Toilet Kitchen
Storage
Sleeping Dining
LVL +134.00
LVL +131.90
Fig. 35: Servant Quarters (plan) LVL +129.35
LVL +127.25
The lower level houses the main storage of the house, as well as the helper’s quarters. The storage is essentially a large room with lots of space to store any assortment of items, even utilising somme of the space under the staircase, while the quarter is a small room with a toilet, kitchen, and a dining table, capable of accomodating two helpers. A fenestration between the kitchen and the staircase is given to notify the helpers of the arrival of the owner, or their guests. The verandah (roofed by the fibreglass corrugated sheets) looks out into the landscape, framing it in a panoramic view.
Fig. 41: Section E-E’
Fig. 37: Sleeping area
Fig. 39: Stairs (upper)
Fig. 38: Kitchen + Dining
Fig. 40: Stairs (lower)
SHEET 5: Parking + Servant Quarters
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LVL +123.00
Fig. 43: Kitchen on G+2
LVL +117.85
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Fig. 42: Section F-F’ Fig. 44: Built-in seating (G+1)
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Fig. 45: View from bedroom (G+1)
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Fig. 48: Section G-G’
Fig. 46: Helper’s lounge (G+2)
Fig. 47: Terraces for farming / growing produce
SHEET 6
The section of the house has been - to a considerable extent - been shaped by Didi Contractor’s designs. By giving a transparent roof on the south side, a greenhouse is created, making the insides considerably warmer in winter mornings and afternoons. The admission of light by offsetting walls in consecutive plans is also a very distinguishable feature. The double-heighted foyer on the G+1 level was inspired by the section of the Sambhaavna dormitories. There is a desire to maximize light, while being rational and ordered.
However, a lot of these things are of our own making: the myriad masonry shelves and seats, the rough concrete beams and slabs so as to not compromise on span, the gently curving walls, the structural logic, and a more-or-less modernist form are some examples. But since it also borrows from existing traditions, perhaps the most apt title of the style is “contemporary vernacular”. If it were to be constructed, local skills and materials would be utilised and incentivized. If clayey mud is hard to come by on site (or nearby), we would simply venture further downhill to the plains, and acquire mud from there. Stone should not be an issue to work with, since Kumaon (and specifically Almora) has a centuries long tradition of working with it.
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