Mukteshwar is a small scenic hill town in the Kumaon Hills, Uttarakhand. With its numerous orchards, coniferous forests, rolling meadows, temples and multiple waterfalls it is a sought after destination by travellers. With the growing tourist footfall, urban scale problems have surfaced that involve traffic and parking. The project tries to address the parking issues in the vicinity. The intervention provides a much needed parking zone as well as develops a rootop plaza overlooking the snow capped himalayas for the tourists. The parking facility takes care of driver accomodation and washroom/bathing facilities. The plaza accomodates food counters and handicraft stores for the to encourage multiple local small scale businesses.
Offering a spectacular view of the Himalayas, the site itself holds a strategic spot on the mountain ridge helping reduce its vulnerability to earthquakes, landslides and flooding. The parking plaza is built out of Steel I-sections which can be easily transported and assembled with ease hence making the structure light and earthquake resilient. Castellated beams are used for spanning as they save on the material, give an additional beam depth and add to the aesthetic value. Perforated metal sheets are used for facade as sun shading elements as well breaking the mundane monotony of typical multilevel parking structures in the area. The roof top plaza is converted into a green terrace perfect for evening sunsets and stargazing.
