The site sits on a landscape facing north with perfect view of the Himalayan range. The idea was to design a building that blurs the lines between landscape and the built. The design brief was to build a four bedroom house. We proposed a building where every room offers the view of the range. The form was envisaged as part of the naturally formed stepped terrain in the region.
The form allows walking on the roof like in the garden. The building was conceptualized with multiple openings and courtyards to capture the view from every corner in the house.
Renders: Deblina Pandit
The area is roughly 23 Nalas with a built up area of around 4500 sft. As visible in the drawing, the building is punctured with couryards at every level. Each court gives the resident a unique feeling. These courtyards are planned to let the sun and the elements inside the house, with a notion to create a house that is part of the nature or vice-versa.
Tree court. A double height courtyard is designed in the centre of the master bedrom and the living room to let the sun and snow enter the building. This glass courtyard is covered on all sides and is open to sky from the top. This allows the first sun on the building straight onto the bed through the court.
During the winter, the skies are beautiful day and night. Winds are quite harsh and chilly. A glass court with the glass window extending onto the roof was designed to cut the harsh winds and retain the view. One can sit inside here next to the beautifully crafted fireplace and enjoy the seamless view of the Himalayan range during the day and the starry sky in the nights with the buildings in the valley lit up offering a spectacular feel one can only experience.
This courtyard in the lower level is designed to cut the winds like in all other courts However this is smaller and cozy compared to the other courts. There is a deck at the same level, which is different from the other courts. With a small pantry and deck, this becomes a perfect common room for the two bedrooms at this level.
The extended garden is planned ata lower level 5 feet below the living room area as shown above. This makes sure that the view of valley is not cut for the person sitting in the living room. Observatory becomes virtually connected with the natural landscape with the tree court on the back and lower garden in the front. One can also see the master suite on the higher level split with the tree court.