TWO MOUNTAIN HUTS

To build for living is to understand that built form exists only in relationship to the life that occupies it and that human life is better when it is in constant interaction with the built environment; we design it, build it, and change it as we design, build, and change our selves. Making your own place and changing it over time is an important component of living one’s life to its fullest. To explore these issues, designs were made for an adaptable building type - the "mountain hut," a temporary accommodation for its wandering inhabitants. Designing it twice, as well as relocating the initial building type across the globe, from the mountains of Sierra Nevada to the Himalayas in Nepal, provided an opportunity to compare and understand the influences of local environmental and cultural conditions on the building’s adaptability, as well as the level of interactivity its inhabitants could experience as they occupied and transformed the dwelling. Both designs incorporate sustainable design principles, which strengthen the overall comparison of climatic responses and the use of local materials and building technologies.