SPACES Nepal MARCH 2018

Vol 14 No. 10 MARCH 2018

ART ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR

THE VVIP CIRCUIT HOUSE PUNE

NRS. 100/-

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MINIMALISM A RARE PRESENCE IN NEPALI ART THE INFLUENCE OF COLOR ON MEMORY MAYA MANOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL TRANSFORMATION AND LOSS OF HISTORIC BAHALS

KASTHAMANDAP and its past after the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake

NAMCHE WATER PARK LANDSCAPING THE HERITAGE INTO THE DEPTH NEPALI CULTURE & HERITAGE AT PRESENT

Panchakanya

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MARCH 2018 SPACES / 3

Contents Volume 14 NO. 10 | MARCH

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18 CONSERVATION

24 ARCHITECTURE

36 ARCHITECTURE

Transformation and loss of historic bahalS

The VVIP Circuit House Pune

Into the Depth Nepali Culture & Heritage at Present

40 ARCHITECTURE

50 ARCHITECTURE

54 INTERIOR

Kasthamandap and its past after the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake

Namche Water Park Landscaping the Heritage

Maya Manor Boutique Hotel

58 INTERIOR

68 ART

76 ARTSPACE

The influence of color on memory

Minimalism A Rare presence in Nepali Art

Ganesh Dham

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Volume 14 N 10 | MARCH O.

Contributors

CEO

Ashesh Rajbansh Editor-in-Chief

Ar. Sarosh Pradhan Director- Products and Materials

Ar. Pravita Shrestha

Madan Chitrakar

Kai Weise

Asha Dangol

Chhavi Vashist

Rajina Shrestha

Shweta Shakya

Shuvam Koirala

Contributing Art Editor

Madan Chitrakar Kasthamandap Art Studio Junior Editor

Shreya Amatya Sristi Pradhan Pratap Jung Khadka

Urusha Karmacharya

Advisor

Ar. Pawan Kumar Shrestha Subscription and Administrative Officer

Riki Shrestha

Contributing Editor

President - Society of Nepalese Architects Ar. Brinda Shrestha Photographers

Pradip Ratna Tuladhar

Madan Chitrakar is a senior artist and an art- writer based in Kathmandu. As a leading art writer of the country, on many occasions he has taken Nepali Art beyond the borders - through his writings in many prestigious publications abroad notably in Japan, India and Bangladesh. Two well acclaimed books Tej Bahadur Chitrakar - Icon of a Transition’ 2004 and ‘Nepali Art: Issues Miscellany’ - 2012 remain to his credit, in addition to the numerous writings on Art and Culture in English and Nepali. Presently, he is associated with Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Fine Arts and Kathmandu University, Center for Art and Design as a member of the respective Subject Committee.

Kai Weise is a Nepali national of Swiss origin who has been working as a planner and architect in the Himalayan Region.

Kai Weise has been facilitating the establishment of management systems for World Heritage properties and was involved in earthquake response and rehabilitation for the culture sector in Nepal and Myanmar. He is president of ICOMOS Nepal and fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies, Durham University.

Intl. Correspondent

Bansri Pandey

Director- Operation & Public Relation

Anu Rajbansh

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.

SR. Business Development Officer

Debbie Rana Dangol Marketing Officer

Ruby Shrestha Legal Advisor

Chhavi Vashist is a Delhi-based, graduate in Bachelors of Architecture and Post Graduate of Landscape Architecture.

She is experienced in content writing as an Interior Designer. She is a blogger, and working as a faculty of Interior Designing. She is practicing as an architect and her firm undertake projects of varied complexity in terms of Architectural Design and Execution, ranging from Concept making, Space planning, Detailed designing, Interior Designing, Fresh construction, Addition and Alterations in existing buildings, and Renovation work for every type of Residential, Commercial, Retail projects.

