- Area :
15000 ft²
Year :
2022
Text description provided by the architects. It’s one thing to experience a space that erases all traces of urbanism, that awes you with its sheer magnitude of beauty and grandeur, and another altogether, to build in that environment a dwelling that encapsulates this emotion for its inhabitants. Anica Kochhar, Principal Architect of Phenotype Architecture Studio, discovered that the relationship with home can be as personal as the one shared with nature, and it is the symbiosis of these parallel sentiments that led to the creation of this quaint 15,000 sq feet homestay Shel in the picturesque Ladakh region of northern India.
To truly honor the spirit and sanctity of environs as exalted and magnificent as Ladakh, known for its unforgiving mountain ranges, crystal waters from the Indus river a sharp blue against the white sands, and arid lands with nary a soul in sight, the domicile must be free of any trapping of opulence and ostentation. Restraint, reverence, and harmony were the foundational elements upon which the home was designed. Unlike other design projects, here, the designer aimed to create a structure that would essentially disappear into its setting, allowing the dweller to feel a pure, uninhabited connection with their surroundings. Instead of providing a refuge from its environment, this home would serve as a vehicle, a conduit between the people within and the otherworldly nature outside, to create a union that is evergreen, everchanging, and everlasting.
The principles of the structure were borrowed from locally constructed structures that have stood the test of time in the harsh weather conditions in Ladakh. Using the Shey Palace as a key reference, the studio studied how a wooden structural framework works with mud bricks made onsite. A double-layered, insulated mud brick skin forms the wall of the structure, while Willow and Poplar’s trees form the column, beam, and slab for this ground plus one structure. While this posed constraints in the small structural grid, it gave rise to the unique DNA of the spatial rhythm and interiors of the space. A contemporary take on Shinshak, the decorative wooden carving around the doors and on the beam, brought the studio’s unique language to the project.
Above the Shinsak is Pensak, which forms a band of wooden spokes. This aesthetic treatment can be found in the monasteries of the area. Hardwood lines the floors as inhabitants comfortably float through a series of rectangular, south-facing, sun-filled spaces, barefoot, enjoying the play of light and shadow throughout the day. The flooring is called Shen flooring, which is a typical interlocking system that is also used for ease of repair and maintenance. Simple linear fenestrations form a rhythmic functional exterior. One room features a skylight atop the bed, bringing endless views of the Milky Way. The occasional cultural cue shows up in the form of the Ladakhi kitchen and the bookshelf in the form of the infinity knot of Buddhist symbolism. In essence, Phenotype Architecture Studio restructured the material agency of the site, to create this humble abode that sits lightly on the land amidst its magnificent surroundings.
