Project: Kumaon Hotel
Architects: Zowa Architects
Lead Architects: Pradeep Kodikara, Jineshi Samaraweera
Project Architect: Kshitij Agarwal
Location: Uttarakhand, Kasar Devi, India
Area: 1160.0 m2
Year 2017
Photographs: Akshay Sharma
Perched 1,600 meters up in Kaser Devi village, Kumaon Hotel by Zowa Architects offers a quiet break from busy life. The small mountain hotel sits on old farm terraces that look out toward the distant Himalayan peaks. Here, clear air, wide skies, and gentle paths invite guests to slow down and breathe.
Arriving on the Hillside
After you leave the main road, a narrow footpath leads down to the hotel. Staff meet you at the village edge and take your bags, so your short walk feels light and easy. If you prefer, you can ride a pony instead. Either way, the final steps reveal the view—a sweep of meadow, a curve of creek, and snowy mountains far away. Because the approach is simple, the landscape has your full attention from the very start.
Small Buildings, Wide Open Spaces
The programme called for ten guest rooms, a lounge, a dining room, a library, and a small spa. Rather than one large block, the architects broke these spaces into five stone-and-bamboo chalets and one shared main building. Each chalet holds two rooms stacked one above the other. Stone quarried nearby grounds the lower level, while light fly‑ash bricks and bamboo wrap the upper level. As a result, the structures feel sturdy yet airy.
The main block sits on the highest terrace. On the entry floor, you find the lounge, library, and reception. One level up, a steel‑framed dining hall projects toward the mountains, pointing guests’ eyes straight at Nanda Devi, India’s second‑highest peak. A rooftop deck above the lounge doubles as a space for sunrise yoga and starlit dinners.
Honest Craft and Local Touch
Inside every room, simple finishes highlight local skill. Unpainted concrete ceilings, smooth cement floors, and whitewashed walls create a calm backdrop for bright wool blankets woven in nearby Almora. Carpenters shaped pine doors and windows on‑site, while metalworkers hammered copper lamps and basins. Because everything is made close to home, the hotel keeps regional craft alive and reduces long‑haul shipping.
Built for Soft Footprints
Sustainability guides many hidden details. Roofs collect rainwater and send it to a storage tank at the base of the slope. Soon, kitchen gardens will fill empty terraces, supplying fresh herbs and greens for daily meals. Wide roof eaves, open windows, and ceiling fans cool the spaces without heavy air‑conditioning. Besides, bamboo screens cut glare while letting breezes flow.
Living the Meadow Life
Throughout the day, guests move easily between inside and out. Glass doors slide aside to join the lounge with the lawn. Verandas outside each room frame the valley at sunrise and hold the last light at sunset. Meanwhile, narrow paths weave through grasses to the library, the spa, and the creek below. Because the buildings sit low on the land, the mountains always take center stage.
Visiting Kumaon Hotel is less about grand luxury and more about clear views, handmade details, and quiet time with nature. By mixing local materials, traditional craft, and thoughtful green systems, Zowa Architects created a retreat that feels both grounded in place and open to the endless sky.