Yogendra Bhattarai Financial Advisor

Kiran Rajbhandary

Published by

IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd. Kopundole, Lalitpur, GPO Box No. 7048, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Phone: 5181125, 5180132 info@spacesnepal.com

Urusha Karmacharya is an architect from Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus. Once a part of Tribhuvan International Airport’s new terminal building team, she currently does freelance work in interior design, building design, planning, and construction. She also teaches Diploma level students of Architecture and Hotel Engineering to students of Bachelors of Hotel Management.

Rajina Shrestha is currently working full time for Marketing and Operations at Threadpaints Store, a moderated online selling platform. She is a also co-founder at Women Leaders in Technology (WLiT) and Vice-President at Women LEAD. She is a freelance writer and asks too many questions.

Shweta Shakya is an aspiring architect with a passion for exploring traditions and cultures. Being a heritage enthusiast, she has been involved in projects concerning understanding and preservation of traditional architectural constructs within Kathmandu Valley. During her spare time, she pursues writing as a hobby.

Design/Layout & Processed at DigiScan Pre-press

Printed at Wordscape The Printer, 9851037750 Distribution

Kasthamandap Distributors, Ph: 4247241

Shuvam Koirala is undergraduate student of architecture at Central Campus, Pulchowk/IOE and currently an Intern at Sarosh Pradhan & Associates. He is passionate in exploring and understanding the language of design and architecture in the local and global context.

He loves reading, writing and local explorations.

Regd. No 30657/061-62 CDO No. 41 Advertising and Subscriptions

IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd. Ph: 5181125, 5180132, market@spacesnepal.com

SPACES is published twelve times a year at the address above. All rights are reserved in respect of articles, illustrations, photographs, etc. published in SPACES. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher and the publisher cannot accept responsiblility for any errors or omissions.

Those submitting manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials to SPACES for consideration should not send originals unless specifically requested to do so by SPACES in writing. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other submitted material must be accompanied by a self addressed return envelope, postage prepaid. However, SPACES is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. All editorial inquiries and submissions to SPACES must be addressed to editor@spacesnepal.com or sent to the address mentioned above.

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MARCH 2018 SPACES / 7

Editorial We habitually take enormous pride on the abundance that nature bestowed on us.

Generations were fed and many were conferred with distinguished medals and honors for having touched, reached or done things at or for places. And we get truly excited when talking about our ‘possessions’. Yet one other chapter of our pride are the art and architectural heritage that we love to take our friends from other parts of the world. Great iconic buildings and structural designs supporting the vibrant cultural inheritance is indeed seen suffering – a lot in present days especially after the 2015 earthquake when many hundreds of monuments suffered severely damage. It’s another dimension that the generosity from around the world is being ever more prevalent, what better could be for us to get involved to reconstruct, preserve and protect them to maintain the magnificence of Nepal. Commitments made to charge the actions can be combined with many new technologies already there to strengthen the historic structures.

A fine example of agreeing to disagree all disagreements, Circuit House in Pune, India emerged from a guest house to act as a node to carry out various official government authorities’ discussions and conferences. Emerging from very basic considerations like light and air, facilitated for ordained requirements it now even has its own helipad. All conceived, designed and completed in eco-friendly manner using only pertinent materials taking very minimalistic approach.

Speaking about minimalism, a small quote from the author would be of plenteous meaning ‘Now an art can go beyond being descriptive. As a result of such a vague thinking, multiple ideas and styles emerged – including now famous, the process of abstraction from Nature.’- Minimalism:

Enjoy!

Ashesh Rajbansh / CEO

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hxf“ gful/s Toxf“ gful/s

nagariknews.com 10 / SPACES MARCH 2018

myrepublica.com

NEWS

and only nineteen submissions were received on 9th February, 2018, out of thirty six registered participates.

DESIGN COMPETITION BY SOCIETY OF NEPALESE ARCHITECTS (SONA) On 9th March, 2018, the Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA) publicly announced the winner of the design competition for the corporate head office building of Himalayan

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General Insurance celebrating its 24th Anniversary. The program was conducted in the premises of Hotel Summit. The competition was officially announced on 20th December, 2017

The Jury Committee selected three designs and then those designs were presented by SONA Jurors’ Representative to the board members along with HGI officials on 28th February, 2018. Board member committee of Himalayan General Insurance then selected Line Work Architects as the final winner of the competition. Multi Disciplinary Consultants and Innovative Design Concern won the Consolation Prize.

