The cabin house is the design of a prototypical system for a series of 200- 250 sq ft homes built for victims of landslides that ravaged several parts of the western ghats in 2018.
Initiated by a local priest, and funded by generous donations from the world over, this project was conceptualised with a budget of one lakh rupees per house, with the capacity to be built within a span of two weeks.
After conducting a detailed site study to understand the locally available materials, available skill set, and existing living patterns, the prototype was developed. Alongside developing the construction system, skill development workshops were conducted by the studio to train the local team towards specific details.
The prototype as executed is a combination of wet and dry construction to optimize speed. The space was made multifunctional to allow for varying usage. The material used modulated the size of spaces within, and special care was taken to allow adequate volume and daylight.
Four variations of the initial prototype were executed at different places over a span of seven months, after which the local team along with the community continued the deployment of the units. Today over 60 homes have been completed using this system.