NORTH | Rahul Bhushan

Featured in @archdigestindia ! For their Sustainability issue, the article titled ‘A Man of the Mountains’. It feels like an achievement, a milestone that I want to frame but along with this exhilaration also comes another sneaky thought. Do I define it as a success? While I was digging the trenches to lay the foundation for Dhajji with my fellow karigars, I did not think of the end. As I broke apart the stones to lay on top of the other in perfect harmony, I did not think of the end. Feeling the mud smoothen underneath my fingertips while I plastered the wall, I did not think of the end. As I looked upon the finished structure - rugged, raw and mighty, just like my mountain people, I did not think of the end. We slowly put interiors, feeling each corner, tasting every colour, the lighting our longest discussion, we did not think of the end then. We wrote about it with feeling, clicked pictures in every season, watching it blend in or stand out with its surroundings. All I can say now, where it is still not the end, is that I feel one with my creation. It speaks of my philosophy like I never could, each hand etched into the reclaimed wooden planks that we can walk on holds a story of a time long gone. As we live, the wood breathes and takes in our story as well - a living museum to live and behold. THIS is what enriches and motivates me to my core. When the past, the present and the future dance in the walls of Dhajji House. Thank you for the recognition @archdigestindia , @komalinga and @urseaa .... there shall be many more to come, we have just begun! ☺️🍀☄️

This is a home we recently completed in Naggar, Himachal Pradesh. While being completely natural, it has all the comforts of a modern home. Actually, even better than a modern home, it is a sanctuary for the body mind and spirit. We should really ask the question of the space we spend most of our lives in and is it the most fulfilling to your being? . . . . . . . . #naturalhome #naturalbuilding #interiordesign #sustainableluxury #sustainablearchitecture #northnaggar #architecture #woodarchitecture #design #designindia

NORTH has moved from Naggar to Raison.
Our architecture and design studio, our team, our workshops and stays — everything now happens here. After years in Naggar, our daily life has gradually shifted closer to the river, orchards and open land where the next chapter of NORTH is taking shape. Built in deodar timber, stone and mud, Aeja is the hosted living space within the NORTH grounds. It is for people who come to live in time, make, reflect, work, rest and gather. Not a hotel in the usual sense.
More like a place shaped through weather, craft and the people passing through it. Now open in Village Malogi, Raison, Kullu Valley. P.S: Our Dhajji Cabin will come back soon, upgraded and full of life :)

Aeja (aej-zah — ‘come’ in Kulluvi) Built in deodar, stone and mud. A gathering space for people in the midst of becoming. Now open in Raison, Kullu Valley. An initiative by NORTH 🦎

Our Naggar home, 2018–2026 Painters came and worked by the windows. Writers filled notebooks at the table. Musicians carried instruments up the stone path. They sketched the architecture, recorded what the timber felt like, painted the light as it shifted. These are some of the things they left behind. Watercolors, ink drawings, notes written by hand. We’re closing this chapter and sharing a small part of what remained. @arvar.diaries @animitaguha @_.saqlain._._ @mi_sc_he_al @shilpa.sharma_2 Do comment and let us know if you have made any of these so we can add you! 😀💥✨♥️

Before we left, we stayed a little longer. Long enough to sit by the fire in our meadow. Long enough to watch the golden hour return after the rain. We took what we built. Wood, benches, the structures we made together. And what we couldn’t carry stayed with us— meditating to the wind in our forest, the whistling thrush nesting in our retaining wall. This land held us while NORTH found its form. Now we carry it forward. P.S : We are only moving 15 mins away to Raison, more to come on that sooon! 🦎

We have moved to Raison now, 15 minutes away from Naggar. NORTH continues in a new place, on new ground. The story doesn’t end, it opens. Gratitude to all the people who are still here after the transition, we are excited and ready to share all our learnings from the time gone by ❄️🦎💥 Winter has been revelatory this year.

