Woodhouse Satkol

This holiday home is located in the village of Satkhol, in the foothills of the Himalayas, a popular site for tourists looking to explore the landscape around the highest mountain range in the world.
The building was designed by the Matra Architects studio based in New Delhi and is located at 2,000 meters above sea level on a terraced plot that offers panoramic views of the Himalayas. Its shape refers to the peaks of the mountains and the snowy panorama of the northern Himalayas visible on the horizon. It also reinterprets the vernacular dwellings occupied by farmers in the area.

The building is positioned on the lowest terrace of the site to minimize its visual impact on the natural environment and provide a more intimate feeling of connection to the adjacent forest. The interior is arranged on three distinct levels housed in a suspended envelope. The structure consists of four main wooden frames made from glued planks fastened with steel tie rods. These support the entire wood-covered roof, the insulated building envelope, a wooden mezzanine and the double-glazed skylight.

The wooden walls are perforated by square windows that frame views of the mountains, the forest and the sky in all directions from the living space in tiers and the rooms on one side of the building. The entrance to the property opens onto a kitchen on the highest of the three levels. The kitchen overlooks the living room and the double height dining room, which is lined with a wall separating this space from a pair of bedrooms. The large skylight allows natural light to enter two other bedrooms on the mezzanine.