Houses of Mountainous Region, Nepal

7/23/2019 Houses of Mountainous Region, Nepal

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Houses in Mountain Region, Nepal



SHERPA HOUSE:

Settlement pattern

Sherpa villages are

mostly built on the beds of oldlakes in broader valleys or onsizeable ledges between themountainside and

river gorges.

The houses are are compactlybuilt and several houses aretypically attached to each otherreducing the exterior wall surface

exposed to the coldness



SHERPA HOUSE:

Building form andorientation

The houses of the Sherpatribe in Khumbu village standin small groups together onthe slopes of a natural

amphitheater.

Their elongated buildingvolume is generally standingparallel to theslope.

Ground oors are partly builtinto the slope of the hill of

mountain behind it.



SHERPA HOUSE: Building storiesand internal space

arrangement

!t was observed thatSherpa houses have two

stories" where the groundoor is used for storageand livestock" the mainliving area is situated inthe #rst oor.

!n Sherpa houses wooden

stairs located inside thebuilding lead to theupper oor and they usethe roof partly as terracewith a small shed forlavatory .



SHERPA HOUSE:

Building stories and internal space arrangement

!n all houses the open hearth" normally located in the center of thekitchen" plays an important role because it is not only used forcooking. !t is also the only comfortably warm place where the family

members can sit during colder nights and in the winterseason.

The internal vertical space arrangement of these houses leads tothermal bu$er zones which have an insulating e$ect to keep themain living room as warm as possible.

!n front of Sherpa houses an open space or yard is foreseen wherenewly harvested crops are spread out for drying" are sorted and

graded prior to storage and #rewood is piled up for winter month

These semi%open spaces provide another comfortable place" e.g. inwinter when the sun is shining



HERPA HOUSE:

&alls

&alls are made of locally

available stones with a thicknessof up to one meter.

Stonework is madeeither dry or bound together with

rudimentary mortar made of softclayed earth.

!n Sherpa houses mostlyinner and especially outer walls

are plastered with clayed earthand then painted because theplaster is alsoan excellent weatherproo#ngmaterial



SHERPA HOUSE:

'oofs

(ue to the heavy rains pitched roofsare more fre)uently used in thetraditional architecture of the cooltemperate mountain climate.

The roof rest on a wooden pillar and

beam structure.

&ood or slate *if available+ is oftenused as roo#ng material in form of

s)uare or rectangularroo#ng tiles.

,eavy stones are placed on top toprevent them from being blown o$ byheavy monsoonwinds



SHERPA HOUSE:

-oundation" oor and ceiling The Sherpa houses in Khumbu village are

built on a platform which is made of locallyavailable stones.

The double wooden ceilings of thesehouses are supported by a framework oftimber pillars and beams.

arpets are often laid above the woodenoor in the main living areas

/penings(oors and windows of the Sherpa houses

are faced to south%east direction for ane$ectiveexposure to the winter sun.

!n Sherpa houses /ften shutters are used



SHERPA HOUSE: 'esult The analysis shows that traditional settlements in cool temperateclimate tend to be more compact.

0ocally available stones" which are used for walls and timber" are alsothe dominating material for oor" ceilings" interior cladding of wall androo#ng. 0ike in warm temperate climate the high thermal mass of thebuilding is favorable to store solar thermal gains during sunny winterdays for the cooler nights. (ue to the heavy precipitation during monsoon season roofs are

pitched and mostly covered by wood slate and stones./penings tend to be smaller than in warm temperate climate thatleads to the reduction of heat losses.!nternal spaces are arranged vertically creating a thermal bu$er onthe upper and lower level for the main

living area. !n conclusion" the mountain houses in the cool temperate climateof 1epal are very well adapted to the localclimate conditions. Theyful#l the most important design strategy 2 compact building layoutand orientationtowards the sun



HAKALI HOUSE: Settlement pattern 3orientation

The villages in such a harsh and coldclimate are very compact.

The buildings are often attached to eachother creating small alleys that areprotected from the cold wind and snow

storms.

The houses are grouped closelytogether sharing one or more exteriorwalls.

Thakali villages are observed to be verycompact although ad4acent walls are notcommon.

,ouses are situated on the southern



THAKALI HOUSE:

!nternal Space5rrangement The space arrangement withinthese houses is mainly organizedvertically. The ground and top oorare assigned to secondary use andhave the e$ect of thermal bu$er

to keep the main living area in the

#rst ooras warm as possible. 5nimals are housed in theground oor leading to increasedindoor temperature due to theirbody heat. The main living area in thesecond oor is horizontally alsosurrounded by rooms of secondaryuse like storage" family treasure"etc. that are creating horizontal

THAKALI HOUSE



THAKALI HOUSE:

&alls The walls are traditionally builtof natural stone if locallyavailable. !n some areas alsosun%dried mud bricks or rammed

earth is used&alls are made of 67 cm thickat stone masonry that is coated

with white and red mud The main living area in thesecond oor is horizontally alsosurrounded by rooms ofsecondary use like storage"family treasure" etc. that are

creating horizontal thermal bu$ezones.!n some houses the upper oorcontains also a prayer room or asleeping room for summer

THAKALI HOUSE



THAKALI HOUSE:

'oof The walls are traditionally builtof natural stone if locallyavailable. !n some areas alsosun%dried mud bricks or

rammed earth is used&alls are made of 67 cm thickat stone masonry that is

coated with white and red mud The main living area in thesecond oor is horizontally alsosurrounded by rooms ofsecondary use like storage"family treasure" etc. that are

creating horizontal thermalbu$e zones.!n some houses the upper oorcontains also a prayer room ora sleeping room for summer

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Houses of Mountainous Region, Nepal