SPACES Nepal JULY 2016

JULY – VOL 12 NO. 05

Vol 12 No. 05 July 2016

A R T

A R C H I T E C T U R E

I N T E R I O R

NEPAL MANDALA

A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE KATHMANDU VALLEY

Public Safety Matters

business art The

of collecting

Embodied

Enlightenment SOME VALUABLE LESSONS OF 2015 NEPAL

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER 4 / SPACES MARCH 2016

Discovery Centre Banglore, India

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64 Jiva Urban Agriculture System Pvt. Ltd. Jhamsikhel 5532859, 9818438949 2 JK White Cement 14 Kuleshwor, NayaBasti, Kathmandu Ph: 977- 9851050650 prashant.chaturvedi@jkcement.com www.jkcement.com 4 Nagarik - Nepal Republic Media Pvt. Ltd. JDA Complex, Bagh Durbar Ph: 977-1-4265100, 4261808 circulation@nagariknews.com 10 Nepal Construction Mart Kupondole, Lalitpur, Nepal Ph-977-01-5180320 E-mail: info@nepalconstructionmart.com nconstructionm@gmail.com 48 Red Pepper Designers Lampati-14, Kalanki, Kathmandu Ph: 977- 9843376000 / 9813900416 E-mail: idsushovit2015@gmail.com www.facebook.com/redpaperdesigners 65 Skylight Pvt. Ltd. Naxal (Opp to Police HQ), Kathmandu Ph: 977-1-4423851 info@skylight.com.np www.skylight.com.np 66 Subisu Cablenet Pvt. Ltd. 148 Thirbum Sadak, Baluwatar Ph: 977-1-4235888 info@subisu.net.np www.subisu.net.np 71 Worldlink Communication Pvt. Ltd. Jawalakhel, Lalitpur Ph: 977-1-5523050 enterprise.support@worldlink.com.np www.worldlink.com.np

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Contents

Volume 12 NO. 05 | JULY

S P A C E S N E P A L . C O M

15

The business of collecting art

The new headquarters of Agni Incorporated is a labor of love.

The sleek building is interior designer NitilPrasai’s rendition of INTERIOR Cabinet Shrestha's ideas. The design- minimal but luxuriousspeaks volumes about Shrestha's personal taste, and its beauty is highlighted by the stunning paintings that hang on the walls of the Agni headquarters.

28

Embodied enlightenment

Dr. Dina Bandgel and co-curator Prajwol Man Shakya had worked very hard putting the art works together paintings so it INTERIOR is meaningful each room had a theme, as you entered the rst big room it viewers gave an idea of Samundra’s diversity. Making people understand what it takes to create an art work and also educating students was an important aspect of the exhibition.

20

Discovery Center

As a studio that engages ARCHAEOLOGY in progressive architectural practice with an intent to make buildings last longer through the utility of longer lifespan materials, the Discovery Centre is envisaged as architecture that exhibits cultural continuity and creates built form that need not to be conditioned and spruced up timely. A Greenfield project purposed to demonstrate the upcoming progressive development at Bangalore, the brief was to create a flexible city town hall that would also serve as the site office/sales office to illustrate the urban real estate initiatives of the Client.

45

Public Safety Matters

On 1st July 2016, we were discussing the issues of public safety and ARCHITECTURE disability access to the buildings in Nepal under the aegis of the Society of Consulting Architectural and engineering Firms, Nepal.

The discussion focused on the judicious conservation of Cultural Heritage monuments lost during the Gorkha earthquake, the reconstruction and strengthening of heritage settlements of Kathmandu Valley under the most talked about plan for Integrated resettlement reconstruction and their conservation without much to the heritage values of over 2,500 years, and ignorance of the policy makers of the “Conserve and Earn” projects successfully implemented in Lalitpur.

42

Earthquake Disaster

On 25 April 2015, a powerful earthquake struck nepal and triggered PERSONALITY a major humanitarian disaster. It resulted in about 9,000 deaths, 23,000 injuries, and an estimated economic damage of nearly uSD 10 billion or about 50% of the annual GDP. In this article, some important and interesting aspects of Moreove er, the hue prromotes sereenity and traanquility, maaking a persoon feel centeered and resttored.

The Colors of Nature the 2015 earthquake disaster are discussed and some Violet, thhe color of spirituality, takes our consciousnes c ss to a highher level of thought, intto the valuable are wisdom drawn forrespec thect, future. realms off spiritual vaalues.

Often lessons associated with w m and violet gennerates a peaaceful Over millionssurround of years, ding, relievin ng tension annd stimulatinng the brain to solve prooblems. Medditating in a room with theese peacefu ul colored walls evokkesfeelings of love, compassion, c generosity and the human eye has forgiveneess that leads to self-actuualization- thhe ultimate goal g of mediitation.

INTERIOR developed observing the intricacy and exquisiteness of the natural world and is attuned to the colors of nature. This may be the reason we unconsciously appreciate and are inclined to the colors of landscape, even in an interior space. To reestablish a connection to the natural world, the colors found in nature can be used as an inspiration for generating the interior color palette taking into consideration the inseparable link between nature and health, natural colors can be used as an effective design tool to design natural spaces in facilities dedicated to our wellbeing.

58

SPA AN ND WELLNESS CENTRE:

6 / SPACES JULY 2016

Spas are feel- good places devoted to enhhancing the overall welll-being through a varieety of urage the reenewal of body, b mind and spirit.IIt is an imm mersive welllness amenitiess that encou experiencce centered on mineraal- rich water which iss believed to t possess curative pow wers.

Therefore, the design n of a space for private retreat shouuld integrate clean, freshh and calm colors c

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Volume 12 NO. 05 | JULY CEO Ashesh Rajbansh Editor-in-Chief Ar. Sarosh Pradhan Director- products and Materials Ar. Pravita Shrestha Creative Manager Deependra Bajracharya Contributing Art Editor Madan Chitrakar

Kasthamandap Art Studio Junior Editor Shreya Amatya

Sristi Pradhan Advisor Ar. Pawan Kumar Shrestha Interns Riki Shrestha

Suprina Halwai Contributing Editor President - Society of Nepalese Architects

Ar. Jinisha Jain (Delhi) Ar. Chetan Raj Shrestha (Sikkim) Barun Roy (Darjeeling Hills) Photographers Pradip Ratna Tuladhar

Intl. Correspondent Bansri Panday Director- Operation & Public Relation Anu Rajbansh SR. Business Development Officer Debbie Rana Dangol Business Development Officer Priti Pradhan Accounts Sunil Man Baniya Legal Advisor Yogendra Bhattarai

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8 / SPACES JULY 2016

Contributors Badan Lal Nyachhyon

Dr. Sujan Malla Dr. Sujan Malla is a Nepalese structural engineer working since 2007 in the Dam Safety Department of Axpo Power AG, Baden, Switzerland, where he is responsible for numerical modelling, earthquake analysis and safety monitoring of dams. He received his M. Eng. in Structural Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand in 1988 and his Dr. Eng. from the University of Tokyo, Japan in 1991. From 1992 to 2007, he worked for Poyry Energy Ltd. (formerly Electrowatt Engineering Ltd.), Zurich, Switzerland, where he was involved in the analysis and design of various civil engineering structures.

Badan Lal Nyachhyon is chairman of Earthquake Safety Initiatives, a company focused capacitybuilding for coping with Nepal’s earthquake hazard.

The senior civil engineer is also managing director of Multi Consult (P) Ltd. Nyachhyon’s expertise include project management, contract management, civil engineering, research, construction management and community development, among others. He holds a Master’s in Architecture degree from the Kiev Civil Engineering Institute.

Kritika Rana Kritika Rana is a graduate from IOE Pulchowk Campus. She is currently practicing architecture at Prabal Thapa Architects. She is keen on research- based writings about architecture and the sensation of spaces. She believes in understanding the essence of space and its influence in human behavior. She is also interested in energy efficient and sustainable design in contemporary scenarios.

Pramila Rai Pramila Rai is a freelance writer with a keen interest in reading murder mysteries and fantasy novels. She has a masters degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Amity University in Noida, India. She likes to write about innovative youth and empowered women.

Asha Dangol

Prajwol Man Shakya Prajwol Man Shakya is a BA graduate in International Relations with minor in Buddhism from Antioch College, USA. He has studied Buddhism and politics from Japan in tenure of 3 months. He has been managing The Bodhisattva Gallery as a Director and co-curated two major exhibitions in the field of Newar art, Jewels of Newar Art (2011) and Embodied Enlightenment (2016) from the private collection of Anjana and Purna Man Shakya. He has also been working on the annual Hyatt Regency Kathmandu exhibition since 2013.

Asha Dangol is a contemporary Nepali visual artist. He is co-founder of the Kasthamandap Art Studio and E-Arts Nepal. He holds Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Tribhuvan University, and has been creating and exhibiting his art since 1992. He has 10 solo art exhibitions to his credit.

Dangol has participated in numerous group shows in Nepal and his work has been exhibited in different countries outside Nepal. The artist experiments with painting, mixed media, ceramics, installation, performance and video.

COVER PHOTO: © Ashesh Rajbansh

JULY 2016 SPACES / 9

editorial

Over a year after the 2015 earthquake – the tremors and aftershocks have subsided. As we walk around the city, there are plenty of reminders of the disasters. Yet life moves on, and we get busy with our daily routine and survival as the wounds heal. There are strong reminders of further disasters that can happen if we turn a blind eye to our natural setting of the fault lines, poor construction and maintenance issues of buildings. Its not just the natural disaster that is solely responsible for taking so many lives, but fuelled further by poor infrastructure, ill designed buildings, and even faulty boundary walls.

In this issue, Dr. Sujan Malla, traces the earthquake’s frequency in our region and the fault lines that lay hidden beyond our surface, he gives an overview of what he observed first hand as well as his research beyond the experience. We are sure our readers will get an interesting overview of the earthquake from a technical as well as an analytical point. In this well researched article, we learn about some of the valuable lessons derived from this disaster and are more aware of our natural setting and the methods in which we construct and build. It is interesting to note that he observes that the very thick soil layer in the Kathmandu Valley seems to modify the ground shaking in a way that is rather beneficial for most of the buildings. One of his conclusions is to be noted that the 2015 earthquake was a major seismic event, but even larger earthquakes are possible in Nepal. In addition to the earthquake reconstruction in the disaster zone, strengthening of weak structures must be carried out all over Nepal.

In the feature Public Safety Matters – Er. Badan Lal Nyachhyon brings to focus the neglected sphere of public safety and disability access to buildings and construction in Nepal. The recent news of two young students losing their lives after the collapse of a poorly built retaining wall while attending class in a school at Taudaha is a reminder of some of the basic negligence in the public domain that we need to counter. For every government and civilized societies - Public Safety should be of utmost concern.

