Project type
Design, Renovation, Interior, Furniture making
Location
Gabahal, Lalitpur, Kathmandu Valley
Total Area
sq.ft.
Project team
Sanjeev Shrestha (Project Architect)
Jiten Shrestha (Project in charge)
Suraj Joshi (Project in charge)
Project status
Completed
Patan has ever been polluted with Architectural chaos. Without proper guidelines and with people free to produce whatever they desire the core city looks muddled. Meanwhile, amid chaos, people have acquired a taste to accommodation biz valuing the worth of the space they are in. The natives have started turning their old houses into pleasant rentable accommodations, some with a traditional touch, and some with an eclectic. With ever growing tourists, these accommodations have seemed to meet the demand of living in and around the heritage area.
Gabaha House is one of the rentable accommodations that displays an eclectic touch to the built space both in the exterior and the Interior. Located in the Gabahal, this building has tried to accept, value and incorporate the local culture with a touch of western approach in terms of spatial design.
The building is just by the main road leading to Mangalbazaar; as busy as it always is, but it’s the same road that sees the great Chariot festival and a few others. We’ve tried to embrace that by introducing small balconies as in some European themed houses; the balconies that were once merely a sunshade have finally lived up to their full potential. Little french windows on the facade add to the European theme we followed. If one would think about the traditional Newari houses of Patan and compare them to Gabaha House, they would realize that we have tried to incorporate the happenings of the outside in the living experience, just like the “Gājhyā” in Newari Architecture.
The requirements were to design an accommodation and a cafe’ at the ground floor to add value to it. With a footprint of only about 700sq.ft., we worked on utilising all that we could to create a beautiful and practical space. We approached an open planning concept and got rid of most of the old interior walls to produce a Studio apartment with all the basic needs necessary that one would need to sustain for a short or mid term stay. With little area to play with, our goal was only to maximize the dwelling space. Additionally, to support the communal living concept, we opened up the room in the terrace to a fully functioning kitchen and seating areas. It can act as a small party place for the people residing below or “Bhoj” area for the House Owners themselves.
The Upper terrace is used mostly for the services but can act as an extension of the party space below or as a zen space with the warm sun and a beautiful view.
