Design Competition
2015
A Design Competition undertaken as part of HMMD and the Nepal Mountaineering Association, with support from the Samarth - Nepal Market Development Programme, in order to develop a high altitude accommodation unit which will be the first of its kind to ever be established in Nepal.
Over the years the country has seen the development of rural teahouses and lodges along the trekking trails. To allow for more peaks to be climbed as part of adventure treks and/or separate expeditions, the concept of the Himalayan Mountain Hut aims to enhance the appeal of mountaineering in Nepal.
The climate is not always extreme, and the case is not always dire. It is important to design for both the extreme and the pleasant.
Likening to the acts of a bird responding to the seasons, the building responds to its environ, hunkering down into the earth, drawing its wings in for protection when the weather dictates, but sunning it self when the weather permits.
The design draws inspiration from the vernacular typology of the High Himal region of Nepal. Inclement weather, logistics and culture form the substrate to a tapestry of architectural forms. The underlying concept of which is pragmatism in principles.