MOUNTAIN COMMONS
Uttarakhand, India
Conceived for a steeply contoured mountain site, Mountain Commons explored an alternative approach to hillside development-one that worked with the landscape rather than against it.
Instead of treating the terrain as a constraint, the proposal organised a small residential community around existing contours, natural drainage paths and shared open spaces. Individual homes were positioned along the edges of the site, allowing the central valley to remain a collective landscape shaped by water, vegetation and pedestrian movement.
The architecture of each dwelling evolved from the same logic. Split across multiple levels, the houses stepped with the natural slope, reducing earthwork while creating varied relationships with the surrounding terrain. Stone, timber and planted roofs were proposed as materials that could weather naturally within the mountain environment.
Developed as a competition entry, the project reflects an ongoing interest in landscape-led planning, contextual architecture and settlement making.
Typology
Residential Community
Scope
Master Planning + Architecture
Status
Competition Entry
Visualisation
RSDA