A young architect restores the glory of these majestic wood and stone buildings of Himachal Pradesh

Kath-Kuni is a popular type of natural building which uses locally available wood and stone as prime materials for construction. These humble looking abodes made of stone, mud and wood were popular in Himachal Pradesh. To know more: There were several reasons for its popularity: It is environmental friendly, kept the cold out, and can survive earthquakes due to its high tensile strength. ’Kath-Kuni’ is made of two words - ’Kath’ meaning ’wood’ and ’Kuni’ meaning ’corner’. While Kangra and Spiti regions abound in houses made of mud and stone, Kathkuni houses are native to this middle Himalayan belt which includes Kullu, Manali, Chamba, Shimla and some parts of Uttarakhand. Kath-Kuni is structurally different from conventional building methods. Instead of vertical columns, it is built on horizontal beams. Through ’criss cross’ bracings, an entire wooden structure is