Bungalow of Commandant Balbirsingh Thakur, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
A BRAVE AND SOFT SPOKEN COMMANDANT BALBIRSINGH THAKUR PRESENTLY POSTED AT SILIGURI, BSF TRAINING ACADEMY. HE IS SECOND IN COMMAND. HIS NATIVE PLACE IS KULLU – A WELL-KNOWN HILL STATION OF H.P. IT IS ON ABOUT 1200 MT. ALTITUDE, SURROUNDED WITH A BEAUTIFUL SHIVALIK RANGE IN GREAT HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN RANGE. UNIMAGINABLE SCENERY OF GREEN VALLEY AND PLAYFUL BROOKS FROM THE ROCKY HILLS ARE THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF THIS REGION. HERE WE HAVE A CHALLENGE FOR THE TYPICAL COLDER REGION, AS THE MIN. TEMPERATURE FALLS UP TO 1° C IN JANUARY AND HIGHEST IS 23.4° IN MAY. ABOUT SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS ARE COLDER IN THE YEAR. HERE WE NEED NOT COOLING FROM AIR CONDITIONING, WE NEED HEATING FOR COMFORT WORKING CONDITION. MORE ELECTRICITY REQUIRES FOR HEATING. FOR GREEN BUILDING APPLICATION WE THOUGHT FOR THE MAXIMUM SUN GAIN, WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE, SO WE CAN REDUCE THE LOAD FOR HEATING. THE WEDGE SHAPED PLOT IS 100’ LONG AND ABOUT 45’ WIDE AT THE CENTRE AND FALLS ON THE NORTH-SOUTH AXIS. THE LOCATION OF THE SITE IS EAST FACING HILL SIDE, 10 FT WIDE DEAD END ROAD ON THE EAST AND 13 FT LEVEL DIFFERENCE IN 45 FT OF WIDTH – A STEEP HILL SLOPE. THIS IS ALSO TYPICAL CHARACTER OF THIS REGION AND EVERYBODY USE TO LIVE ON THIS SLOPPY MOUNTAIN HOUSES. HERE WE HAVE ALSO ONE.
TECHNICALLY WE MAKE MORE OPENINGS ON EAST AND WEST SIDES COVERED WITH DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOWS, WHICH ALLOW MORE HEAT IN THE SUNNY DAYS. OF COURSE THE COLDER NIGHTS CHILLS THE INNER THRO’ OPENINGS BUT THE DOUBLE GLAZING PROVIDES THE INSULATION AGAINST THE COLD. SECTION SHOWS CLEARLY THE PERFORMANCE PATTERN. OTHERWISE IT IS SIMPLE MEDIUM SIZED 3 BED ROOM + ATTIC LOFT STORAGE HOUSE. AGAIN THE STORAGE SPACE OF ATTIC FLOOR ALSO ACTS AS AN INSULATING ELEMENT. WORKS ON SITE CONTINUES FOR 6 YEARS AS THE CLIMATE PERMITS FEWER PERIODS IN THE YEAR TO WORK. SUPPLY OF MATERIAL IS ALSO TOUGH ON HILLY REGION.
| CLIENT | COMMANDANT BALBIRSINGH THAKUR |
|---|---|
| LOCATION | KULLU, HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA |
| CLIMATE & ZONE | COLD & CLOUDY, EARTH QUAKE ZONE – V |
| PLOT AREA | 360 SQ. MT. |
| BUILT UP AREA | 300 SQ. MT. |
| TIMELINE | WORK START – 2008 COMPLETION – 2014 |
| STRUCRURAL ER. | PIYUSH RAVAL |
| CONTRACTOR | Local |
| INTERIOR CONTRACTOR | Local |
| TOTAL PROJECT COST | 3,500,000.00 |