ECO RESORT - NEELUM VALLEY, AZAD KASHMIR BEYOND THE CHAIRLIFT

Abstract

This thesis presents a comprehensive site analysis for a proposed eco-resort at Arang Kel, Neelum District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (34.80°N, 74.33°E). The site is a hilltop meadow at 7,812 ft (2,381 m) elevation, approximately 2 km from the Line of Control, accessible only via suspension bridge, chairlift, and forest trek from Kel — with no vehicular access to the plateau. The research synthesizes geographic, historical, cultural, infrastructural, topographic, geologic, hydrologic, climatic, ecological, and hazard conditions to inform a 32-unit resort programme organised through gate house arrival, a main building with standard units, contour-following single-bed and twin-bed chalets, restaurant and mini-golf facilities, a plant nursery with meditation garden and dispensary, on-site cultivation, and sports courts. Findings establish that chairlift capacity, seasonal isolation (May–October operations), avalanche and flash-flood risk, meadow hydrology, Gujjar pastoral land use, and vernacular timber construction are the primary design generators. The study concludes that a light-touch, locally built, contour-responsive architecture — employing Deodar cedar, elevated platforms, and increasing privacy toward upper chalets — can deliver economically viable eco-tourism while preserving the meadow ecosystem and supporting local employment.