There are so many great deals of co-working and co-living are available in many cities, like London’s Collective Startford but so long there is an internet connection that does’t always need of the case. A wonderful example of this is Ratti Associati’s Pankhasari retreat which enables people to work online from Himalayas.
It would not boast things like other similar facilities, like handy transport links, affordable city living and convenient location as the retreat will be located in a valley of Darjeeling region of West Bengal India and will be bound by swift river and waterfalls on the south-facing of the mountain.
To ensure guaranteed broadband speed, the firm will provide internet connectivity via satellite however no hard figure are available as firm is on the way to finalize the figures after discussing with its engineers in coming months.
Carlo Ratti says “Though a mountain top might be a bit extreme to some, the Himalayan valley of Pankhasari is an ideal place for staying connected and testing new longer term concepts of international living and working, trying to build a bridge between the local and the global communities,” a founding partner of Carlo Ratti Associati and professor at MIT Cambridge college told.
The firm has developed the project in partnership with Turin-based architect and a team of more than 20 professionals. It has been told that buildings have been designed collaboratively with local residents, craftsmen and practitioners living in surrounding area.
Comprising three stacked volume connected through a covered footbridge, the complex will provide business, farming, sports and residential facilities to the people. The building has been constructed using local material like stone, farmed teak and sissoo (native Indian Rosewood).
In order to protect the residents from extreme sun and rain, the verandas and overhangs has been designed as commonly found in local architecture. Each residential unit is well for 3 to 4 persons and has living space for studio, a kitchen, two bedrooms and bathrooms plus teleworking facilities.
Construction of the mountain retreat kicked off at the end of August.
