1. Jan-Feb 2011

ARCHITECTURE
The warmth at the
entrance lobby of the
lodge is obtained by
careful use of mud, stone
and wood
Procurement:
Lodge Thasang Village (at 2650 m above sea level) has
been running for almost ten years now, and it has only been
a year and a half since the gravel road from Beni (at 799 m
above sea level) has reached the village. During construction,
transportation of 'modern' materials was a challenge in itself.
From cement to reinforcement bars, all were carried on mule
backs - all the way up to the site. But in the years between
procurement of land and the actual construction, all necessary
local materials like stones and wood were collected, thanks to a
massive avalanche.
A few years after the land was purchased a massive avalanche
from the Dhaulagiri range hit the area felling a large number of
trees. The required wood was procured from these trees and
a couple of years later, when all the snow melted, unwanted
amounts of stones and rocks were present in the locality. This
too was purchased for construction. All the processing done to
these materials, like cutting the stone or making wooden planks,
were done using simple hand tools, hence each piece is different
from the other. Other little details, from the furniture to the lamp
post, were constructed on-site.
www.spacesnepal.com 42
January-February 2011