Himalayan General Insurance Board has confirmed that the winning architect will be working as Principal Architect throughout implementation of the project at its premises in Babarmahal, Kathmandu. n

NEWS

SPECTRUM “Spectrum” is a solo photography exhibition by retired diplomat and photographer Laurence Kent Jones which was held at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babarmahal, Kathmandu from 6th February – 6th March, 2018. Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United States of America, Mr. Michael G Gonzales inaugurated the exhibition. Photographer Jones exhibiting for the first time said, “Both the encouragement and reception have been phenomenal.” The photographs feature special sites and heritages alongside valleys across Nepal, Bhutan and India. Most of the 18 photographs during the exhibition, both portrait and landscape, on display specialize in black and white photography. He has been living in Nepal for two years now. n

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NEWS

Festival as well as general meeting of Nepal Chamber of Commerce, donation of Rs. 50,000 made to Shree Paumariya Hatiya Secondary School at Dhumariya Village of Rautahat (to purchase required furniture) and participation during 3rd Annual General Meeting as well as 2nd Conference (organized by Federation of Nepal Furniture and Furnishing Entrepreneurs Association on 22nd Poush, 2074).

18TH AGM OF NFFA Nepal Furniture and Furnishing Association (NFFA) organized its 18th annual general meeting on 20th Magh, 2074. Inaugurating the meeting, Minister for Commerce, Mr. Min Bahadur Biswokarma said the government would formulate necessary acts to ease tax collection from the business people so as to reach the revenue target. A brief of all the activities accomplished within the year was given during the meeting. Some of the activities reviewed

were participation in India Wood Expo (organized in Delhi, India in April 2017), FURNEX Nepal 2017 (organized by NFFA from 3rd - 7th Bhadra, 2074 at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu), blood donation and free diabetes checkup (organized by NFFA from 3rd - 6th Bhadra, 2074 in association with Lion’s Club of Kathmandu Central, supported by Suzil Shrestha, Dinesh Agrawal and Manish Agrawal in which 86 pints of blood was collected), participation in 67th Annual

Plans for upcoming year were also considered during the meeting.

Highlighted points were - to inform every members about the ongoing activities in the association through various mediums, to organize FURNEX Nepal 2018 successfully, to inform and encourage members to participate in various furniture and furnishing related expos nationally and internationally and to encourage members to partake in events from which funds can be generated in the association. n

FIRST BUSINESS MEET 2018, POKHARA The First Business Meet 2018 was successfully held on 4th and 5th March, 2018 at Kuti Resort and Spa, Pokhara.

A remarkable number of people associated with the hospitality industry, construction and design had stepped away from their hectic schedule to attend the conference. SPACES Magazine was associated during the two days event as magazine partner.

The event was initiated by a spirited young entrepreneurs and designers.

The companies associated were Bella Casa International, a leading interior design and construction company, Mahindra Exim P. Ltd. for light fittings and fixtures, International Distributors P. Ltd for glassware and tableware, Dynavativ P. Ltd concerning web design, development and content, Pine Overseas P. Ltd which featured IT solution and surveillance and Mrs Monica Daga, dietician and yoga consultant for health and fitness.

These leading companies had come 14 / SPACES MARCH 2018

together to efficiently provide a one stop solution to all the business needs concerning the hospitality industry.

The prime objective of the conference was to introduce and present innovative ideas, products and technologies relating to design and interiors and required services while emphasizing on the booming hospitality industries in Nepal. It aims at conducting a back to back event in all the major cities of Nepal. Pokhara being one of the cities where hotels and restaurants have been heightening, it was decided to be the first city where this program would be conducted.

It was attended by more than 50 eminent hotel and restaurant owners, architects, designers and contractors.

