Earthquake-defying ancient Himalayan design

In 1905, a deadly earthquake shook the landscape of Himachal Pradesh, an Indian state in the western Himalayas. The sturdy concrete structures, looking like paper houses, collapsed. The only surviving structures were in towns where residents used an ancient and traditional Himalayan building technique known as Kat Kony.

On a warm Tuesday afternoon, I’m headed toward one of them: Carpenter’s Castle, built more than 500 years ago as the seat of the region’s mighty Kulu kings, and which has survived unharmed after that disaster.

Officers of the Geological Survey of India were astonished that there was no seismic damage to the fort and other Kath Kony houses in the radius of the earthquake. “This seemed at first sight unnatural due to the seemingly heavy construction of the houses…until one perceives the natural resistance of their wood bound walls,” they wrote.

The castle is one of the finest remaining examples of the building style, but kath kuni houses were built in this area thousands of years ago. The design is recognizable by its interlacing of deodar wood (a type of Himalayan cedar) with locally sourced stone, without the use of mortar. Al-Najjar Castle is now a hotel and tourist attraction, but its rustic walls – stacked gray stones alternating flat with earth-toned shingles – are evidence that some things are timeless.

As a design, kath kuni is a genius. “Wood and stone Deodar create a wonderful balance and composition together,” said Rahul Bhushan, architect and founder of NORTH, a carpenter-based design and architecture studio that works to preserve building technology through building projects, workshops, artist residences, and families. “Stone gives weight to the structure, which lowers the center of gravity, and wood holds the structure together, thanks to its flexibility.”

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