In our international feature, we highlight the modern Discovery Centre in Bangalore, which is an interesting Greenfield project conceived as an assemblage of parts. The issues of sustainable design and sustainable development are explored from a very contemporary and modern dialogue in the design process. An interesting feature in this project is the creation of a flexible city town hall for various functions with a definite life span of 6 years, after which it would be relocated and moved down the site precinct.

Finally on a more colorful note, we feature the artistic and striking office space of Agni. This project showcases the combination of Business and Art, where the interior spaces are punctuated and adorned with artists work. It does reinforce the thought that Office spaces can have a spark, and also be creative and imaginative. It has to be noted that with patrons such as Cabinet and Susan’s endeavor in highlighting and giving space to Artists – does transform their office space to the freshness and playfulness of an art gallery.

After all life is also about Creativity and Art - beyond business.

Namaste!

Sarosh Pradhan / Editor in Chief

10 / SPACES JULY 2016

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TECHNO TRADE STARTS SALES OF PREMIUM SPRING MATTRESSES

B

usiness Partnership Programme 2016 was hosted by Techno Trade Pvt. Ltd at Soaltee Crown Plaza where it showcased the premium brand of King Koil mattresses.

The event was graced by the presence of the Business associates from M/S King Koil India formally represented

by Managing Director Mr. Archit Gupta and Director Mr. Nitin Gupta. The event was successfully hosted with the presence of other associate partners in the presence of media houses of Nepal.

King Koil Mattress brand are endorsed by ICA and FCER

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(USA) which claims to be one of the world’s oldest mattress brands being 110 years old.

It has been exporting its mattresses to more than 100 countries world wide.These mattresses are being used in more than 50 of the world’s renowned standard hotels in almost 10 million rooms.

Techno Trade Pvt. Ltd showcased different American branded King Koil mattresses in the program. The program mainly forecasted Dr.Mattress which is recommended by Spine doctors worldwide which results in a healthy and better sleep.

These mattresses are first of its kind manufactured after the research carried for decades.

Dr. Mattress has four major features which makes it reliable and affordable brand.They are manufactured using the most efficient sleep technology of Bonnell springs only 6 inches tall offering a perfect back support for a comfortable sleep after a long hectic day of work. Advanced Back support

which prevents all the harm an ordinary mattress could have for spines and Conforming Support for each sleep position making the spines aligned firmly in a straight line. Dr. Mattress is a durable and long lasting mattress having 7 years warranty. They are affordable grade mattresses being a type of bonded mattress which is specially prepared for general public.

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SCAEF PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION PROGRAMME

R

econstruction and conservation of our traditional heritage is one of the most talked about topics in the country, in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquakes. Thus, Society of Consulting Architectural & Engineering Firms (SCAEF), Nepal, held a presentation and discussion programme on the 1st July, 2016 at Hotel Manaslu under the convenorship of Ar. Rajesh Thapa.

lives over everything else. They have to realize that a man's life is worth everything whether he lives in a hut or a palace. Another example of carelessness was brought forward with reports of fire equipment being kept in quake vulnerable buildings and the inability of firefighters to rescue people during a calamity because of the logistical problems.

The programme was divided into two parts. The first half was titled, "Fact Finding and Problem Solving Workshop of Consulting Industry". A presentation on the same topic was carried out by Mr. Anish Joshi, an EC member of SCAEF followed by group discussions. The second half was titled, "Sharing of Experience on Public Safety", with a presentation and enquiry session conducted

by Er. Ananta Baidya who is a senior structural engineer based in San Deigo, USA.

The program ended on a note of all engineers being meek towards their profession, taking suggestions and consulting one another just like developing a national building code, which should be a collective effort.

The program discussed some significant issues like the revision of the Nepal National Building Code, the concept of retrofitting and making buildings seismically stable urging the attendees to ask questions shamelessly for public safety. The programme mainly emphasized on the fact that engineers are obliged to save

PRASHANTA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP 2073 AND ART EXHIBITION

N

epalese Contemporary Art has successfully established its own identity. Since ancient times Nepalese Art and craft have been making progress and established an identity for itself, to the present time. Prashanta Memorial Society

has been awarding scholarships since BS 2060, as a mode of encouragement to those who have been studying fine arts.

The scholarship is awarded to three students who have pursued Arts and Sculpting as a major subject in the Bachelors Degree in Arts and obtained the highest marks, from Kathmandu University Center of Fine Arts and Design and each from Lalit Art Campus and Srijana College of Fine Arts, which are running under Tribhuwan University, Faculty of Arts and Social Science. They are selected on the basis of their final undergraduate results published by Office of Examination Control, Tribhuwan University and Kathmandu University.

This year's scholarships were awarded to Tuk Bahadur Thapa Magar of Lalit Art Campus, Dinesh Simkhwal and Pramesh Sherchan of Kathmandu University Center of Fine Arts & Design. Sangita Thapa, Director of Siddhartha Art Gallery awarded the achievers with a Certificate of Appreciation and scholarship worth Rs. 15,000 in the memory of youth artist Prashanta Shrestha.

The program was held on 23rd June, 2016, Thursday at the Nepal Art Council Building in Babarmahal. The winners of The Prashanta Memorial Scholarship 2072 namely Vinita Buddhacharya and Anil Shahi also displayed their works through an exhibition inaugurated on the same day.

JULY 2016 SPACES / 13

Interior

business art The

of collecting

TEXT: Pramila Rai Photo: A. Rajbansh

The new headquarters of Agni Incorporated is a labor of love. The sleek building is interior designer Nitil Prasai’s rendition of Cabinet Shrestha's ideas. The design- minimal but luxurious- speaks volumes about Shrestha's personal taste, and its beauty is highlighted by the stunning paintings that hang on the walls of the Agni headquarters.

Viewers may just do a double-check while admiring these paintings.

In fact, these paintings are the first of its kind project with this being the first time that a corporate house has commissioned work from artists.

Shrestha, who is the Managing Director of Agni, explains how his love for art led to this project.

14 / SPACES JULY 2016

Interior

JULY 2016 SPACES / 15

Interior

16 / SPACES JULY 2016

Interior

“I've always been interested in art and try to collect paintings as much as possible.

My tryst with Nepali artists and their works began 25 years ago when Siddhartha Art Gallery opened with their first exhibition. If I had the means at that time I would have definitely bought at least three paintings,” he says, “So when we were working on this building, I knew I wanted to incorporate art in the designs. Nitil visited all my offices and even came to my home in order to get a feel for the kind of design and decor I like. He understood that art plays a prominent role in my life and that’s how we included space for the paintings.”

The paintings also have an important role in helping with the branding of the products.

Shrestha states that he was looking for something more than the usual branding

tools such as posters and pamphlets. He wanted something innovative and fresh.

Hence, artists had to work around the theme of 'Agni' or 'Mahindra'.

Twenty established as well as upcoming artists have worked on 25 paintings for the project. These artists include Shashi Shah, Kiran Manandhar, Birendra Pratap Singh, Batsa Gopal Baidya, Lok Chitrakar, Bhairaj Maharjan, Asha Dangol, Erina Tamrakar, Binod Pradhan, Pramila Bajracharya, Bidhata KC, Prithvi Shrestha, Rajan Panta, Jasmine Rajbhandhari, Hitman Gurung, Manish Harijan, Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Mekh Limbu, Anil Shahi and Narayan Bohaju.

Given free rein, they've gone to create passionate works that highlight the themes

JULY 2016 SPACES / 17

Interior

of 'Agni' or the legendary Mahindra vehicles in subtle or stark manners. Artists have chosen to play with colors. One painting depicts a woman contemplating about a solar electric car. An artist has chosen to illustrate a map of Nepal with different Mahindra vehicles at various parts of the country. There is a series of three paintings showing Mahindra vehicles in Himal, Pahad, and Tarai regions. An abstract painting plays with interesting textures while maintaining the theme with a swirl of Mahindra wheels in the right side of the canvas. These paintings are vibrant, and some figurative while some are abstract.

18 / SPACES JULY 2016

Interior

JULY 2016 SPACES / 19

Interior

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Interior

Despite this being the first of its kind project in Nepal and no precursor to learn from, Shrestha feels it went smoothly and without any hassles or challenges.

He credits this easy work largely to the collaboration between online art gallery E-Arts Nepal and Kasthamandap Art Studio. Shrestha's wife Susan runs the online art gallery in partnership with Kasthamandap Art Studio, the task of contacting and coordinating with artists was left largely to artist.

Asha Dangol has two of his paintings at the office. He says, “My paintings are based on traditional artworks. One of the paintings that I did for this project takes inspiration from the Garuda. But I’ve developed the Garuda into an eagle which is standing on top of two Mahindra

vehicles. I didn’t have problems merging my work with the given themes because I’ve been incorporating vehicles in my work for the past five years.”

The artists involved in the project are hopeful this initiative by Agni will encourage other corporate houses to follow suit.

Dangol says, “We hope industrialists and corporate houses understand that art is an investment. In India, it is the big business houses that started collecting art and encouraging artists. Now young entrepreneurs are continuing this interest in art which is a huge boost for artists. It is the business houses that play a huge role in increasing the value of an artist’s work over the years. So in a time period of 10 years, an artist could be worth a lot of money from which he started out. There’s a

JULY 2016 SPACES / 21

Interior

plus point for Indian corporate houses. Nepali entrepreneurs should also get this benefit.”

Artist Pramila Bajracharya adds, “It is such commissioned works that have helped develop artists from India and Bangladesh.

When the art market is good, it automatically affects the art industry where artists get the incentive to be more creative and work harder.

So support from the corporate sector is very important.”

Interior designer Prasai is based in Kolkata, India. Schoolmates at Darjeeling, Shrestha got the opportunity to admire Prasai’s works during school reunion programs in Kolkata.

Shrestha says, “There were a couple of programs held at different restaurants where I got to see some of his designs which I really liked. I asked him to send me samples of his work. That’s when I knew I wanted him to work on my building.”

Shrestha's initial positive impression of Prasai’s work was cemented when the designer’s plans were met with hearty approval as soon as he looked at them.

Shrestha says, “We just had two meetings.

22 / SPACES JULY 2016

Interior

The first time he went around and looked at my offices. At the second meeting we sat down for a discussion and ran ideas by each other. When he sent the designs, they were so good that they almost ready to be implemented.”

The art aficionado kept the design of the new building under wraps and enjoyed the look of awe on his employees’ faces. “Only my wife and I knew about the designs. I didn’t want a lot of inputs because that’s bound to be confusing. So my employees kind of walked into the office and got a shock,” he says.

He shares that with the paintings in place, there’s a certain beauty and lightness in the office which makes working fun. “The paintings exceeded all my expectations, to be honest. The artists have worked really hard. Some even came up here to measure the space for their painting and discussed the colors they were considering using. Our Nepali artists are very talented and I only wish I could have started on this project sooner.”

he delights in their positive feedbacks.

There’s a certain satisfaction when your ideas are met with appreciation, he says happily.

He urges fellow businessmen to invest in art and commission work from local talents.

