Yangjee Sherpa House, Suntakhan

The best thing about this project was that the client consulted me during the purchase of the land. 3 years later, she then approached me to design the house for multiple families. The key challenge/opportunity of the design process was to adopt the slope terrain. This challenge followed until the construction when excavating and installing the foundation. The split level design was hard to impose due to the smaller plot size. Instead, the design was done in a way that building floor space grows as it gets higher. The lowest part was dedicated to storage above the septic tank, upper floor for a student rental space, ground floor a rental space for family, first floor for the client, prayer room on the second floor with kitchen and guest room. The top floor also has two rooms for children and the terrace facing to the south and east direction. Some of the design challenges were to match client’s spatial requirements and the available plot size, design response to the slope terrain, provision of lights to the rooms and ventilation in a tight space. Virtual design presentations were inevitable to share, discuss and develop the design process when the client's husband was abroad. Accordingly, a designer's role is plenty to find reconciliations during the times of conflicting, contradicting and often controversial ideas.