About
an initiative towards COMMUNITY TOURISM
an initiative towards COMMUNITY TOURISM
NESTLED IN THE LUSH GREEN AT SOARING ALTITUDE OF 1700MTS, KHIRSU IS A STOLEN GETAWAY THAT BOASTS A SCENIC VIEW OF THE SNOW PEAKED HIMALAYAN RANGE OF INDIA.
Homestay is designed to give holistic & authentic Garhwali living experience to the tourists. It is built using stones which is similar to the traditional built local houses.
The door has Panch Devta on top as per tradition, it protects the house and maintain positive vibe. Interior spaces are designed with fusion of traditional & modern living.
Four bed rooms with bukharis, sesame wood furnniture and attached bathroom and wash room facilities
The shape of the house is derived from the ratio of 1:2 to make the building profile strong. It also leads to Simplicity of plan, making a stronger earthquake resistant structure instead of scattered blocks.
Heavier load bearing gabion walls acting as retaining structure for the sloped site from the lower level of the building. A light wooden portal frame with separate footing inserted in the gabion retaining wall forms the upper level of the house. Both the system are complete by themselves giving it enough flexibility and stability during an earthquake.
Traditional random stone masonry, which was generally used, is susceptible to damage in earthquakes. Gabion walls as retaining structures are very efficient in earthquakes zones. The ductility of the chain link cage tied with binding wires and the self-weight of the stone boulders prevents the walls from falling apart or cracking at joints.
Instead of using traditional truss systems, a portal frame is introduced. During earthquakes the heavier trusses with their rigid joints tend to remain immobile and slide off the roof. A portal frame with pin joints at its junctions and a rigid joints on the ground enables the entires structure to be flexible as a whole in case of lateral forces.
Cross bracings made from twisted cables are introduced to resist lateral forces and K bracings made from wood are introduced to resist shear forces In the portal frame, It prevents the structure from collapsing onto itself.
Using a hip roof instead of a freestanding gable wall is a useful strategy to avoid damage to the walls and roof in earthquake prone zones. When all walls are tied to each other, they allow for movement.