Some of them were Mr. Bikal Tulachan, President - Hotel Association Nepal (Pokhara), Mr. Chou Bahadur Gurung President - Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (Pokhara), Mr. Arun

Pradhan, General Manager - Fishtail Lodge, Mr. Basanta Gautam, Chairman of Temple Tree Resort & Spa, Er. Nabin Chandra Adhikari from District Technical Office and many more.

The conference stressed on the part of designers to accentuate the quality in hospitality industry. Er. Buddhi Raj Adhikari provided immense moral support to the organizers and expressed “It is convenient for companies to work together to provide a complete package of required services. With such credible companies, people are willing to invest in quality products. The target audiences have shown interest in this event which is a good start.” n

NEWS Commission, International Competition and Sustainable Development Goals Commissions.The 123 Countries which are in UIA member sections competed in each four commissions to be a member and in steering committee member globally.

SONA’S ENLISTMENT IN UIA The International Union of Architects (UIA) is a non-governmental organization, a global federation of national associations of architects that are its members, headquartered in Paris, France. The council meeting of UIA was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 18th July, 2017 where the proposal of Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA) to enlist in the member section of UIA was endorsed. After enlistment, it has been endorsed by the UIA 2017

Seoul World Architects Congress which was held at COEX, Seoul, South Korea from 3rd-7th September, 2017 and got an official status. The official delegate to Kaula Lumpur and Seoul for this task was carried over by Ar. Sudeep Sharma Paudyal (General Secretary-Focal Person for UIA from SONA, Nepal). There are four permanent commissions in UIA which were Professional Practice Commission, Architectural Education

Nepal comes under the Region IV of UIA member sections. Out of four, SONA has been appointed in three commissions of UIA. Ar. Sudeep Sharma Paudyal (General Secretary, SONA) has been appointed by the UIA President as Steering Committee member of UIA Sustainable Development Goals Commission on 14th February, 2018 for the period of 2017-2020. Prof. Dr. Sriram Bhagut Mathe (Past President, SONA) has been appointed as member of UIA Education Commission and Ar. Bibhuti Man Singh (Past President, SONA and Chairperson of SONA Committee on Green and Sustainable Architecture) has been appointed as member of UIA Professional Practice Commission on 7th March, 2018 for the period of 2017-2020. n

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REVIEW

India Art Fair

2018 I

ndia Art Fair, the leading platform to discover modern and contemporary art from South Asia, is owned and managed by MCH Swiss Exhibitions (Basel) Ltd., Angus Montgomery Ltd. and the Founding Director Neha Kirpal. The tenth edition of the fair was successfully held from 9th - 12th February, 2018 in New Delhi. Continuing their long and substantial engagement with contemporary arts, presenting partner BMW Group India showed the 17th BMW Art Car by Jeff Koons– 2010, BMW M3 GT2 reflecting the cultural and historical development of art, design and technology. This is the first time that SPACES has collaborated with India Art Fair as a media partner. Under the leadership of new Fair Director, Jagdip Jagpal, the 2018 edition featured refreshed and expanded programming across each of the fair’s sections and tested out new ideas.

Nepal Art Council from Nepal has been participating each year in the fair and joined this year as well. Many renowned artists including Sabita Dangol, Sujan Dangol, Sunita Maharjan, Chirag Bangdel, Rabindra Shrestha, Jeevan Rajopadhya and Mekh Limbu participated in the fair.

Recognizing the collective strength of the local art scene, an annual festival namely Mumbai Gallery Weekend was organized by many of India Art Fair’s participating galleries from 31st January - 4th February 2018. Galleries from India, South Asia and across the world reported making sales throughout the fair to an international collector base representing countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Dubai, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, China, Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK and the US.

