This region of Uttarakhand state has the highest number of ghost villages as people have migrated due to a lack of livelihood opportunities. 

The site is in a remote village in a forest, visited by elephants. There are only six houses, and it gets disconnected during monsoons as the wooden bridge washes away as the rivers swell. The nearest motorable road is a 30-minute hike. Hence, there has been no infrastructural development.

The locals are losing belief in their vernacular architecture and indigenous wisdom, shifting to cement-based houses in an era where excessive use of industrialized building materials continues to push society towards an ecological crisis. 

The forest laws limit the material palette by banning the mining of slate and the extraction of wood. At the same time, we are witnessing technological advancements in the new materials economy globally. However, a Lack of awareness, collaborative platforms, and resources in India inhibit the innovation and acceptance of these materials. 

The House of Biomaterials aims to cross-stitch 
indigenous wisdom, art, design, technology, and science to foster regenerative futures.

It is a platform for multi-disciplinary designers to collaborate with rural communities to innovate and showcase products, installations, and projects made using plant-based or natural materials. For example, lampshades made of orange peel, chairs of mycelium, pen holders made using pine needles, rugs made of algae yarn, products using straw etc.

Thousands of tourists flock to the river below the village for white water rafting and pre-wedding shoots every year, but it remains hidden from them.

By building 'The House of Biomaterials,' we are trying to create a 'Bilbao effect' for the village. 

It intends to become an interdisciplinary nexus for knowledge exchange workshops designed to develop skills, products, techniques, and symbiotic circular micro-economies with the community by recognizing and strengthening social capital and working with existing materials. This program will invite residents to develop projects in collaboration with community members generating more livelihood opportunities for the villagers.

The project has already generated local employment and helped them learn a niche skill. Fifteen people have been employed throughout construction from the village and nearby villages, generating income locally.

The project has reinstalled belief in the vernacular techniques among the locals. More than 40 people have volunteered to build from around the globe and even helped locals to design their houses. We have hosted multiple educational documentary screenings, art and natural building workshops for children.

The museum would also run as a homestay for people to experience the benefits of living in a natural building and become aware of the possibilities of plant-based materials, sparking conversations on how design can positively impact the environment.

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