Reiterating Dangol’s point about art as

investment, he says. “I remember at the opening of Siddhartha Art Gallery where I couldn’t afford some artists whose works were selling in thousands. Now 25 years later, those paintings are worth in lakhs of rupees. So that’s investment for you,” he states.

When visitors and guests come to the office, JULY 2016 SPACES / 23

architecture

Discovery Centre Banglore, India

TEXT & Photos : J.K. Cements Ltd.

24 / SPACES JULY 2016

architecture

BRIEF The brief also demanded the exploration of the possibilities of sustainable design and sustainable development on an extremely tight budget. The Discovery Centre is planned as a place-making exercise to craft an environment to attract people.

Also determined from the brief is the fact that the building is only placed for 6 years and post that, it would be relocated and moved down the site precinct and hence the building was conceived as an assemblage of parts. Being a Greenfield project in the outskirts of Bangalore, the design had to be more than just a rudimentary structure that would establish an identity even from the highway.

INTRODUCTION As a studio that engages in progressive architectural practice with an intent to make buildings last longer through the utility of longer life-span materials, the Discovery Centre is envisaged as architecture that exhibits cultural continuity and creates built form that need not to be conditioned and spruced up timely. A Greenfield project purposed to demonstrate the upcoming progressive development at Bangalore, the brief was to create a flexible city town hall that would also serve as the site office/sales office to illustrate the urban real estate initiatives of the Client.

DESIGN - AUDITORIUM An egg-shaped auditorium amidst an urban plaza is designed to attract the urban Indian family looking to be a part of the township. Built with Glass fiber to introduce the narrative, the auditorium sits amidst a lotus pond that with its lotus motif pays homage to Indian design. Painted red, the egg on the plaza is aimed to create apause point or a gathering point. Red as a color has the longest wavelength, and can be easily spotted from a distance - an in the face gesture for the visitor.

MATERIAL The building designed to react instantly to the environment; through seasons, time zones and durations that create different experiences, the building expresses that change.

This dictated the choice of the local materials that are adopted to integrate with the regional context; steelwork that is typical of this area is manipulated for a responsive material palette which is fairly simple comprising of glass, steel, fabric and stone with no timber bring brought in from the outside. Locally available sadarali stone that is typically used to create archetypal freestanding walls to demarcate boundaries in the region is used to further exemplify

the cultural continuity as a monolithic sculptural entity in the form of ramps, the water body etc. The longitudinal trusses are clad in a vinyl to express them as a visual element.

STRUCTURE
In a conventional large span structure, the column sizes are fairly large; to avoid this, dynamic laced columns are used that enables the structure to become a part of the building skin. In a typical 6m bay, the column is perceived to be much thinner than it actually is because it partially embedded within the glass, whilst being integrated with the ventilation system.

CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT Sun breakers at appropriate angles are employed both on the outside and the inside of the building. The clear Bangalore sun is exploited by the Photovoltaic farm that powers the plaza, the public area and the street lighting while Grey water is used for landscaping. A Thermal storage system is piggy backed on a 100% fresh air, earth cooling system. Displacement ventilation techniques are used to introduce cool air from below the floor; this in turn is extracted through the glass skin and layered the roof. Designed as an exhaust duct, the glass skin has a

JULY 2016 SPACES / 25

architecture

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architecture

void in between; beyond a certain point, a pressurized glass cavity is created which exhausts the air. This air coming out is at around 27 degrees C, and hence, the convection heat transfer is completely negated.

STAIRCASE & FINISHES A single light staircase in red steel & regional granite stand out as a distinct feature that brings visitors to itself. The flooring is such that it can be reused, including the materials used. Some parts of the building are false floor, owing to the

underfloor ducts. Atypical elements such as a Robertson deck are used to ensure that even the deck slabs are removable and can be used again.

As a studio that engages in progressive architectural practice with an intent to make buildings last longer through the utility of longer life-span materials, the Discovery Centre is envisaged as architecture that exhibits cultural continuity and creates built form that need not to be conditioned and spruced up timely. A Greenfield project

purposed to demonstrate the upcoming progressive development at the Bhartiya city, Bangalore, the brief was to create a flexible city town hall that would also serve as the site office/sales office to illustrate the urban real estate initiatives of the Bhartiya Group. The brief also demanded the exploration of the possibilities of sustainable design and sustainable development on an extremely tight budget.

Spread across 125 acres, the development is planned as a place-

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making exercise to craft an environment to attract people. Also determined from the brief is the fact that the building is only placed for 6 years and post that, it would be relocated and moved down the site precinct and hence the building was conceived as an assemblage of parts. Being a Greenfield project in the outskirts of Bangalore, the design had to be more than just a rudimentary structure that would establish an identity even from the glimpse off the highway.

While typically, a building of this nature is placed at the edge of the site as an open flexible shell that is dressed up, in order to enhance the spatial connect with the visitors, the Discovery Centre is placed at the heart of the site to engage the visitor right through the development. The building had

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to tell a story, the concerns of the township and of course demonstrate the residential and commercial characteristics of the development. Optimizing the sky, light and air quality in Bangalore, the intent was create a progressive design experience that would demonstrate the core value of a high quality of life in the development. Innovation is therefore crucial, and something distinctive had to be created that would not only stand out in form but also in colour, revealing a narrative for the township. In a derelict zone with no clear indication of what was to come in up in the imminent future, a palette that would enable all these aspects is adopted.

An egg-shaped auditorium amidst an urban plaza is therefore conceived, which would attract the urban Indian family looking to be

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a part of the township. Built with Glass fibre to introduce the narrative, the auditorium sits amidst a lotus pond that with its lotus motif pays homage to Indian design. Painted red, the egg on the plaza is aimed to bring the family together at one point. Red as a colour has the longest wavelength, and can be easily spotted from a distance even in the back of beyond- an in the face gesture for the visitor. Every other element such as Golf carts, an ice-cream van, plasma screens are typological inserts that may get amended over time. A single flight staircase in red steel & regional granite stand out as a distinct feature that brings visitors to itself. All other functions are planned as occurrences in an event that one happens to chance upon, inside the building.

The Building opens out at a lower level, connecting the north-south plaza, while creating a spill out space.

A light weight building is hence built on compacted soil that is borrowed from the

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excavated foundation of the surrounding development. The structure uses longer life span materials in a modular manner for ease of composition and assembly.

Earthfill has been used to create the plinth, in order to use all the material that is dug out from the lower levels. The idea is to take modularity beyond its conventional theoretical understanding, to a more literal level, that enables each panel, each nut and bold to be assembled, dismantled and then reassembled processing the building like a machine. A large span built form is fashioned with the truss being the most economical way of covering these large spans. Using a truss system also aids in keeping the roof light, brings light inside and also enables controlled surrounding views of the site. An architectural mesh and glass is hence used; frit printed glass is used in a manner that reduces internal heat gain, and in an environment like Bangalore, is easy to ventilate. Functionally, what is a created is a 90m long building with a 20m large

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reused, including the materials used. Some parts of the building are false floor, owing to the underfloor ducts. Atypical elements such as a Robertson deck are used to ensure that even the deck slabs are removable and can be used again.

span and a double height space and a deck that is suspended from the trusses to get a clear, multi-function space that can perform most functions (with a height of 4.5m).

The structure is exposed in its entirety and painted with water-based paint to further allow for visual connections.

In a conventional large span structure, the column sizes are fairly large; to avoid this, dynamic laced columns are used that enables the structure to become a part of the building skin. In a typical 6m bay, the column is perceived to be much thinner than it actually is because it partially embedded within the glass, whilst being integrated with the ventilation system. Sun breakers at appropriate angles are employed both on

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the outside and the inside of the building.

The clear Bangalore sun is exploited by the Photovoltaic farm that powers the plaza, the public area and the street lighting while Grey water is used for landscaping.

A Thermal storage system is piggybacked on a 100% fresh air, earth cooling system.

Displacement ventilation techniques are used to introduce cool air from below the floor; this in turn is extracted through the glass skin and layered the roof. Designed as an exhaust duct, the glass skin has a void in between; beyond a certain point, a pressurized glass cavity is created which exhausts the air. This air coming out is at around 27 degrees C, and hence, the convection heat transfer is completely negated. The flooring is such that it can be

Frit printed glass is used to not only dissipate heat, but also to play with patterns and enable changes in light transformation to make the building appear dynamic through the day. Grey on the outside and white inside, the multiple layers of the fritprinted glass creates a dynamic during the day and at night. The Lighting transforms itself with the change in the number of people occupying the plaza, and likewise at different times of the day. The Night lighting is dramatically different from the visual experience during the day, and is always unique with Interesting colours making the building come alive even at night.

The building should reacts instantly to the environment; since seasons, time zones and durations create different experiences,

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the building should expresses that change.

This dictates the choice of the local materials that are adopted to integrate with the regional context; steelwork that is typical of this area is manipulated for a responsive material palette which is fairly simple comprising of glass, steel, fabric and stone with no timber bring brought in from the outside. Locally available sadarali stone that is typically used to create archetypal freestanding walls to demarcate boundaries in the region is used to further exemplify the cultural continuity as a monolithic sculptural entity in the form of ramps, the water body etc.

The longitudinal trusses are clad in a vinyl to express them as a visual element. The flora selection is also regional and berming from the excavated top soil is used to create more gathering space outside that also maximized the moderate climate of the region. Ferns and grasses that change quickly in colour and texture are exploited as a canvas to further enhance the architectural dynamic that creates a unique experience on each visit.

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SOME VALUABLE LESSONS OF 2015 NEPAL

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

FIG. 1 MAJOR HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKES IN CENTRAL HIMALAYAN REGION BASED ON DATA FROM NCEI (2015), RAO ET AL. (2006) AND GAHALAUT (2009) • base map showing epicenters of earthquakes since 1900 prepared with NCEI Natural Hazards Viewer • yellow circles: earthquakes since 1900 with fatalities between 100 and 1000 • red circles: earthquakes since 1900 with fatalities exceeding 1000 • red squares: estimated epicenters of major historical earthquakes prior to 1900 added by the author

TEXT & photos : Dr. Sujan Malla

INTRODUCTION On 25 April 2015, a powerful earthquake struck Nepal and triggered a major humanitarian disaster. It resulted in about 9,000 deaths, 23,000 injuries, and an estimated economic damage of nearly USD 10 billion or about 50% of the annual GDP. Since the main shock with a magnitude of 7.8 Mw, many aftershocks have occurred, the strongest of which was the 7.3 Mw earthquake of 12 May 2015, which

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also caused significant additional damage (note: Mw stands for moment magnitude, which is preferred nowadays, especially for large earthquakes, instead of the Richter or local magnitude ML).

In this article, some important and interesting aspects of the 2015 earthquake disaster are discussed and some valuable lessons are drawn for the future.