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India Art Fair trialed a professional learning program, offering an in-depth view of topics related to the arts industry. The NSIC Exhibition Grounds site was developed to refresh the visitor experience, featuring dedicated spaces for different program sections, and significantly expanded education and non-profit partnership program at ‘Puffin in the Park’ hosted by Penguin Random House that presented a creative zone and open-air library for children between the ages of 6 and 12. A new series of talks entitled ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ put artists at the heart of the program, and featured Hetain Patel, Nikhil Chopra, Lubna Chowdhary and Reena Saini Kallat. The fair welcomed more than 900 students from schools, colleges and universities in New Delhi and from neighboring states.

© Nepal Art Council

© Nepal Art Council

REVIEW

Jagdip Jagpal, Fair Director, said: “With my first India Art Fair, it was my intention to clarify the curatorial direction and set a new benchmark for the future. We have witnessed serious collecting from a fastgrowing local market as well as significant engagement and acquisitions from international visitors and museum groups.

Positive feedback has been shared across the board by exhibitors, collectors, the general public and colleagues working in the art scene on a hugely successful edition, building on the hard work of previous years.

Underlying this year’s event is a sense of collaboration across the arts sector and real excitement for its future. With my team, I am already looking at how we can go further next year, particularly looking at how to work with the arts community to create a year-round support network that lasts beyond the fair dates.” n

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CONSERVATION

TRANSFORMATION AND LOSS OF HISTORIC

BAHALS TEXT & photo : Kai Weise

WHEN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY WAS INITIALLY SETTLED, TRADE ROUTES WOUND THROUGH THE FERTILE VALLEY. WHERE THESE ROUTES INTERSECTED SMALL MARKETS DEVELOPED. PEOPLE BEGAN TO SETTLE AROUND THESE NODES. ALONG WITH THE TRADERS CAME THE MONKS, GOING ON PILGRIMAGE INTO THE MOUNTAINS AND OFTEN SETTLING DOWN IN THE PRISTINE LANDSCAPE. THEY CREATED SANGHAS AND BUILT THEIR MONASTIC COMPLEXES OR VIHARAS. THESE WERE OFTEN AT A SLIGHT DISTANCE FROM THE SETTLEMENTS, TO ALLOW FOR PEACE AND QUIET WHILE BEING CLOSE ENOUGH TO ENSURE NECESSARY SUPPLIES AND ALMS.

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CONSERVATION

T

he design of the viharas was based on a well established typology of a double story building surrounding a square courtyard. This provided a protected outdoor space in the centre for congregations and activities. The viharas consisted of accommodations for the monks on the upper floor and storage space on the ground floor.

The shrine was found to be centrally located on the southern wing of the courtyard facing and in alignment with the main entrance to the north. The materials, construction technology and the detailing adapted to location and availability and possibly began as rather rudimentary structures to be rebuilt and embellished over time.

The transformation of these viharas, or bahals as they are known in Nepal, was induced by possibly three main factors. The first factor would have been the slow expansion of the settlements to well defined cities. It is said that Kathmandu, or Kantipur as it was then known, was established in the form of Lord Manjushri’s sword

by King Gunakamadeva in the 8th century CE by combining the two early settlements of Koligram and Dakshin Koligram. The city would have incorporated all the bahals scattered

through the landscape close by.

The city had clearly defined grid iron expansions established between the 15th and 18th centuries which covered most of the city area. These streets that were generally aligned to the cardinal direction were in contrast to the ancient trade routes that meandered diagonally through the city. The strict directional alignment of the bahals fit well into the new city expansion plans.

The surrounding rural context of these bahals however changed dramatically and they became part of the dense urban fabric.

The second factor for the transformation of the bahals would have been developments in building technology. There would have been some change in building technology and materials during the Licchavi period in the mid first millennia CE. The grand structures mentioned in Licchavi inscriptions would have been of timber and were possibly lost through fire. Further research is required, and with the dating of the foundations of Kastamandap to be from as early as the 7th century CE, a new chronology needs to be developed. As with Kastamandap, certain elements of brickwork were raised within the ground floor, but

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CONSERVATION

much of the structure remained from the early period of timber construction.

