Excerpt: BASA tourism center was designed by Compartment S4 to respond to the cold climate, remote location, and natural disasters. It is designed with heavy stone filled gabion retaining walls at the bottom and a light wooden structure on top responding to the cold temperate climate of the Himalayas. It is crafted with a balance between local knowledge and modern construction techniques aiming to encourage community participation and ownership.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by Architect] The building was the winning entry under the Resilient Homes Design Challenge competition, as an earthquake resilient house. To refer to the competition entry, please click this link. After this it was further developed through research and a back and forth process of refining the design with the locals and Government bodies of the region, to be finally executed as the BASA tourism center in Khirsu.
The design responds to the cold temperate climate of the Himalayan mountains, remoteness of the site as well as aims for resilience to earthquakes and landslides. The building is designed with heavy stone filled gabion retaining walls at the bottom and a light wooden structure on top covered with wattle and daub panels as an infill material. Undressed stone in gabion walls is used because it can be picked up from waste and also it reduces the labour. It is crafted with a balance between local knowledge and modern construction techniques aiming to encourage community participation and ownership. The Tourism Center has a community kitchen and a space to display their local produces, on the lower level. The upper floor houses an exhibition portraying the local heritage and culture of Khirsu along with essential information for tourists. This space can also function as a recreational space for the tourists who are staying at the BASA homestay.
The Uttarakhand government is promoting homestays amongst the locals in order to aid the village economy as well as social fabric of the region. The aim is to gradually increase the global presence of rural areas. BASA is thus introduced as a model for locals to get inspired to open-up their spare rooms as homestays in Khirsu. As an initiative executed and managed by locals, it is aimed at revitalising the local economy and instilling a conscious approach to tourism which can help preserve the natural and cultural landscape of Khirsu.
“BASA” in Garhwali language is an expression to invite guests to your house for a night halt. This initiative focuses on the local needs, economy and architecture in a way that the locals develop a sense of ownership and add value to it. Women empowerment is an integral part of the initiative since they are considered the driving engine of Garhwal region. The place is made to be run by the local Self-Help Group, Unnati. Along with handling the stay, the women will also be engaged in production and packaging all the local village produce and crafts which will be sold to the tourists. An existing government block is converted into a selling and a packaging facility for the local produce. These are sold with the Khirsu logo to create a brand and identity of Khirsu.
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