BRIEF HISTORY OF EARTHQUAKE DISASTERS IN NEPAL Historical records show that almost every generation has experienced major seismic events in Nepal. The most significant earthquakes in the region are shown in Fig. 1, out of which the following are particularly noteworthy (Bilham, 2004; Newar, 2004; Rajendran et al., 2013; Sapkota et al., 2016):

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• 7 June 1255 AD: This was the first and the deadliest earthquake disaster documented in the Nepalese history. This earthquake, with a magnitude exceeding 8, killed 30,000 people in the Kathmandu region, including King Abhaya Malla. There were aftershocks for about three years and another major earthquake followed about five years later.

• 6 June 1505 AD: The approximately 600 km long rupture zone of this extremely strong event with a magnitude of more than 8 extended across the western half of Nepal. This earthquake caused widespread destruction in west Nepal, India and south Tibet.

• 26 August 1833 AD: The main shock of this earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.7 occurred at about 11 p.m. following two strong foreshocks. This earthquake disaster caused a lot of devastation in the Kathmandu valley and elsewhere.

• 16 January 1934 AD: The “Great Nepal-Bihar Earthquake” of 1934 AD (1990 BS) destroyed a large number of buildings and heritage structures. This earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 8.2 Mw and it killed around 17,000 people in Nepal and India, out of which about 4,500 died in the Kathmandu Valley.

FIG. 2 NUMBER OF AFTERSHOCKS PER WEEK DURING THE FIRST 21 WEEKS SINCE THE MAIN SHOCK OF 25 APRIL 2015 (USGS: UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SERVICES; NSC: NATIONAL SEISMOLOGICAL CENTRE; MW, MB AND ML ARE VARIOUS MAGNITUDE SCALES) FIG. 3 EPICENTERS OF MAIN SHOCK AND AFTERSHOCKS OF 2015 NEPAL EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE (DATA AND PLOT AS OF 13.05.2015 OBTAINED FROM THE WEBSITE OF USGS EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS PROGRAM; DASHED GREEN RECTANGLE ADDED BY THE AUTHOR)

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It should be noted that the magnitude of a historical earthquake is usually only a rough estimate that tends to vary from publication to publication. Other significant earthquakes in the history of Nepal occurred in 1260, 1408, 1681, 1767, 1810, 1869, 1916, 1980, 1988 and 2011 AD. 2015 NEPAL EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE The main shock with a magnitude of 7.8 Mw struck on 25 April 2015 without any significant precursor or foreshock. Since then, more than 400 aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.0 or higher have been recorded. After a major seismic event, it is quite normal that aftershocks occur for a considerable length of time until a frictional equilibrium is re-established in the fault, whose slip produced the earthquake. Although the frequency of aftershocks generally decreases with time, this process is by no means smooth and continuous. For instance, the aftershock frequency increased significantly after the occurrence of the strongest aftershock with a magnitude of 7.3 Mw on 12 May 2015, as shown in Fig. 2.

The epicenters of the main shock and the numerous aftershocks are distributed over an approximately rectangular area with a length of around 180 km and a width of around 65 km, as outlined by a dashed green rectangle in Fig. 3. It extends from the eastern part of the Lamjung district to the western part of the Dolakha district, with Kathmandu located in the middle near the

FIG. 4 MAJOR FAULTS IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION AND RUPTURE ZONES OF EARTHQUAKES OF 25 APRIL 2015 AND 12 MAY 2015 AS SHOWN

BY USGS (2015) ON A GENERALIZED CROSS-SECTION AFTER LAVÉ AND AVOUAC (2000) AND KUMAR ET AL. (2006) (MFT: MAIN FRONTAL THRUST; MBT: MAIN BOUNDARY THRUST; MCT: MAIN CENTRAL THRUST)

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southern boundary of the area. This area corresponds roughly to the fault rupture zone, as discussed in the next section.

While the epicenters of the 7.8 Mw main shock of 25 April 2015 and a strong 6.6 Mw aftershock, which occurred about half an hour after the main shock, are both in the Gorkha district near the western end of the rupture zone, the strongest aftershock of 12 May with a magnitude of 7.3 Mw and the next strongest 6.7 Mw aftershock of 26 April had their epicenters in the Dolakha and Sindhupalchok districts, respectively, about 130 km to the east of the epicenter of the main shock.

FAULT RUPTURE ZONE To quote the Wikipedia article on aftershocks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Aftershock, ver. 14.05.2015): “Most aftershocks are located over the full area of fault rupture and occur either along the fault plane itself or along other faults within the volume affected by the strain associated with the main shock.”

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FIG. 5 HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL GROUND DISPLACEMENTS CAUSED BY 7.8 MW MAIN SHOCK OF 25 APRIL 2015; BLUE AND RED SHADES REPRESENT VERTICAL GROUND DISPLACEMENTS AND SCALED ARROWS INDICATE DIRECTIONS AND AMOUNTS OF HORIZONTAL GROUND DISPLACEMENTS (FIGURE CREDIT: NASA/JPL-CALTECH; SEE MCKINNEY, 2015)

Thus, the rectangular area marked by a green dashed line in Fig. 3 also indicates approximately the extents of the fault rupture zone of the 2015 Nepal earthquake sequence. The available information suggests that a slip of up to about 4 m occurred on the nearly horizontal main Himalayan fault, which is a continuation of the main frontal thrust (MFT) fault, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The ground displacements resulting from this fault movement were computed by a team of Caltech and JPL scientists based on a combination of satellite radar imaging data and GPS data (McKinney, 2015). These displacements are plotted in Fig. 5, which shows that Kathmandu shifted by around 2 m towards the south and rose by about 1 m during the main shock.

It is indeed typical that a strong Himalayan earthquake is associated with the rupture and slip of an almost horizontal fault located at a relatively shallow depth of around 10 to 20 km below the ground surface (see Fig. 4). The estimated fault rupture zones of the major historical earthquakes in this region are indicated in Fig. 6, which shows that the rupture zone of a strong Himalayan earthquake usually extends over an area of the order of 10,000 km2 or even much more. The ground surface just above the nearly horizontal fault rupture zone bears the brunt of the earthquake destruction. Owing to the sheer size of the rupture zone, a strong Himalayan earthquake results in a largescale regional disaster affecting a huge number of people and inevitably poses a

FIG. 6 ESTIMATED RUPTURE ZONES OF MAJOR HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKES IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION AND SUSPECTED “SEISMIC GAP” EXTENDING ACROSS WEST NEPAL AND EASTERN PART OF UTTARAKHAND STATE OF INDIA • base map prepared with NCEI Natural Hazards Viewer • approximate rupture zones of historical earthquakes according to Pandey and Molnar (1988), Avouac et al.

(2001), Chamlagain (2009) and Shen Tu (2015) added by the author • dashed black ellipses: rupture zones of historical earthquakes prior to 1900 • dashed red rectangles: rupture zones of earthquakes since 1900 • dashed blue line with arrows: suspected "seismic gap"

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distance from the epicenter. Hence, when a strong earthquake strikes, the location of the epicenter often gets a lot of media attention. In press articles, an earthquake is often depicted on a map by concentric circles centered on the epicenter, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

FIG. 7 MISLEADING DEPICTION OF EARTHQUAKE CENTERED ON EPICENTER IN PRESS ARTICLES

FIG. 8 DISTRICTWISE DISTRIBUTION OF DEATHS CAUSED BY 2015 NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

(map source: NSET; see Shrestha, 2015; location of epicenter of main shock added by author)

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massive disaster management challenge.

This needs to be kept in mind in planning for earthquake disaster preparedness in Nepal.

EPICENTER AND EPICENTRAL DISTANCE There is a widespread belief that the destructive power of an earthquake generally decreases with an increasing

The statistics of fatalities depicted in Fig. 8 shows that the largest loss of lives occurred in the Sindhupalchok district, around 100 km to the east of the epicenter. This means that the intensity of ground shaking due to the main shock of 25 April 2015 was very severe in Sindhupalchok in spite of the large distance from the epicenter. Obviously, the destructive power of the main shock did not decrease with an increasing epicentral distance. This is also evident from the earthquake intensity map of the main shock in Fig. 9, which shows that the most severely shaken region corresponds roughly to the fault rupture zone.

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The great Nepal-Bihar earthquake of 1934 also caused massive destruction in the Kathmandu Valley, although the epicenter was about 120 km away. Many people attributed the strong shaking in the Kathmandu Valley primarily to the local dynamic amplification in the thick sediment layer (lake deposits). As illustrated in Fig. 6, the estimated rupture zone of the 1934 earthquake was indeed huge and the Kathmandu Valley was actually within

FIG. 9 GROUND SHAKING INTENSITY MEASURED IN THE MODIFIED MERCALLI SCALE DUE TO THE 7.8 MW MAIN SHOCK OF 25 APRIL 2015 (FIGURE CREDIT: USGS, 2015)

this zone (Pandey and Molnar,1988; Avouac et al., 2001; Chamlagain, 2009).

The Wikipedia article on epicenters mentions an interesting example of the 7.9 Mw Denali earthquake of 2002 in Alaska, whose epicenter was at the western end of the rupture zone, but the greatest damage occurred about 330 km away at the eastern end of the rupture zone (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicenter, ver.

15.05.2015).

By definition, the epicenter of an earthquake is the point on the ground surface lying vertically above the hypocenter, i.e. the location of the rupture initiation on the causative fault. As an earthquake unfolds, the rupturing of the rock propagates over an area known as the fault rupture zone, which may indeed be very huge in a strong earthquake, as already discussed. As a matter of fact, seismic waves are generated over the whole of the fault rupture zone and not just at the epicenter, which may not even be at the center of the rupture zone. At any given location in the affected area, the rupture zone may thus be much closer than the epicenter. For example, the epicenter of the main shock of the 25 April 2015 earthquake was about 80 km from the Kathmandu Valley, but the closest portion of the source of the seismic waves was actually much nearer, since the fault rupture zone was essentially directly below the valley at a depth of just over 10 km.

STRONG-MOTION RECORDS For an objective assessment of the earthquake shaking, it is necessary to analyze records of strong-motion instruments or seismometers. The locations of 6 strong-motion stations that recorded the earthquake shaking in the Kathmandu Valley during the main shock of the 2015 earthquake are marked in Fig. 10. The ground accelerations due to the main shock recorded at 5 out of these 6 stations are compared in Fig. 11, which has been taken from Takai et al. (2016).

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To minimize losses of lives and property in the rural area during inevitable future earthquakes, it is urgently necessary to spread the knowledge about cost-effective means to improve the earthquake resistance of stone masonry buildings. It would be a mistake if the collapsed buildings are hastily rebuilt without incorporating earthquake-resistant features.

The author is not aware of any strong-motion records of the 2015 earthquake from rural areas outside the Kathmandu Valley. There is clearly an urgent need to install many more strong-motion instruments all over Nepal, so that more reliable seismic loads can be specified in the national building code on the basis of earthquake records.

Such strong-motion stations are not very expensive nowadays, but they do need good care and regular maintenance if they are to properly function when the next major earthquake strikes.

