Beyond the Green Horizon: Amaya’s Vision of Sustainable Architecture and Himalayan Luxuries

If Amaya were ever left unoccupied, every element of its construction would naturally fade into the forest until not a trace was left. No hideous scar would remain upon the land; no decaying concrete protrusions would jut out from the treescape; no asphalt would be left to splinter and crack in the winter frost.

When Amaya’s villas and chalets were newly realised on the terraces, and our roofs gleamed in the sunlight, our founder Deepak Gupta and lead architect Bijoy Jain took to contemplating how Amaya might appear in the years and decades to come. A shrewd observation by Jain neatly encapsulated their conclusions: “Imagine when we are long dead and looking down at what we have built from above. These copper roofs will acquire the patina of age and look just like the land around it and it will all be green.”

We envisioned Amaya first and foremost as a sanctuary in harmony with the environment, with sustainability as our watchword. We wanted to preserve and restore the sublime beauty of the Himalayan foothills, and create a space for people to escape the city and reconnect to nature, while also paying tribute to the stewards of these hills whose construction methods and practices date back to time immemorial.

The timeworn terraces, once cultivated by generations of Himachali farming families, comprise the foundation of all our sustainable accommodation. Their sweeping curves follow the natural contours of the mountain, and we are committed to restoring them to their former glory. Constructing our sanctuary amidst the terraces was a natural decision; it allows us to minimize our ecological footprint while augmenting our visitors’ connection with the space we inhabit.

All the stone we use is local; all the wood reclaimed; the masonry a natural marriage between traditional techniques and contemporary sensibilities. The construction materials we have chosen—marble, wood, limestone and soil—are a proud declaration of our commitment to sustainable architecture. We want our living spaces to blend seamlessly with the tranquil rolling hills so the pine forest and mist-covered mountains can speak for themselves. Whether relaxing in solitude with a book in your chalet suite, or exploring the exquisite beauty of our hilltop setting, we want you to feel wholly integrated within your surroundings.

We took great pride in constructing Amaya as an ecologically responsible haven where luxury and sustainability coexist in perfect harmony. We are determined to prove that sustainable architecture, when resonant with local culture and authentic in spirit, requires no sacrifice in beauty. On the contrary, it provides for a consistent aesthetic connection to a place where lifeless construction materials like steel or plastic or concrete would look hopelessly out of place.

The character of our living spaces is intimately local but incorporates design influences from across the globe. The roofs of our villas and chalets, for instance, were crafted using traditional tools by the French roofer Jean Marc Moreno, whose hands helped shape Bijoy Jain’s award-winning 2012 ‘Copper House’ project. Our roofs are further testament to Moreno’s love for copper. Tastefully muted in hue, their copper complements the warm patina of the lime plaster walls, which were designed by the Swiss architect Ruedi Kerbs. Amaya sits at the forefront of global material culture – Kerbs channeled his passion for lime into workshops where he taught young West Bengali artisans to master its complex material properties. Under his expert guidance, these masons visited our site and set to work mixing lime with our local soil to construct our lime plaster walls and make our dream a reality.

These stone walls are inspired by the traditional architectural principles of mountain living embodied by the earliest structures in the villages dotted around Kasauli. Each layer is meticulously assembled by masons whose knowledge is steeped in history and whose mastery of traditional techniques ensures each structure is as authentic as it is beautiful.

We believe it is essential to foster sustainable architecture to protect this fragile ecosystem from the impact of climate change and restore the damage dealt by deforestation. The region’s biodiversity and rich cultural heritage have long been at risk from careless and unsustainable construction practices that lead to soil erosion and habitat loss. By enlisting local artisans working with sustainable materials and traditional building techniques, we help to preserve the delicate balance of the Himalayan pine forest and set an example for how to protect the health of our ecosystem and the well-being of our local communities, not just now but well into the future.