PAVILIONS
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Vayu presents a series of connected pavilions slung low across the contours of a generous site within a busy bazaar on the foothills of the Himalayas.
The clamour of the township is close, but the house, gathered as a cluster of sancturies generously set back from the street, stretches gently across the sloping hillside.
PEAKS
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Seen from the south, lower down the hillside, the house rises in dramatic peaks, a humble reference to the serrated forms of the HImalayan ranges beyond.
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"The design centers on the “4 P’s Peak” idea and honours the spirit of the mountains, incorporating open and shaded spaces, and respecting the need for privacy, all while staying rooted in the local context. It feels like a natural continuation of the landscape. There’s a quiet poetry in how the home sits within Charikot, and it feels like it belongs here." ~ Srawan
PANORAMAS
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The Pavilions open to the southern aspect, where the sun traces its dependable arc, and where the river carves its way through the valley below the bazaar and beyond, to where the mountain peaks soar against the crisp, blue sky.
There are views to enjoy from every habitable part of the house.
PATI
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At the outset, Vayu Pavilions was commissioned to accommodate elderly grandparents, and to expand its capacity to cater for extended family members on occasion. Pockets of restful places to sit alone, or to share in company with friends and family, present themselves throughout the house, both indoos and outdoors, reminiscent of Newari Pati (or dais) that have been places of gathering in towns and villages for generations on generations.
POCKETS
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The house presents a way of living that keeps its residents close to the land, but gifts them with views that soar across the hills and valleys to the skies, with panoramas across Dolakha district, Charikot Bazaar and the snowy peaks of the Himalayas beyond.
POISE
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Open to magnificent views and southern sunshine towards its more private eastern and southern aspects, the house rises as a refuge and barrier from the busy bazaar to its northern and western edges.
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"Living here has brought us a kind of stillness we hadn’t known before. My grandparents are especially at ease—the space is safe, easy to move through, and constantly filled with natural light. We feel grounded, in rhythm with nature, and grateful every day for a place that invites rest and presence." ~ Srawan
GROUND FLOOR
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The plan plays with a series of cascading pavilions, designed to accomodate a range of family needs and to gently embrace the landscape upon which it falls.
FIRST FLOOR
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The first storey presents a retreat with a private patio, and a generous roof terrace - the latter an ubiquitous feature of many Nepali houses.
ROOF PLAN
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The peaked roofs and generous catchment and drainage provide the house with a water supply harvested from high mountain rainfall.
Wetlands and ponds in the landscaping around the house hold on to stormwater overflows for irrigation across the kitchen gardens lower down the hillside.
PROGRESS
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Deliberately designed as a series of pavilions and private suites for multiple nuclei of a large family, the house opens and closes its rooms and retreats as required. Currently still in construction, its pavilion programming and discrete zoning allows staged habitation to occur, comfortably housing the family's grandparents in their granny suite, and allowing others in the family to fully occupy the rest of the house upon completion.
VAYU PAVILIONS
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