OBSERVATIONS OF EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES Stone rubble masonry buildings in rural mountainous region In the rural mountainous region of Nepal, a majority of people live in houses made of stone rubble masonry held together with mud mortar. Such structures are inherently vulnerable to sudden brittle failure when subjected to strong earthquake shaking (see Fig. 12). In some villages, almost 100% of such stone masonry buildings collapsed or were severely damaged during to the 2015 earthquake sequence. This is the main factor behind the high casualty figure in the mountainous Sindhupalchok district, where 3531 fatalities have been confirmed, accounting for about 40% of the total death toll of the 2015 earthquake disaster. Also in other mountainous districts, such as Nuwakot, Dhading, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Kavrepalanchok, etc., many stone rubble masonry buildings collapsed, causing numerous injuries and deaths.

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Earthquake damage to brick masonry buildings in Kathmandu Valley A majority of buildings in the old towns and villages in the Kathmandu Valley are made of brick masonry held together by mud mortar. Such buildings are also vulnerable to earthquake damage, although somewhat less than the stone rubble masonry buildings. Many brick buildings suffered partial or total collapse or suffered significant damage during

FIG. 10 STRONG-MOTION RECORDING STATIONS IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY (FIGURE SOURCE: TAKAI ET AL., 2016; USGS: UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SERVICES; HU-TU: HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY &TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY; NSC: NATIONAL SEISMOLOGICAL CENTRE, NEPAL; LOCATION OF NSC STATION ADDED BY THE AUTHOR)

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FIG. 11 ACCELERATION RECORDS OF 7.8 MW MAIN SHOCK OF 25 APRIL 2015 FROM STRONG-MOTIONS STATIONS IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY (FIGURE SOURCE: TAKAI ET AL., 2016; KATNP RECORDS PROVIDED BY USGS)

the ground shaking produced by the 2015 earthquake (see Fig. 13 to Fig. 15). However, a vast majority of such old brick buildings in the Kathmandu Valley surprisingly did not collapse during such a strong earthquake (see Fig. 16). Among the three largest old towns of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the percentage of collapsed brick buildings appears to be the highest in Bhaktapur. In some smaller towns and villages, such as

Sankhu and Lubhu, the level of destruction of old brick buildings was substantially higher.

The low collapse rate of the old brick masonry buildings fortunately helped to keep the total number of casualties in the Kathmandu Valley substantially below the predictions of various earthquake risk assessments. For example, in connection with the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project (KVERMP), a study was carried out during the years 19971999 to estimate the possible earthquake damage on the basis of the historical data of the 1934 earthquake and casualty figures from earthquake disasters in other comparable cities. The results of this study indicated that about 40,000 deaths and 95,000 injuries could occur in the Kathmandu Valley in the next major quake (Dixit et al., 2000). The possible mitigating factors that contributed to the relatively low casualties in the 2015 earthquake disaster will be discussed in a later section.

FIG. 13 COLLAPSED GABLE WALL OF A BRICK MASONRY BUILDING AT JAMAL IN KATHMANDU (photo: Sujan Malla)

FIG. 12 PARTIALLY COLLAPSED STONE RUBBLE MASONRY BUILDINGS SEEN ALONG TRIBHUVAN HIGHWAY (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA)

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FIG. 14 A TRADITIONAL BRICK MASONRY BUILDING WITH COLLAPSED UPPER STOREYS IN BHAKTAPUR (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA) FIG. 15 A BRICK MASONRY BUILDING WITH MAJOR CRACKS CAUSED BY 2015 EARTHQUAKE SHAKING (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA) FIG. 16 OLD BRICK MASONRY BUILDINGS NEAR INDRACHOWK IN KATHMANDU WITH LITTLE VISIBLE DAMAGE AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE OF 25 APRIL 2015 (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA)

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Temples and heritage structures The earthquake of 25 April 2015 had a devastating effect on the ancient temples and heritage structures in the Kathmandu Valley (see Fig. 17 to Fig. 19), many of which are parts of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites. A disproportionately high percentage of such structures collapsed, compared to the brick masonry and reinforced concrete frame buildings in their immediate neighborhood.

• Age (the heritage structures are generally older than the surrounding buildings) • Lack of maintenance • Unusual structural systems (higher flexibility, larger masses) • Pre-existing damage and cracks due to past strong earthquakes of 1833 and 1934 • Hasty and poor-quality reconstruction after collapse caused by the 1934 earthquake

Some possible explanations for the higher level of earthquake damage to the temples and the heritage structures are as follows:

Interestingly, some old temples that have survived the 2015 earthquake are also known to be those that suffered the

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FIG. 17 PAGODA TEMPLE WHOSE DETACHED UPPER PORTION LANDED SEVERAL METERS AWAY AT KATHMANDU DURBAR SQUARE (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA) FIG. 18 TRAILOKYA MOHAN NARAYAN TEMPLE IN KATHMANDU COLLAPSED DURING THE EARTHQUAKE SHAKING, BUT NEIGHBORING BUILDINGS SURVIVED (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA); INSET PICTURE SHOWS THE TEMPLE BEFORE THE 2015 EARTHQUAKE (PHOTO: SUNDAR1 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS) FIG. 19 REMAINS OF COLLAPSED VATSALA DEVI TEMPLE AT BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE; INSET PICTURE SHOWS THE TEMPLE BEFORE THE 2015 EARTHQUAKE (PHOTOS: SUJAN MALLA)

least damage in the 1934 earthquake disaster, for example the Akash Bhairav Temple and the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, and the Nyatapole Temple in Bhaktapur (Shakya, 2000). An investigation of the possible reasons (e.g. more robust structural system, better maintenance, etc.) for the apparent earthquake resilience of these temples could provide valuable hints for the earthquake-resistant redesign of the collapsed temples.

Earthquake damage to reinforced concrete buildings Concrete buildings are relatively new in Nepal and have been built mainly since the

1960s. Such a building consists typically of a reinforced concrete (RC) skeletal frame with brick infill walls. Many found it surprising that quite a few of these modernlooking structures also collapsed during the earthquake shaking (see Fig. 20 to Fig. 22).

In Nepal, RC frame structures are often built without performing proper structural analysis and design by a qualified structural engineer or by assuming a too low earthquake loading not exceeding about 0.1 g. Poor concrete quality and deficient reinforcement detailing are further factors that make the RC frame structures in Nepal vulnerable to earthquake damage.

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FIG. 21 PANCAKE COLLAPSE OF AN RC FRAME BUILDING AT SITAPAILA IN KATHMANDU (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA)

FIG. 20 A COLLAPSED RC FRAME BUILDING AT TRIPURESWOR IN KATHMANDU (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA)

While an RC frame efficiently supports the static vertical gravity loads, it is less suitable to resist the substantial horizontal forces occurring during a strong earthquake. Many building owners are not aware of this fact, due to which a vast majority of the RC buildings in Nepal have been built without proper shear walls, which would ideally be in the form of adequately reinforced concrete walls.

As a result, the horizontal shear forces due to an earthquake would be carried primarily by the brick infill walls, which are, however, brittle and usually quite slender, with a thickness of not more than about 23 cm (one brick length). In fact, most internal partition walls and sometimes even external walls are only 11 cm (one brick width) thick (see Fig. 22).

MITIGATING FACTORS A major factor that helped to keep the casualty figures well below the predictions was the fact that the earthquake of 25 April 2015, although very strong, was not the worst possible event in the seismo-tectonic

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setting of this Himalayan region. This is also evident from Table 1, which shows that the fatality rate in the Kathmandu Valley due to the 2015 earthquake was very low compared to the 1255 and 1934 earthquakes.

Another possible mitigating factor in the case of the Kathmandu Valley is the nature of the ground motion on the surface of the soil layer with a thickness of up to about 500 m. The strong-motion records indicate that earthquake shaking gets modified by

this very thick soil layer in two important ways (see Fig. 23): 1. The ground motion on the valley surface consists predominantly of a low-frequency (i.e. long-period) motion with a period of about 4 s to 5 s, which apparently corresponds to the fundamental period of the soil layer (Malla, 2015). This type of slow shaking would not get dynamically amplified in a typical 4-storey building, whose fundamental natural period is of the

TABLE 1 COMPARISON OF FATALITIES IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY DUE TO EARTHQUAKES OF 1255, 1934 AND 2015 (NEWAR, 2004; SAPKOTA ET AL., 2016; ALL FIGURES ROUNDED UP) Year

Earthquake magnitude

Estimated population

Number of fatalities

Fatality rate (in % of population)

1255

> 8.0 Mw

100,000

30,000

30%

1934

8.2 Mw

315,000

4,500

1.4%

2015

7.8 Mw

3,000,000

1,750

0.06%

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the next devastating earthquake in a given region. This could happen sometime soon, but it could also take many more decades or even centuries.

FIG. 22 HEAVILY DAMAGED THIN BRICK INFILL WALLS OF AN RC FRAME BUILDING IN KATHMANDU (PHOTO: SUJAN MALLA)

order of 0.4 s (note: the rule-of-thumb T = 0.1 N gives a rough estimate of the natural period of an N storey building).

Very tall and flexible structures with relatively long natural periods could, however, be more susceptible to the earthquake shaking in the Kathmandu Valley and need to be designed and built accordingly.

2. In the Kathmandu Valley, the peak ground acceleration (PGA) of the horizontal ground shaking reached up to about 0.2 g to 0.3 g only during the main shock and did not exceed 0.1 g during the aftershocks. The relatively low PGA on the ground surface is possibly the result of filtering out of the high-frequency content of the seismic waves by the thick soil layer. The ground motion outside the Kathmandu Valley presumably had a significantly larger PGA and much stronger high-frequency content, as would be normally expected during a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 Mw. This can, however, not be verified due to the lack of any

strong-motion records outside the valley.

In other words, the strong-motion records of the 2015 earthquake show that earthquake shaking gets significantly altered by the thick soil layer in the Kathmandu Valley, but it does not get amplified, as commonly but erroneously believed in the past. This is indeed one of the most surprising revelations of the 2015 Nepal earthquake disaster.

HOW TO BE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE NEXT BIG ONE Some seismologists have told the media that the estimated fault slip of the earthquake of 25 April 2015 released only a fraction of the accumulated strains in the causative fault (for example, see Oskin, 2015). This has resulted in some lingering fear among the public that the 2015 earthquake might be followed by an even stronger event. Unfortunately, the science of earthquake prediction is not very reliable and it is impossible to accurately predict

It is needless to say that the only rational protection against future earthquake catastrophes of possibly even larger magnitudes is to improve the safety of the buildings and other structures. Thus, it would not be wise to rebuild the collapsed and heavily-damaged structures hastily without properly designing, planning and incorporating features to ensure sufficient earthquake resistance. Even an existing building that has apparently suffered only relatively minor visible damage due to the 2015 earthquake may still be inherently structurally deficient and may not survive a much stronger earthquake in the future.

Also such buildings need to be identified and retrofitted or rebuilt. Of course, this is easier said than done, as it could require substantial financial investments that could be beyond the means of the average building owner.

