THE PAHARI

‘Pahari’, the life on mountains, the natives of himachal pradesh. The project focuses on bringing together travelers and adventurers to learn about the culture and life of paharis rather than just engaging in the activities without understanding the significance of the pahari cultures and traditions. The native language, the native cuisines, the local activities, the local traditions, etc are contemplated as part of the programmes of the space along with professional guidance of mountaineering activities. The project includes an elementary mountaineering school, a cultural center, a backpacker’s hostel and an airbnb.

The vernacular architecture of himachal mostly uses timber and stone as building materials. The buildings are having walls made of layers of stacked wood and stone to attain strength and durability against the harsh conditions. They also have sloping roofs in a heirarchial formation mostly made of slates. They also substitutes cement with a hemp mixture for construction. They vertically zone the buildings inorder to achieve thermal comfort. The living spaces are mostly on the upper floors while the bottom floors are mostly for services. They all have fireplaces with chimneys inside the buildings to keep the inside warm. The walls are also thick for the same reason.