ARCHITECTURE AND HILLY AREAS

Buildings in hilly regions are the major challenge for architects. The building and the construction have to be structurally strong enough to resist the topography and frequent seismic tremors and also bear the load of the building and as well as the building should be aesthetically attractive for tourists. According to the topography and requirement of the building, design, and planning plays a major role. 

Some of the design approaches to be taken care of are settlement patterns, materials used in various spaces, open interactive spaces, sloping roofs, interior designs (rooms), retaining walls, etc. No doubt that the concrete has many advantages like strength, durability, weather resistance parameter and has been accepted as better construction material and has completely outdated the vernacular techniques and materials. But due to a lack of proper guidelines about the use of materials and techniques, may lead to enormous loss of life and property in the wake of the earthquake. Therefore the constraints of any material in the region shall be seen before being put to use and simple standards and guidelines shall be made available in bye-laws so that proper safety measures may be taken.

The planning and design of structures on the contours has always been a challenge. Hence, the practice is to study the ridgelines and valley lines through imaginary but straight lines. The trick is to place the building parallel to the contour lines, not perpendicular, so get the maximum area with less cut and fill. Design considerations in hills require extra sensitivity and care because of the delicate nature of terrain and ecosystem. Unlike plains, here a new dimension or a height variation to the ground poses additional problems to the entire exercise. 

 Cut and fill technique for developing flat surface

 Building on stilts addresses the construction on a steep-sloped site

Stepping the ground slope to provide the basement

• The plan of the building shall be compact, simple without any reentrant angles. In plan rectangular, square, circular shapes are preferred while very long, zigzag-shaped buildings or even with courtyards and Y, T, U, L, X shapes for the building shall be avoided.
• Elevation of the building or the vertical profile of the building shall also be simple, square, and shall be uniform in weight avoiding sharp curves. 
• More than one staircase and more than one emergency exit shall be provided in the case of multistoried buildings at the most convenient points of access.
• Plantation shall be kept at a minimum distance of 15m from the building.
• Heavy and loose materials shall be avoided on the roof and replaced by comparatively lightweight roofing materials.

The traditional construction techniques in hilly regions are the outcome of its typical climatic conditions, landscapes, availability of raw materials, and other natural resources. The vernacular practices and styles adopted in traditional hill settlements have a great potential to become the basis for new development and formulation of appropriate building regulations for hill settlements. There is a need to understand the particular context of hill settlements for suitable modification of existing building regulations to make them appropriate for new development in hill settlements.