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architecture FIG. 23 ACCELERATION TIME HISTORIES AND ELASTIC RESPONSE SPECTRA OF GROUND MOTION RECORDED DURING THE 7.8 MW MAIN SHOCK ON 25 APRIL 2015 AT THE KANTI PATH STRONGMOTION STATION IN KATHMANDU (H1, H2: HORIZONTAL COMPONENTS, V: VERTICAL COMPONENT; FIGURE CREDIT: USGS/CESMD)

The tasks of rebuilding and strengthening poorly-built structures should be taken up as soon as possible also in other regions of the country not affected by the present disaster, since the next powerful earthquake may very well strike elsewhere. For instance, since no major earthquake has occurred in west Nepal since 1505 AD, this region is considered by some to be a “seismic gap” (i.e. a region with an active fault that has not ruptured for a long time, but is known to be capable of causing a large earthquake) with an enhanced earthquake risk (see Fig. 6).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Some valuable lessons of the 2015 earthquake disaster can be summed up as follows: 1. A major Himalayan earthquake causes a largescale regional disaster that affects a huge area of the order of 10000 km2 or more.

This needs to be taken into account in the disaster management planning to deal with future earthquake disasters.

2. The epicenter is not a relevant reference point for assessment of damage caused by a strong Himalayan earthquake.

3. Many more strong-motion stations are needed in Nepal, so that earthquake loads can be correctly specified in the future building codes.

4. The 2015 earthquake was a major seismic event, but even larger earthquakes are possible in Nepal.

5. The very thick soil layer in the Kathmandu Valley seems to modify the ground shaking in a way that is rather beneficial for most of the buildings.

6. In addition to the earthquake reconstruction in the disaster zone, strengthening of weak structures must be carried out all over Nepal.

This article is a summarized and updated version of a short report written by the author and published online by the Swiss Society for Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics at the following link: http://www. sgeb.ch/erkundungsmissionen/Nepal2015.pdf.

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e: arancia.nepal@gmail.com w: www.aranciakuchen.com.np

Kalanki, Kathmandu-13, Contact Number: 01-4274803/9801201678, Email: arancia.nepal@gmail.com

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architecture

Public Safety Matters

TEXT & Photo : Er. Badan Lal Nyachhyon

THE ALERT INCIDENT That day, 1st July 2016, we were discussing the issues of public safety and disability access to the buildings in Nepal under the aegis of the Society of Consulting Architectural and Engineering Firms, Nepal.

The discussion focused on the judicious conservation of Cultural Heritage monuments lost during the Gorkha Earthquake, the reconstruction and strengthening of heritage settlements of Kathmandu Valley under the most talked about plan for Integrated resettlement reconstruction and their conservation without much to the heritage values of over 2,500 years, and ignorance of the policy makers of the “Conserve and Earn” projects successfully implemented in Lalitpur. The project had preserved the ancient value, materials, aesthetics and technology to convert it to the quality tourism accommodation.

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Talking to the forum, Er Anata Ram Baidya from San Diego, USA said, “If the Earthquake Recovery efforts will finally lose the heritage value for what the whole world recognize the image of Nepal, there is no point for the tourists to visit Nepal. Nobody comes to Nepal to see the concrete jungle camouflaged in the heritage outlook. It is the form, size and shape, combination of ornamental value of the natural materials expressed through clay, brick and timber. We were very happy that we could bring such an important issue to lime light and draw attention of the Nepalese Diaspora.

The next day was pretty bad for us. There was a very bad news in the market. Two innocent students attending the class in a school at Taudaha, Kathmandu were killed and several students severally injured due to the collapse of a commercially built prefab-

panel school building as a consequence of collapse of a retaining wall constructed by some unscrupulous developer of a real state property. The news papers reported that the unscrupulous developer had run away and cannot be traced out. There was no news on this issue for next two days. If it was a case of an accident in Aviation sector, a big commission would have been conducting an immediate investigation it. In next two days, a committee for investigation of the case was commissioned. The results are still on waiting. Possibly there was a lapse in planning of the school and adequate set back and right of way of the road and retaining wall was violated. Had the school been constructed at a safe distance from the retaining wall, the incident would have been averted. But there is no such agency that inspects and controls the public safety of the school.

architecture

THE LEGAL STRUCTURE The status of Legal Structure of Public Safety in Nepal is not known. A search over Internet exposed an Act known as Public Safety Act 1990 and Public Safety Regulation, 2001 of Nepal deal mostly with the Law and Order situation and related to probably related to Public Security Issues.

In United States, a Public Safety Department has a numerous tasks: • Fire and Rescue

• Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services • Police and Security Guard • Emergency Communication • Office of Emergency Services • Inspection and Code Enforcement (Building safety) • Animal Control • Department of Motor vehicles These responsibilities are usually organized into several organizations and agencies under the Department of Public Safety.

The Public safety organizations as defined by the Wikipedia include emergency management agencies, fire departments, rescue squads, and emergency medical services. The public safety issues a city may grapple with include narcotic use, trespassing, burglary, harassment, unauthorized living, noise, littering, unauthorized obstructions, inappropriate social behavior, and other quality of life issues.

Generally organizations are involved in the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of th general public from significant danger, injury, or property damage, such as crimes and disaster (natural or human-made).

In Nepal, these responsibilities are divided into various agencies without H or V relationships and frequently not recognized by each other that they have some kind of relationships.

Most of the Public Safety Issues are simply not recognized so far.

Out of the above mentioned 8 responsibilities, that day we were talking about the sixth responsibility ie The Inspection and [Building] Code Enforcement (ICE). This section of Responsibility may be the most neglected one.

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architecture

SOME CASES OF PUBLIC SAFETY LAPSES Some years back, a roof of a hospital in Pokhara collapsed and 10 patients waiting for medical checkup were killed. We didn’t get any information that a0 they were covered under a “All Risk Insurance Policy” of the Hospital and that the bereaved families were compensated, b) the Hospital Building were inspected and Building Code Compliance was checked, or c) any lessons were derived from the incident to improve the Safety provisions in the Building Code.

The Bridge over the Kodku Khola, Lalitpur sagged during a monsoon flood, back in 1995, and a local business man was

washed away along with his car. What ICE requirements were considered and who are the Inspectors to check the Safety Status of existing and new infrastructures and what reports they have submitted. Who is the Inspector General of PSD? The random widening of the streets and roads in Kathmandu had triggered the merciless cutoff the façade of the buildings along the widened roads. The rebuilt was as quick as the cutoff action. These actions did not comply with the ICE requirements.

All of these buildings are hazard to Public Safety since nobody has inspected officially and certified for Safety Assurance that require to be proved with engineering design analysis. The narrow footpaths, high curbstones, uncovered drainages, and ROW underground retaining walls along the roads, the dusty roads, road obstructions, lost manhole covers, collapsing buildings, sewage flood in Patan, pollution from Solid Waste burning are some examples of Public Safety issues that had been the cause of broken legs and limbs. Normally, the incidents under such safety issues are neither claimed nor reported by the public.

The Government must be very thankful for this kind of generosity of the people. The Government is very smart and simply did not create any agencies where you can report the lapse in the Safety Planning, design and enforcement.

SAFETY OF BUILDINGS The Public Safety matter is not a part of the building bylaws, Nepal National Building Code. The local and central governments’ responsibilities in this respect are still to be defined and right authorities are still to be identified.

The post earthquake recovery of buildings and settlements in Nepal is taking the shape of what it was before the earthquake and are being built without any value addition for Earthquake resilience and assurance of Public Safety in the absence of adequate technical guidance, inspection and code enforcement.

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SAFETY DURING CONSTRUCTION The Construction Safety in Nepal is governed by the Nepal National Building Code NNBC 114:1994 which include the provision of Safety Control on the shoulder of the supervising engineer. There is no provision of Inspection and Code Enforcement (ICE) who will warrant the Public Safety during construction.

Few years back the construction of the District Court in Babar Mahal, Kathmandu was havoc with several cracks observed in neighborhood premises and road formation subsidence.

The Rotary Building construction at Thapathali, Kathmandu was pending since few years and the basement trench with partial construction remained open without any safety measures being taken. This possesses serious threat to the public safety. It will be another sad event if any bad incident occurs at this site.

The basement construction in Kathmandu is one of most hazardous activities in Kathmandu since the construction sites are mostly have no safety designs and method

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statements prepared. The Inspection and Code Enforcement are not ensured.

Several of the basement construction sites are characterized by the soil subsidence of neighborhood premises with collapsed boundary walls, tilted or broken protection piles, under washed underground piles which invite the collapsed of exposed trench walls, rising trench bottoms, particularly during the monsoon season.

In such cases, the Inspection and Code Enforcement becomes more demanding to ensure the Public Safety.

CONCLUSIONS For every government and civilised societies, the Public Safety shall be the most prime concern. The construction Industry has a very famous quote: Safety First. But it seems that Nepalese

Society is left far behind and still living in the wilderness where the Survival of the Fittest prevails. The rules and regulations, guidelines, codes, business and profession ethics and integrity are merely the decorative terms. Who cares?

Everybody think it does not concern to him while the hazard is associated with others. The peer review, third party audit and inspection and code enforcement still are the new subjects currently not in the menu of Kathmandu Construction Culinary.

Probably, the intensity of 7.8 Mw of Gorkha Earthquake is not enough to wake up the polity of the Nation. After all, it is the country of the “Khwayen* Ganesh”, very precisely located on the middle path of the Bala Chaturdashi trail in Pashupatinath. You need to shake up this

Ganesh very rigorously to inform him that you have participated in this trail walk.

Is there a Public Safety Ganesh in Nepal? If yes, we need to put all our forces to shake up him so that the Public Safety Issues could be triggered of. The professional and business approach to enhance the public safety and quality of life is certainly not enough since the institutions and stakeholders such as SCAEF and FCAN that could meaningfully take up the leadership role to enhance the Public Safety matter are still living within the “Dal Bhat Culture” and they have no time and plans to look at this prominent issue and declare their policy for assurance of Public Safety in their business endeavors along with a nomination of an Inspector General for a Department of Public Safety. * Khwayen in Newari literally means Deaf

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art

Embodied

Enlightenment

One of the biggest exhibitions to have taken place in Nepal, Embodied Enlightenment showcased 71 works of Samundra Man Singh Shrestha. The exhibition was organized by Bodhisattva Gallery featuring Anjana and Purna Shakya’s private collection from May 29 to June 9, 2016.

THE COLLECTOR AND THE COLLECTION: Anjana and Purna Shakya founders of Bodhisattva Gallery had been purchasing Samundra’s work from the artist himself as well as local resellers and international collectors/resellers for the exhibition, bring back some of Samundra’s early works that had been sold.

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art

THE ARTIST: For the past 5 years Samundra had been trying new techniques so that during the exhibition people can see a wide range of art. One can see traditional works inspired from senior artists such as Prem Man Chitrakar, Mukti Singh Thapa, and then oil paintings that was made popular, by senior artist Udaya Charan Shrestha to conceptual paintings such as void, emptiness and so on. However, his most famous painting the Vajprani was one of the key paintings that attracted the visitors.