The introduction of brickwork would have been based on the need for better protection against fires but also the possibility provided by the clay found in the valley. Along the Himalayas the locations where burned brick has traditionally been used for construction are in the two valleys that were or still are lakes, the valleys of Kathmandu and Kashmir.

The building technology however needed to adapt the brick structures to seismic performance, whereby the unique architectural technology of Kathmandu was developed. This was introduced to the vihara construction.

The third factor for transformation of the viharas would have been the most profound. Towards the “later Malla era�, possibly around the 17th or 18th century, the monks became householders totally changing the sanghas as well

as the function of the bahals. Where strict monastic order was enforced, the bahals slowly became integrated into the urban fabric and living space of the communities. The sanghas further deteriorated with the Shah conquest of the Kathmandu valley towards the end of the 18th century and their

discrimination towards the Buddhist communities. This continued under the hegemony of the Rana Prime Ministers with various Buddhist revival activists being deported from the country.

It was possibly only after the initial introduction of democracy in the early 1950s that such persecution subsided.

In the meantime many of the sanghas have been disbanded. The initial transformation of the bahals would have been from monastic to householder which was further compounded by the later neglect of the remaining structures.

Assessing some of the courtyards in the northern part of historic Kathmandu, one finds examples of the various stages of transformation. As mentioned, the transformation would have been taking place throughout the existence of these courtyard buildings due to changing context caused by urbanization, changing construction due to introduction of new materials and technology and the change due to the introduction of householder functions.

An additional factor in this process would have been neglect, lack of

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CONSERVATION

maintenance and the effects of regular earthquakes that devastated the city.

Where the communities remained resilient the structures were restored and maintained. There are areas that might have however experienced such massive destruction in the past that only traces remain of what might have been there previously.

Chhusya Bahal in Jyatha is one of the few examples in historic Kathmandu of a courtyard building that is still

largely intact. The structure has also more recently been restored, however some of the carved wooden struts are said to be from the 14th century.

The courtyard is filled with a line of chaityas along with statues of the main priest family praying to the shrine. The Bajracharya family that has remained the caretakers allowed a school to be run in the bahal but soon realizing that the wear and tear was too great. The structure is largely empty but some rooms are being used as offices.

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CONSERVATION

Further along the street from Chhusya Bahal towards Tahahiti one passes Musya Bahal. It is difficult to make out where the bahal is located since of the old structure one can only see the entrance with the guardian lions.

The square courtyard is still largely intact along with the shrine on the south side. However the remaining part of the courtyard has been turned into householder use. It is not quite clear what has been rebuilt since some of the old windows seem still to be there, however many extra floors have been added. Balconies look out over the courtyard where cloths are dried. People hang around talking and sunbathing. Here though the bahal has retained its floor plan, the building have transformed into multi-storey dwellings.

Some way down the narrow street towards Ason one passes Dhoka Bahal. This is part of a very interesting

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series of courtyards that stretch across three main road grids, the central one being the ancient trade route connecting Tahahiti diagonally with Ason. The traces of the square courtyard still exist when one closely

observes the remaining plinth of the eastern wing. This would have collapsed during an earthquake and was never rebuilt, extending the space across to the next courtyard.

The main shrine is still there through

CONSERVATION

it has been rebuilt with additional floors with only the first two having the original windows. The series of chaityas aligned across the courtyard have been maintained, aligned to an opening to the north which would have been the old entrance to the bahal. The southwest of the bahal touches upon the diagonal trade route and here the buildings have aligned themselves to the more lucrative market street, away from the courtyard.

The courtyards that defined the fabric of the historic city are the results of centuries of transformation. Some are newer spaces defined by dwellings however many have connecting entrances along cardinal directions, alignments of chaityas and shines that are remnants of older monastic structures. There are courtyards that have lost their side wing due to the widening of roads, leaving the central space exposed to the humdrum of street activities. In some cases we only have a few chaityas indicating an older alignment. In one courtyard the dwellings have been maintained but there is an open space left where the shrines should have been located, and there is only the small entrance stone remaining as a testimony to the sacred space.

