Zojila
A timber-frame guest house built for engineering teams on the Zojila tunnel project: high altitude, heavy snow, seismic zone.
- Location
- Zojila, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir
- Type
- Mountain architecture · VIP guest house
- Status
- Completed · 2021
- NESCA scope
- Design, engineering, manufacturing, logistics and construction.
- Adibatla, Hyderabad90,000 sq ft factory · 45 ft GLT line
- Andhra PradeshExport hub · in development (Tirupati district SEZ, site selection in progress)
- Hetero LoungeGandipet, Hyderabad · Hospitality
- The Guest HouseHyderabad · Residential
- Zojila guest houseZojila, Ladakh, J&K · Mountain architecture
- MAK ResidenceMaheswaram, Hyderabad · Residential · display villa
- HotspotAdibatla · Commercial
- The Club HouseHyderabad · Hospitality
- Mysore VillaMysore, Karnataka · Residential · wooden home
- Raviryal VillasShamshabad, Telangana · Residential · compact cottages
- Maheswaram CottagesMaheswaram, Hyderabad region · Hospitality · eco-tourism cottages
- Lepino ResortAdibatla, Telangana · Hospitality · commercial hotel space
- Irya Winery ResortVikarabad, Telangana · Hospitality · winery-yard resort
- Tranquility Beach ResortRatnagiri, Maharashtra · Hospitality · landmark resort
- Prototype Wooden HomeDelhi Wood 2023, Greater Noida · Demonstration
Project overview
Wooden architecture in a remarkable mountain setting. A project that explores the relationship between place, material and shelter.
Client brief
Accommodation for senior personnel at one of India's most demanding sites, buildable in a short season and comfortable through Himalayan winters.
Objectives
- Structure rated for snow and seismic loads
- Thermal performance in sub-zero conditions
- Components transportable on mountain roads
- Short on-site assembly window
Design and engineering approach
Prefabricated timber frames engineered for snow load and seismic action, with a thermally efficient envelope. Panel sizes were set by road access, not by the factory.
Construction methodology
Frames manufactured in Hyderabad, trucked to altitude, assembled by a NESCA site team of 100 at the project's peak.
Material and value-engineering considerations
Timber's strength-to-weight ratio made the logistics possible at all; a concrete or steel equivalent would not have reached the site in the same season.
Outcomes
Completed 2021 and occupied. The project proved NESCA's systems in India's harshest climate.
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