As the visitors went through the exhibition they were amazed to see a wide variety of works created by a single artist. To see such diverse art at such an early age was inspiring to the newer generation of artists.

CURATION: Dr. Dina Bandgel and co-curator Prajwol Man Shakya had worked very hard putting the art works together paintings so it is meaningful Each room had a theme, as you entered the first big room it viewers gave an idea of Samundra’s diversity. The second room gave a sense of growth in the artists from his first complete painting to more recent work. The third room had miniatures works on display. The fourth room had the masterpiece Vajrapani, along with his more resents works and the final room showcased his sketches.

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art

EDUCATIONAL: Just doing an exhibition was not enough, making people understand what it takes to create an art work and also educating students was an important aspect of the exhibition.

Students and visitors had a chance to talk with Samundra and the collectors and get to hear their experience.

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art

The photobooth has been another highlight of the event, where all the visitors took turns to take their pictures.

An astonishing number of 5400 plus visitors visited the exhibition, which making it probably one of the biggest show to have taken place in Nepal.

As the exhibition included permanent collections, to make it accessible the Gallery produced high quality prints and catalog. This is the first time such prints have been made available in Nepal.

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spread of colors can make us healthier and happier.

Over millions of years, the human eye has developed observing the i interior of the natural world and is attuned to the colors of nature. This unconsciously appreciate and are inclined to the colors of landscape, Moreover, the natural landscape is always the backdrop within wh experienced. To reestablish a connection to the natural world, the col THE used as an inspiration for generating the interior color palette. Tak inseparable link between nature and health, natural colors can be used to design natural spaces in facilities dedicated to our wellbeing.

Colors OF NATURE

FOR THE BODY, MIND AND SOUL

Lush green surroundings of the thick forest with a beautiful view of the vivid blue lake. The reflection of the deep blue sky on the clear water. Flowers blossoming in vivacious hues against the backdrop of green foliage. The sun transforming from soft yellow to rich amber to fierce red through the day against the backdrop of the deep blue sky.

A quiet stroll amidst the refreshing and invigorating atmosphere of Mother Nature is believed to nurture our body, mind and soul. Spending a few minutes in the nature, soaking in its intense spread of colors can make us healthier and happier.

Over millions of years, the human eye has developed observing the intricacy and exquisiteness of the natural world and is attuned to the colors of nature.

This may be the reason we unconsciously appreciate and are inclined to the colors of landscape, even in an interior space. Moreover, the natural landscape is always the backdrop within which all interior colors are experienced. To reestablish a connection to the natural world, the colors found in nature can be used as an inspiration for generating the interior color palette. Taking into consideration the inseparable link between nature and health, natural colors can be used as an effective design tool to design natural spaces in facilities dedicated to our wellbeing.

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e intricacy and exquisiteness This may be the reason we pe, even in an interior space. which all interior colors are colors found in nature can be aking into consideration the ed as an effective design tool

COLOR CHOICE AND ENERGY LEVEL:

COLOR CHOICE AND ENERGY LEVEL Different hues can influence our emotions differently, ultimately guiding our actions. Similarly, colors have the power to fluctuate the energy level in a room. The choice of colors should primarily depend on the purpose and the level of activity required in the space.

Different huesROOM can influence our emotions differently, ultimatelyBold guiding actions.

HOSPITAL Boldorange and vibrant hues such as that red and orange and our vibrant huesSimilarly, such as red and are energetic colors instantly stirare up colors have the power to fluctuate the energy level in a room.

The choice of colors should These excitement and pump the adrenaline. warm shades stimulatestir activity by raising the energetic colorstend thattoinstantly up excitement primarily depend on the purpose and the level of activity requiredblood in thepressure space. and heart rate. The ambience reflects urgency and speed, a perfect setting for an and pump the adrenaline. These warm shades In healthcare, it is believed naturala high energy level.

In a health-care facility, where there is a exercise room that that entails tend to stimulate activity by raising the blood views have a major influence on a patient’s constant struggle between life and death, On the other hand, subtle and muted hues such as blue, green andThe violet instantlyreflects lowers the pressure and heart rate. ambience speedy recovery. Similarly, painting the the atmosphere of hospital room is an energy level in a space, consequently evoking feelings of peaceaand tranquility.

Muted colors are urgency and speed, perfect setting for an hospital roomalso in natural integral part of the healing process. From said to colors have a brings calmingaeffect as they bring down the blood pressure and heart rate. As these exercise room that entails a high energy level. sense of tranquility and puts everyone the color of patient and operating rooms soft shades encourage unwinding and promote togetherness at the same time, they can be used at ease. A perfectly crafted color to fabric such as clothing, curtain and strategically innatural meditation as well as yoga studios.

On the other hand, subtle and muted hues such palette of blue-green hue of calm water bed sheets, hospitals all over the world GYM: as blue, green and violet instantly lowers the balanced out by a soft neutral such as are characteristically associated with the energy a space, consequently Soft shades of blue that represent the calm oflevel the in sea, isthe best choice whenevoking it comes to beige and warm wood tones can do color blue- green. This may be because, designing a serene atmosphere in a spacefeelings focused of onpeace a healthy lifestyle.

In addition, studies and tranquility.

Muted colorshave are wonders for patients. Moreover, green, the the contrast color to red, green is believed shown that the color blue suppressesalso the said appetite.

Thisa calming is why, weight loss plans often to have effect as they bring color of health,recommend nature, leaves is and working out in a blue painted room. to help people relax by reducing stress diningand in atrees blue plate down the blood pressure and heart rate. As these believed to soothe the patients and is often and the afterimage effects of red.

The workout routines in a gym includestrength training that involves a wideand range of weight soft shades encourage unwinding promote used in a hospital room for quicker healing. lifting equipment.Weight training requires a focused and calm mind which togetherness at the same time, theycan canbebeachieved used through the blue hue, as it is also said tostrategically produce calming chemicals inasour body.

Moreover, this in meditation well as yoga studios.

GYM

hue is believed to increase our productivity and research support that weight lifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue painted rooms.

Soft shades of blue that represent the calm of the sea, is the best choice when it comes to designing a serene atmosphere in a space focused on a healthy lifestyle.

In addition, studies have shown that the color blue suppresses the appetite. This is why, weight loss plans often recommend dining in a blue plate and working out in a blue painted room.

The workout routines in a gym include strength training that involves a wide range of weight lifting equipment. Weight training requires a focused and calm mind which can be achieved through the blue hue, as it is also said to produce calming chemicals in our body. Moreover, this hue is believed to increase our productivity and research support that weight lifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue painted rooms.

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the green hue during a workout can add zest and inspiration.

YOGA HALL:

FITNESS STUDIOS

An ancient science of healing and exercise, yoga incorp disciplines to achieve serenity. In today’s world, yoga is e health and healing, through the harmonization of the bod essence of yoga, an endless flow of soft soothing colors c space.

Tranquil colors found in nature such as the blue of the oce

in a combination with subtle shades A bold and vibrant space which is full of beused good accent choices. These cool hues evoke feelings of of yellow and green. Yellow, a joyous shade color, energy and life is an ideal setting environment to practice yoga. is believed to speed the metabolism and Blue is believed to bring do for a fitness studio. Cardio is an intense increase our concentration as well.

While, form of fitness workout that involves fast encouraging relaxation in social areas. Whereas, green is c movements over an extended period of time. studies have shown that a glimpse of the most toathe eye.canStudies greenrestful hue during workout add zest have also shown that peopl A splash of jubilant colors of the sun that and inspiration. stimulate movement such as orange, yellow a room painted with the color green. Furthermore, the gree and red goes a long way to boost the energy together and achieve a common goal of serenity. and motivation.

As it connotes energy, orange is the universal color of fitness as well as the most popular and perfect shade for Fitness Studios. Along with evoking feelings of enthusiasm and cheerfulness, the hue is believed to improve the lung function.

Furthermore, orange stimulates mental activity by increasing the oxygen supply to the brain. Hence, a gallant shade of orange on the walls will promote deep breathing and increase endurance during the aerobic routine. When the workout has become mundane, a splash of powerful color such as red can help re- invigorate the mind. The hue can also make a cardio routine effective by increasing the heart rate and respiration.

However, along with stimulating the appetite, these colors can cause the sensation of feeling hot because of its warm properties.

For this reason, these bold colors can be

MEDITATION/ RETREATCENTRE:

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People have been reaping the benefits of meditation, th immemorial. Today, its popularity has reached a new high meditation continue to be discovered.

Meditation, a means of transforming the mind, includes an

MEDITATION/ RETREAT CENTRE

People have been reaping the benefits of meditation, the science of spirituality, from time immemorial. Today, its popularity has a new high as the tremendous orporatesreached physical, mental, and spiritual benefits spiritual meditation continue to be is essentially a way of life, a journey toSPA AN discovered.

ND WELLNESS CENTRE: The color of flowers, the soul of nature, our consciousness to augh higher level body, mind and spirit.To reflect the trueSpas are feela varie good places devoted to enhhancingtakes the overall welll-being thro etyof of Meditation, a means of transforming such as lighter versions of pink and violet, thought, into the realms of spiritual values. s that encou urage the reenewal of body, b mind and spirit.IIt is an imm mersive welllness ors can betheused to carve out an enrichingamenities mind, includes an extensive range can help build a spiritual atmosphere in Oftenissassociated wisdom and respect, experiencce centered on mineraal- rich water which believed to twith possess curative pow wers. of practices designed to build internal a Retreat Centre. Unlike the warm colors, violet generates a peaceful surrounding, Therefore, the design n of a space for private retreat shouuld integrate clean, freshh and calm colors c energy or life force, clear the mind, research suggest that soft pink drains relieving tensionbaay andsuch stimulating thegreen brain ful mind. Thhe surreal colors c of ann ocean as blue, n and to invokke a peacefu promote relaxation and ease various energy and soothes the nerves, making it an ocean and green of the trees can prove toturquoise to solveand problems.

Meditating in a room ehelp createe a natural staging forr relaxation rejuveenation.Now wadays, the most health concerns. As the practice revolves excellent for spiritual peaceful that evokes radiatees the c choice color choice e afor a spa retreat. is turquoisee, the with colorthese of blue-gre eencolored mineralwalls s of serenity and help generate a peacefulpopular around deepening the powers of insight, compassion, generosity and tranquilitty of blue, the t balance of green annd the feelings energgy of of love, yellow w. These natturally appeealing g down the blood pressure and heart ratecolors concentration, clarity and emotional Moreover, hue anda more balanc forgiveness leads self-actualizationcaan bethe used in npromotes a wellnessserenity centre for ced andthat integ gratedtolife. positivity, the role considered colors come to play in this the ultimate goal of meditation. is characteristically to be the tranquility, making a person feel centered space is crucial. and restored. Violet, the color of spirituality,

eople adjust better to new surroundings in green hue has the warmth to bring people

YOGA HALL People have been reaping the benefits of meditation, the science of spirituality, from time immemorial. Today, its popularity has reached a new high as the tremendous benefits spiritual meditation continue to be discovered.

