Part of a resort development on a steep hill commanding a panoramic view of the Himalayas, series of cottages are interspersed within the lush green forest. A “cottage” which is usually a single story building, in this case has been reinvented as a multiple story prototype, known as the vertical Cottage. By stacking floor areas vertically as opposed to horizontally – the building footprint has been optimized to a narrowest possible width. The slender footprint drastically reduces the cut and fill, retaining walls and structural stilts as compared to the footprint of a conventional cottage on steep terrain. While minimizing the costs, the narrow footprint maximizes the potential of protecting the existing vegetation along with opening interior spaces to abundant daylight and cross-ventilation. The most important aspect of the vertical cottage configuration – because of stacked rooms – is that all rooms including bathrooms have direct view of the mountain.

The roof form of the vertical cottage emulates mountain itself while functioning as a pragmatic sloping roof system that easily drains the monsoon rain. The roof form is extracted outwards to create a veranda where guests could enjoy the outdoors even during the rain. Large operable glazing transition the exterior spaces inward. The interior while being modern, evokes the look and feel of vernacular houses. The bespoke furniture and fixtures have been mostly manufactured locally supporting local handicraft community.

Design Director: Kiran Mathema

Project Team: Ajaya Mathema, Dipesh Shrestha, Santosh Maharjan, Umesh Agrawal, Manohar Raj Bhandhari, Sabin Chakradhar, Niranjan Bharati, Dinesh Bhatarai, Bipin Niraula, Parmila Maharjan, Hitesh Golchha