Himalayan Mountain Hut

Nepal is a country with some of the most inspiring and dramatic landscapes in the world, most noted for being the home of the Himalayas and the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Since opening its borders to visitors during the 1950s, Nepal has become a haven for adventure tourists and mountain trekkers.

For this architecture competition, HMMD is working in cooperation with Samarth – Nepal Market Development Programme, which works across Nepal to improve the economic performance of rural sectors; to develop a high altitude accommodation unit which will be the first of its kind to ever be established in Nepal. We are therefore asking participants to submit clever and inventive proposals for a Himalayan Mountain Hut to be positioned along any of the mountain range’s many trekking trails.

The purpose of the Himalayan Mountain Hut is to provide trekkers safe, comfortable and inviting lodgings, where they and their guides can rest, refuel and, if necessary, wait out troublesome weather.

While there is no specified location for this Himalayan Mountain Hut, the proposal should be applicable to various different sites along trails throughout the Himalayas. It should form a unique, new quality product for Nepal to be adapted and replicated in all parts of the country.

The mountain hut should be an innovative concept that provides a comfortable shelter for a maximum of 20 occupants for up to one week in all weather conditions and the potential onslaught of extreme elements (eg heat, cold, wind, rain and snow). Taking into considerations for construction and maintenance in remote areas and high altitudes with limited access to resources.

Prizes

3 winning proposals and 6 honourable mentions will be selected.
HMMD will award a total of US$ 5,000 in prize money to competition winners as follows:

• 1st prize winner - US$ 3,000
• 2nd prize winner - US$ 1,500
• 3rd prize winner - US$ 500

Samarth-NMDP is committed to the construction of the first Himalayan mountain hut during 2015 with all winning and honorable mention designs to be put forward for consideration for the final design of the mountain hut.
The winners will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured on the HMMD website.
The following media partners have committed to present the current competition and its winners in their publications: list to be updated.
For potential media partners who are also interested in covering the present competition and its winners, please contact us on: hello@hmmd.org
HMMD will also acknowledge outstanding performance of all winners and honourable mentions with Certificates of Achievement.

Schedule

Advance Registration: JAN 22 - MAR 4, 2015
Last Minute Registration: MAR 5 - APR 1, 2015
Closing date for registration: APRIL 1, 2015 (11.59pm GMT)
Closing date for submission: APRIL 10, 2015 (11.59pm GMT)
Announcement of the winners: APRIL 29, 2015

Fees

• Advance Registration: US$ 90
• Last Minute Registration: US$ 120

Following documentation is available for download

- Extended competition brief
All information can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information or material will be provided after registering. The provided materials can be used or alternatives can be created or sourced at the participants discretion.

Eligibility

Competition is open for all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum).

Language

- Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English.
- All information submitted by participants must be in English.

More: https://hmmd.org/gb/architecture-competition/himalayan-mountain-hut