As the work of rebuilding Nepal in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquakes continues, construction has begun on a unique project in the village of Phortse, a farming community that is home to many veteran Everest sherpas. The Teahouse, designed by London-based Denizen Works for the Little Sherpa Foundation, a charity that helps the children of guides who have died while working on the mountain, will serve as both hostel and community center, with proceeds supporting the charity’s work.
Local buildings, whose brightly colored metal roofs dot the village’s terraced slope, are constructed predominantly of stone. More than half were damaged or levelled in the quakes. “I wondered if it was possible to build an earthquake-resistant and eco-friendly building which local people could afford,” says James Lamb, a Scottish mountaineer who established the Little Sherpa Foundation in collaboration with Tashi Lama, a Nepalese monk. “Our hope is to produce a building inspirational to locals and tourists alike, which will also demonstrate an alternative method of building in this area.”
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