Abstract:
With the lifestyle and infrastructure of cities far advanced from the rural areas, there is a huge
gap in both cultures. The cities are the centers of economy, hence the lifestyle of the residents
is hectic and tiring, with tourism becoming a popular escape from the daily routine.
This thesis targets the urban population, introducing them to the local culture in a temporary
tranquil abode in a rural context. The aim is to make the experience a detox from the urban
environment and introducing the slow-paced life of the rural areas. The retreat will help to
generate tourism in Soon valley (known as heaven on earth), providing jobs to the locals and an
escape to the tourists.
The retreat merges contemporary with vernacular, offering modern facilities in a design set in
the context conceptually and physically through materiality. The retreat is a modern derivative
of the muhalla, with each space having roots in the rural program and designed in modern
language, hence localizing the foreign language, making it a transition for the tourists and
locals.
The major differences in rural and urban architecture are that nature is more dominant in rural
spaces with verandahs, open to sky circulation and courtyards forming integral parts of the
design. The open spaces are multi-purpose, introducing a program in open spaces reduces the
usability and flexibility- targeting certain activities while reducing diversity.The retreat aims to
incorporate local passive design features to utilize the natural climate in maintaining the
indoors and outdoors. The design is an amalgamation of site analysis, contextual architecture
and modern language, with form and zoning derived from the conceptual derivatives of a
muhalla overlaid with site features.
