Spituk House, Ladakh, by Earthling Ladakh

Designed by Earthling Ladakh in Spituk Valley, Ladakh, the Spituk House is a passive solar house that relies on ecological solutions to keep warm during Ladakh's winter.

The following content (text, images, illustrations and videos) for the project is provided by the design firm. 

Location: Spituk valley, Ladakh
Year: 2022

The Spituk house was a product of its context. Sitting on the barley and mustard fields with the 12th-century monastery as the backdrop, the starting point was the disposition of the masses to mimic the backdrop. The plan is a perfect square with a smaller square portion of it shifted out.

The core principles of the practice are reflected in the construction. A passive solar house built to keep warm from the freezing winters of Ladakh. Ecological solutions have been used to achieve the same. The building is oriented towards the sunpath to maximize heat gain. Glass windows are present on the southern and western sides to trap the heat. The structure is load-bearing and three floors high with 2 feet thick rammed earth walls. Mud being a good conductor keeps the building comfortable all year round. Solar panels support all the electrical needs and the house is off-grid.

The smaller square becomes the main living space with an open plan consisting of the kitchen, dining and living room. The space created by this offset one-story structure becomes a court with a feature wall made of random rubble masonry. The bedrooms are within the remaining L-shaped portion of the house.

The landscape is designed around an existing stream along the site, its path is manoeuvred to come in and create a small stacked terrain using locally available flagstones.

The built is a clean monolithic structure sitting between the fields with a historic backdrop.

Materials: Earth, wood, stone and lime.

Images

Team

Architects: Sandeep Bogadhi, Nidhi Divecha, Arnab Swargiary
Rammed Earth Craftsman: Rasiq
Stonewall
Craftsman: Nar Bahadur

One Response

Share your comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent

THE MUMBAI COASTAL ROAD | The Architect’s Agency in Engaging With a Large-Scale Development Project in the City

Authored by Mrinalini Ghadiok, as a part of her academic study in May 2023, the essay discusses the Mumbai Coastal Road project and the role of architects in engaging with large-scale development projects in cities. She analyzes how architects can act as both professionals and citizens to influence projects through organized collectives while maintaining individual agency. She further examines different views on an architect’s responsibility to society and how their identity and work in commercial vs. critical practice impacts their ability to effect change.

Read More »

It’s Time for Urban Design

Harshad Bhatia emphasizes the importance of urban design in enhancing habitats by considering the interdependence between whole and parts over time and that there is no standardized definition of urban design.

Read More »

WE ARE HIRING /

ArchitectureLive! is hiring for various roles, starting from senior editors, content writers, research associates, graphic designer and more..

 

PARTICIPATE /