Architecture isn’t just about what you see. It’s about how you think. At FOAID 2025, this panel explored a fundamental question: what truly shapes meaningful architecture beyond striking visuals? Moderated by Ayush Kasliwal (@ayushkasliwal of @akfd_studio ), the panel features: Aparna Kaushik of @aparnakaushikofficial @rudraksh42mm of @42mmarchitecture @amritaguha9 of @design_untitled @raul_bhushan of @live_north Maulshri Joshi of @spacematters_studio From decoding client lifestyles and engaging with craft to understanding cultural context and environmental response, the conversation reveals how design is driven by deeper inquiry rather than surface aesthetics. It highlights how an architect’s style is not repetition, but a reflection of consistent thinking and evolving intent and how even unbuilt projects can shape practice in profound ways. Because in the end, meaningful architecture doesn’t come from visuals alone. It comes from clarity, process, and purpose. 🎥 Watch the full session on YouTube #linkinbio. #FOAID #ArchitecturePractice #DesignProcess #ArchitectureIndia

In the Himalayas, some of the smartest design ideas have been around for centuries. Take kath kuni, a building style that brings together layers of deodar wood and locally sourced stone, all interlocked without a trace of mortar. You can still see it at Naggar Castle, one of the most popular landmarks in the town, where grey stone and warm wooden planks sit in perfect rhythm, holding their own through time. But it’s not just beautiful, it's also practical. The combination works like a system: stone adds weight and keeps the structure grounded, while wood introduces flexibility, allowing it to absorb shocks in an earthquake-prone region. Even the details are thought through—smaller doors and windows, thick wooden frames, and heavy slate roofs that help stabilise the entire structure. The name itself comes from Sanskrit, meaning “wooden corner”—a nod to the way timber beams lock tightly at the edges, with gaps filled using stone, hay, and rubble. This intricate layering allows the walls to shift slightly during seismic activity instead of cracking under pressure. It’s also a design rooted in everyday life. Traditionally, the ground floor houses livestock, while the upper levels—warmed by both sunlight and the heat rising from below—are where families live. Today, there’s a renewed interest in these building systems, not just as heritage, but as living, adaptable design. Architects like @raul_bhushan are revisiting techniques like dhajji dewari, reworking them for a contemporary context while keeping their original logic intact. Because sometimes, the most forward-thinking ideas are the ones that have already stood the test of time. @live_north

Drawing on vernacular Himalayan traditions such as kath-kuni timber construction and stone masonry, architecture studio NORTH (@live_north ) develops contemporary building systems rooted in local material intelligence. Founded by architect Rahul Bhushan (@raul_bhushan ) in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh in India, the design and research practice works at the intersection of architecture, ecology, and craft. Projects ranging from community-built homestays and craft-led hospitality spaces to experimental residential prototypes are realized through close collaboration with regional artisans and farmers. In this interview with @sunena_maju , Bhushan talks about NORTH’s on-site material experimentation, research-driven design, and how the work reimagines traditional knowledge as a living framework for climate-responsive architecture in fragile mountain ecologies. Read Maju’s conversation with Bhushan on The World Around’s editorial platform, Insights. Link in bio🔗

Our stay at North - an offbeat home stay in Naggar . @live_north Where we truly lived it !! Thanks to Mr Rahul & Mr Arqum ! Experience it !! Best companion, best views, best food, best people !!! Rest our photos will speak !! #indianphotographers #livenorth #himachal #doglover village #village

Nargis Cottage | Diyar, Kullu Presenting to you all a beloved project we recently completed in Diyar village. Set within a dense pine forest, this home sits quietly among the tall trees. Built in wood, stone and mud, this two-bedroom cottage uses the age-old wisdom of our ancestors - the Dhajji Dewari technique. An ode to the pine forest around, our connectedness to nature as mountain dwellers, and the wisdom of our ancestors.✨ #northarchitecture #northbuilds