Spiti Valley Rammed Earth Retreat, India
Spiti Valley Rammed Earth Retreat, India
Studio Nyandak is working closely with a young local entrepreneur who is passionate about sustainable eco-tourism and low-impact building construction. These values guided our design of a new retreat where we were able to showcase local building construction techniques. By limiting use of concrete and steel, the building design relies on locally available material such as timber, clay, and stone to maintain thermal insulation and structural integrity.
The building construction takes inspiration from western Himalayan architecture in the form of unreinforced stone masonry, rammed earth walls, timber tie beams, and a wooden post and beam structure. The radial orientation maximizes the views of surrounding mountains, and the shared rammed earth walls provide the necessary thermal mass. The circular courtyard with covered walkway creates a communal shared space, and the strategically placed niches in the rammed earth wall bring in natural light. This project was realized in collaboration with structural engineer Paul Laroque, PE.
Project Type
Architectural Design
Structural Engineering
Status
Under construction
Location
Spiti Valley, Western Himalaya, India
