Hillside Guesthouse
Almora, Uttarakhand
- Almora, Uttarakhand
- 2016
- Completed
- Guesthouse & Hospitality
- 1,900 sq.m
- 980 sq.m
- Private owner
The guesthouse sits on a steep site above Almora, where old stone terraces were the only flat ground. The owner wanted a small hospitality building that respected the terraces, used local stone and timber, and gave guests long views from every room without the building dominating the slope.
The plan steps down the terrace in three stone-walled blocks, each set back from the one below so that every room keeps its view. Deep verandahs run along the front of each block, shading the rooms in summer and sheltering guests in the rain. Roofs are pitched in slate, and the walls are built from local stone laid in lime mortar.
Inside, the rooms are simple, with timber floors, plastered walls and built-in beds. The common room opens onto the largest verandah and has a stove for the cold months. Water is collected from the roofs into a small tank that feeds the kitchen garden, and the stone terraces are replanted with native shrubs that hold the soil.
“Every room should have a view, and no room should compete with the hill.”
Seen in photographs
The ideas that shape the building
- 01
Stepped blocks on the terrace
Three stone blocks step down the slope so that every room keeps its view of the valley.
- 02
Deep verandahs for shade and shelter
Verandahs shade the rooms in summer and give guests a covered place to sit when it rains.
- 03
Slate roofs over local stone walls
Pitched slate roofs and stone walls suit the cold winters and the heavy monsoon rain.
- 04
Terrace replanting
Native shrubs on the restored terraces hold the soil and keep the hillside stable.
Local Stone
Slate
Timber
Lime Plaster
- Ar. [Founder Name]
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