Meditation, a means of transforming the mind, includes an extensive range of practices designed to build internal energy or life force, clear the mind, promote relaxation and ease various health concerns.

As the practice revolves around deepening the powers of insight, concentration, clarity and emotional positivity, the role colors come to play in this space is crucial.

The color of flowers, the soul of nature, such as lighter versions of pink and violet,

can help build a spiritual atmosphere in a Retreat Centre. Unlike the warm colors, research suggest that soft pink drains energy and soothes the nerves, making it an excellent choice for a spiritual retreat.

Moreover, the hue promotes serenity and tranquility, making a person feel centered and restored. Violet, the color of spirituality, takes our consciousness to a higher level of thought, into the realms of spiritual values.

Often associated with wisdom and respect, violet generates a peaceful surrounding, relieving tension and stimulating the brain to solve problems. Meditating in a room with these peaceful colored walls evokes feelings of love, compassion, generosity and forgiveness that leads to self-actualizationthe ultimate goal of meditation.

n, the science of spirituality, from time high as the tremendous benefits spiritual

s an extensive range of practices designed

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SPA AND WELLNESS CENTRE Spas are feel- good places devoted to enhancing the overall well-being through a variety of amenities that encourage the renewal of body, mind and spirit. It is an immersive wellness experience centered on mineral- rich water which is believed to possess curative powers. Therefore, the design of a space for private retreat should integrate clean, fresh and calm colors to invoke a peaceful mind. The surreal colors of an ocean bay such as blue, green and turquoise help create a natural staging for relaxation and rejuvenation. Nowadays, the most popular color choice for a spa is turquoise, the color of blue-green mineral that radiates the tranquility of blue, the balance of green and the energy of yellow.

These naturally appealing colors can be used in a wellness centre for a more balanced and integrated life.

BEAUTY SALONS: Pertaining to relaxation, beauty salons offer a wide range of services for us to rejuvenate from head to toe, enabling us to feel and look healthy and beautiful. Lighter shades of warm colors found in the nature such as peach or soft coral can help create a relaxing, restful and selfindulgent environment.A common choice for upscale markets, peach and soft coral hues work best in a beauty salon as they represent health and nurture. A softer, gentler and more cautious form of orange, peach walls in a salon, inspires good manners and sets everyone at ease.Whereas, pink or soft coral walls in the salon enriches our overall experience by giving an BEAUTY SALONS impression that we will be indulged and pampered.The adaptation of these natural colors into our life can contribute to feelings of peace and serenity.

Pertaining to relaxation, beauty salons offer a wide range of services for us to rejuvenate from head to toe, enabling us to feel and look healthy and beautiful.

Lighter shades of warm colors found in the nature such as peach or soft coral can help create a relaxing, restful and self-indulgent environment. A common choice for upscale markets, peach and soft coral hues work best in a beauty salon as they represent health and nurture. A softer, gentler and more cautious form of orange, peach walls in a salon, inspires good manners and sets everyone at ease.

Whereas, pink or soft coral walls in the salon enriches our overall experience by giving an impression that we will be indulged and pampered. The adaptation of these natural colors into our life can contribute to feelings of peace and serenity.

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advertorial

UTILIZING YOUR FOOD WASTES AS COOKING GAS AND PLANT FERTILIZER The potential of decentralized biogas production and utilization at waste source in urban areas like Kathmandu is still largely unexploited. Biogas produced from your kitchen wastes can be used for cooking food thereby reducing LPG use. Traditionally, when it comes to biogas, people relate it with "Gober" gas and think that only dung or animal manure are required to produce biogas. But in actuality, biogas is only an end-product of biodegradable materials that undergoes biodegradation in the absence of oxygen. This process technically is known as Anaerobic Digestion (AD). If the anaerobic digesting system is engineered correctly, then the food waste from kitchen is enough to produce biogas without ever needing to feed animal manure.

Food waste is naturally higher in caloric value than manure and hence gives comparatively more biogas. Also, the fertilizer coming out through AD is richer in terms of minerals and microbial population than any forms of synthetic plant fertilizer. Generally 62 / SPACES JULY 2016

in traditional composting, nitrogen from compost evaporates into the atmosphere as ammonia and into ground water as nitrate along with many other minerals like potassium, calcium etc. But with AD, biodegradable materials are converted into fertilizers in a totally contained environment without losing any nutrients.

Unlike in composting, wastage such as meat, milk, and fats are unacceptable. In AD almost all biodegradable wastes can be fed.

For the first time in Nepal, JUAS (Jiva Urban Agriculture Systems Pvt. Ltd.) has launched readymade household biodigester (AD system). It can save about 5 to 7 LPG cylinders per year for any average family utilizing their own biodegradable kitchen wastes without any recurring expenses for up to 20 years. Our biodigester is an ideal fertilizer making machine for anyone involved in gardening or organic farming. We also install custom-designed biodigester turnkey system for institutions producing anywhere from 15kg to 200kg of kitchen or food

processing wastes per day.

For general understanding, 140kg of average food wastes is equivalent to one LPG cylinder. So, in average any institution producing about 20kg of food/kitchen wastes daily can save up to 33 LPG cylinders per year and at the same time produce at least Rs. 30,000 worth of quality plant fertilizer per year. Unlike traditional biogas stoves, we offer high pressure biogas stoves for institutions to give similar experience as cooking with LPG. One drawback of AD for biogas production is that its productivity decreases at a temperature below 20°C.

So, a biodigester should always be installed at a place where sunlight is not blocked for the majority of the day to ensure maximum efficiency. During winters the biogas production is slower, so feeding of food wastes to the digester should be decreased accordingly. For equal productivity of biodigester in all seasons, heating is required, which might not be economically viable for most institutions. So in Kathmandu, during four months of winter, feeding of wastes is decreased by 60% compared to warmer months.

The main goals of JUAS biodigester include the promotion of cost-effective decentralized biogas utilization, biodegradable wastes management at source, and urban organic farming. Biodigester is realistic, proven and most cost-effective single solution to pollution, food insecurity, energy dependence, and multitude of other social problems.

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ARTScape

artwork: Samundra Man Singh Shrestha

Emptiness In his most recent painting “Emptiness�, Samundra has created the juxtaposition of contemporary themes with the styles of traditional art. The background represents the early works of Himalayan art from the 14th century, with the centre figure of Amitabha missing. This painting provides the loss of our cultural heritage either from the natural disaster of recent earthquake or manmade trafficking in Nepal. The painting strongly provides the message to the people about the lost of our cultural identity.

ASHA DANGOL

SAMUNDRA MAN SINGH SHRESTHA

Contemporary Paubha artist, Samundra Man Singh Shrestha (born in 1980) has taken a course in Traditional Paubha painting at Nepal Association of Traditional Artists under the guidance of Senior Paubha artist Prem Man Chitrakar. He has participated in several group shows including India Art Fair 2016 and won many awards, to mention afew are: National Award in 28th National arts exhibition organized by NAFA 1997; Best Craftman of the year 1999 on the Thangka competition organized by CRAFTMEN FOUNDATION INC-USA; second position in the National arts exhibition organized by NAFA in 2000 and in 2001; First Position in paintings competition sponsored by Association of Lumbini on the occasion of the 50th anniversary in diplomatic relation establishment between Japan & Nepal in 2006. He was one of the lead participants of the group of traditional artists to do mural paintings at The Great Lotus Stupa, a German monastery in Lumbini in 2002.

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From the Shelf

NEPAL MANDALA

A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE KATHMANDU VALLEY

"My primary aim has been to render in broad outlines as cogent and comprehensive a history of Nepalese culture as is now possible within the limitations of one book. I do not presume that this will be the final word. The story is only begun."

- Mary Slusser.

T

he principle virtue of this book is to make it available and affordable to those who may still wish to have it at hand. This book, which initially went to the publisher in 1976 (tardily published in 1982), is in some respects woefully out of date. It needs to incorporate what was then not available— thirty subsequent years of high-quality studies devoted to the anthropology and sociology of the Kathmandu Valley by such scholars as David Gellner and Niels Gutschow, Robert Levy and John Locke, Declan Quigley and Gerard Toffin, to name but a few Westerners, and a companion host of Nepalese far too numerous to list—some yet unborn when I began my studies in 1965. For Newar sociology and anthropology the primary written source then was a single book, published that same year, the now classic The Newars

by Gopal Singh Nepali. As for early history, political and cultural, one of the most fundamental works, Dhanavajra Vajracharya's Licchavikalaka abhilekha, was unavailable until 1973, far too late to for me to fully utilize. But there are compensations. Thirty years ago there still existed a traditional environment no longer recoverable in the rapidly modernizing Kathmandu Valley. Who now could trace the ancient walls of Patan, remains of which were still visible in the 1960s, or freely study a host of long-since-looted sculptures? Even many ofthe remaining ones, secured by iron girdles and caged behind bars, are no longer approachable.

66 / SPACES JULY 2016

Because of painstaking excavations in Harigaon we now know that the Garuda pillar at Satya Narayana has nothing to do with the father of Bhaumagupta (vol. 1, 176- 77) but postdates A.D. 749 (Giovanni Verardi, Excavations at Harigaon Kathmandu [Rome: Istitutoitaliano peril MedioedEstremoOriente, 1992] vol. 1, 24). It is profoundly regrettable that Nepal missed the opportunity for similar controlled excavations in the historically rich and now densely populated Deopatan-Harigaon area that through the 1970s was largely a farmhouse- studded, rural landscape unimpeded with endless bungalows. Now historical treasure lies inaccessible under them, and much was destroyed in their construction.

As with the publication of any book—even a reprint—the author accumulates a debt of gratitude to those who made it possible.

In this instance the principal creditor is Madhab Maharjan of Mandala Book Point, a Kathmandu book store and publishing house that is Mecca to all scholars concerned with Nepal. In the face of obstacles that would have deterred the less resolute, Madhab successfully obtained the reprint rights. He was determined that the very people about whom the book was written should themselves have access to it, a laudable point of view with which I enthusiastically concur. Thanksto my colleague SukraSagar Shrestha for pointing out various errors in text and captions, which had they not occurred would have made this a better book.That prophecy has been fulfilled as the scholarly achievements of a new generation continue the story.

JULY 2016 SPACES / 67

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JULY – VOL 12 NO. 05

Vol 12 No. 05 July 2016

A R T

A R C H I T E C T U R E

I N T E R I O R

NEPAL MANDALA

A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE KATHMANDU VALLEY

Public Safety Matters

business art The

of collecting

Embodied

Enlightenment SOME VALUABLE LESSONS OF 2015 NEPAL

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER 4 / SPACES MARCH 2016

Discovery Centre Banglore, India

MARCH 2016 SPACES / 5