Building homes that can weather the age of erratic rainfall

Building within Context, and with Intent

This consideration of context is an important factor in creating homes and structures that are also ultimately monsoon-friendly. For Krittika Agarwal, founder of Shillong-based SAFE design studio, building a structure for guards of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in the floodplains of the Brahmaputra couldn’t get more contextual. “We raised it on a concrete plinth to protect it from floods and used natural local bamboo and bamboo-based products from the Northeast for the exterior. The bathroom and kitchen—wet areas—were of red brick.”

How it Happens in the Hills

Rahul Bhushan, architect and founder of NORTH, a practice based in the Himachali village of Naggar, and his team are active proponents of building in a way that stays true to local wisdom even as it adapts to the contemporary world. On hilly terrains, for instance, “the cut and fill of the mountain slope is crucial. Instead of a high retaining wall, build terraces for a better hold of land and water protection from landslides,” Bhushan adds.

Khosla and Anand, while building the Retreat in the Sahyadris, stayed true to the terrain, albeit differently. “This was a steeply contoured site and typically, the built structure would have had split levels to adhere to the shape of the land. However, the clients wanted a compact house on just one level. So, we devised a ramp to negotiate the slope and created a retaining wall on the eastern side where the bedrooms were planned,” explains Anand. The part of the house fully exposed to the views was on the western front, which had a pool and deck fronting the public spaces.

Adapting to the Environment

Today, there is a certain one-dimensional approach of transplanting an almost universalised notion of city-specific building practices irrespective of terrain. Talwar says. “Constructions in these Uttarakhand hills also seem to mimic typical city buildings. It has become the de facto, almost aspirational way of building—a sign of progress. This leads to soil destabilisation, pushing an already fragile ecosystem to the brink.” In terms of materiality, that translates to ignoring local, durable materials. In the 2023 Himachal deluge, it was the more modern homes with more glassage and thin structures that suffered the most. “The ground subsided, the pillars cracked, the plaster gave way; this happened more in the modern constructions than older ones,” says Anuradha Budhraja.

To prevent this from happening, Lijo says, anchoring the structure is as essential as robust materiality. This means understanding the load-bearing capacity of the soil. “A good marker of where to build is the fauna around the plot. Large trees, for example. Their roots would have found a grip on the rock bed, which, in turn, keep the soil from slipping,” says Lijo. Agarwal’s project in the East Khasi hills, a house in Lum Khyriem on a steep slope and rocky surface, had terrace gardens to help anchor the space in its surroundings.

A River Runs Through

As a rule of thumb, surveying the soil should be a priority every single time in any kind of terrain. Even close to rivers or beaches, for instance. Check whether it’s clayey or sandy but typically, soil close to water bodies tends to be weak. The go-around in such cases is piling that is several metres deep. Or going high. “One of our new projects is on a plot that had been submerged under 10 feet of water in 2018—that’s the height of an entire floor. We turned the ground level into a pavilion, along with parking and just one guest bedroom. The main house spaces are on the first floor,” says Reny Lijo, co-founder of LIJO.RENY.architects.

The Power of Local

Building this way also makes a strong case for dipping into a local material palette. While building Devanya, Studio Lotus went with local stone, slate and timber. Their spectacular-looking RAAS Kangra in Himachal, too, follows a similar thoughtful design vocabulary. The Sahyadri holiday home was clad entirely in the basalt stone found onsite. “We sourced other material from within a five to 10 km radius. The interiors are all polished cement, river-finished kota stone flooring and naturally oiled furniture,” says Anand.

Local materials and traditional wisdom are intrinsic to Bhushan’s architectural idiom. This, he opines, is getting lost in modern building parlance. “Kathkuni and Dhajji Dewari, indigenous building technologies of the region, are not only structurally better but also respond better to the climate and local topography. They are natural breathable materials, which makes the air quality inside homes much healthier.” Then there is the inherent structure itself. The “framework of wood and dry stone masonry give the building better flexibility and better resistance to disasters like landslides”. In Assam, says Agarwal, houses made of bamboo are designed to withstand floods. “I use laterite stones for walls. I’ve also tried replacing cement plaster with lime plaster recently,” says Pereira.

Quick Tips to Build for the Rains

• Always get the soil surveyed and get an expert on board—structural engineers, architects, etc with knowledge of the region.
• Understand the land you’re building on—the flora, fauna, the slope, soil and terrain.
• Catchment areas have high groundwater levels; if your plot is in such an area, design your structure so that the water channelises out and recharges the groundwater.
• If your land is in a terrain that lacks water sources, speak to experts to find out how to bring in water and how to store it.
• Don’t raise high retaining walls; rather, build terraces for a better hold of land and protection from landslides. 
• Try to avoid building extremely large houses with large glass windows; louvres, sliding partitions rather than large glass windows are the way to go.
• Use local natural materials; they are breathable and a healthier alternative if you want to avoid the effects of a damp home.
• Plan the drainage according to water channels and drainage patterns around which you are living: was there a jharna on the land where you are building? What is the seasonal flow of excess water through your piece of land?
• Incorporate deep overhangs in the part of the house exposed to heavy rainfall.
• Avoid building a north-facing structure or one on top of a ridge.
• Avoid building in river basins; if that isn’t possible, ensure there is space for water to flow away.
• Preserve natural drainage courses, ensure optimal slope and drainage channels to direct rainwater away from buildings and prevent waterlogging or flooding.
• Consider designing elevated structures in areas prone to flooding.
• Pier or pile foundations are a better option in hills due to their depth, minimal footprint, and better stability than raft foundations in the less stable and poor soils characteristic of hilly terrain. The foundation will vary according to the grade of the slope, the form of the building, and the soil load-bearing capacity.