Dhajji House - Himalayan Eco Architecture Cabin in the Mountains | Rahul Bhushan

Built by : NORTH ( www.thenorth.in ), ( www.instagram.com/live_north )
Principal Architect : Rahul Bhushan
Location : Naggar, Himachal Pradesh

Nestled amongst the mighty deodars of Kullu valley, Dhajji house is an ode to slow living that overlooks the magnificent Himalayas as an epitome of past and present meeting the future. The cabin is a first of its kind adaptation, of a 200-year-old Himalayan building technique called “Dhajji Dewari”. It is an earthquake-resistant natural building which can handle a quake of around 7.6 magnitude. The aim with this cabin was to ignite an eco-conscious movement in the Kullu valley. From the form evolution to the material and construction, every stage is a story that is derived from the roots of history, culture and sustainable living.
All of the wood used is reclaimed from a 100-year-old Kathkuni (local Himachali architecture) structure from a nearby village. From years of usage, the wood in the ‘tandoor’ room(usually kitchen) of these houses forms a thick layer of carbon on it from the wood fire cooking, making it ideal to use on our roof with a covering of linseed oil and beeswax for a natural finish. It is water resistant, adds a preventative layer for termites and also strengthens the fibres of the wood. The walls are a union of sublime mud plastering, clay soil, hay and manure while stone is the hidden material that holds the wood and mud together. The process of Dhajji Dewari is low cost, a lot of wood and stone waste can be reused and upcycled, and it is fast. The cabin is not an escape, it is a presence.