The recent earthquake has had further impact on these courtyards. Many of the older load-bearing brick structures have collapsed largely due to the hammering of adjoining concrete buildings. These are being rebuilt in concrete, taller and more alienated from the courtyard spaces. The transformation continues leaving new traces as older ones are erased with another layer of history. n

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ARCHITECTURE

THE VVIP

CIRCUIT HOUSE PUNE Text & Photo: Sunil Patil and Associates

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ARCHITECTURE

V

VIP Circuit house is government guest

has three types of suites:CM and DCM suite, Class I

house

VVIP

suite (18) and Class II suite (15). The support facilities

officials, ministers and a large number of

which

accommodates

VIP,

include dining for 100 people, conference room

visitors. Though Circuit house is primarily a guest

and services like pantries, laundry etc.The project

house, it also acts as a node for political meetings,

is designed as a green building and registered for

government authorities’ discussions and conferences

GRIHA certification in five-star category.

mainly function as official destinations to carry out various official government activities and hence it automatically reduces the scope for leisure activities in this building. As a guest house, the building has to have cozy ambience as well as capacity to accommodate the large crowd. The support facilities are also very essential of hotel standards. The occupancy in this building can vary largely. With VVIP ministers coming into the premises; occupancy can reach up to 100% also. This VVIP circuit house

Located in the core of cantonment area of Pune, the site has existing buildings - VIP Rest-house built in post-modernist style. On eastside of the site, there is golf course which offers the view of landscape.

Being in cantonment area, the project has restriction of ground 2 floor building. The city falls in between the zone of hot & dry & wet-humid region. Owing to its geographical location, the climate of the city is cool and pleasant for most of the time in a year. The summers are crucial and needs to be dealt though climate responsive architectural strategies.

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ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN CONCEPT Architecture shall adhere to its time, the era, in which it is built.

In fact, Architecture has always been referred as calendar to determine the period of different civilizations. In last two decades, post-modernist architecture has been detrimental to the growth of architectural style with the time. It is quite prevalent in government buildings which are still following the European historical architectural styles, instead, it would be appropriate to follow the vernacular ethos in architectural planning in contemporary style. Here is an attempt to calibrate the architectural style of government building with the time – Contemporary vernacular architecture. Even today, there are hardly any high standard rest-house facilities available for government officials. The existing facilities are designed with poor planning, resulting in lack of daylight and natural ventilation, often with chaotic extensions of building and hence consuming very high energy.

The focus is to design the climate responsive building with passive strategies for thermal and visual comfort along with innovative active strategies to achieve energy efficient green building. The planning is derived from vernacular architecture – The shaded courtyard, transition spaces like passages and terraces, jalis in form of louvers carry vernacular ethos in highly contemporary architectural style in this building. Hence, the climate, the site and time are basic parameters of design for this project leading to the contemporary vernacular architectural style.

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ARCHITECTURE

ZONING Zoning is thought at different levels – campus level zoning and building level zoning. The appropriate zoning and circulation, considering all classes of people has been a key point in the design avoiding the conventional chaotic look of circuit house.

Campus level zoning – the site of 14,444 sq.m has an existing circuit house building. The new circuit house building is placed with large foreground and without disturbing the existing circuit house.The building is placed in such a way that all the major trees are saved. The parking of 100 cars is planned in basement, which allows ground to be left for landscape and existing trees are saved.

Building level zoning - Circuit house is normally perceived as building with chaos and disorganized crowd. The most important criteria are to segregate private areas and public areas and allow smooth circulation of all classes of visitors.

For this purpose, entries have been separated – Main visitors’ entry, VIP entry and service entry. In main building, orientation is a primary criterion to zone different functions.

The building faces west side, which is kept empty to avoid harsh radiation and suites are placed on north and south.

The east side has dining area, CM and DCM suites where view of the golf course is availed to these important areas.

The planning of this main building is derived from vernacular architecture – The shaded courtyard, which is a focal point of the building, and passage around it leading to suites is a highly contemporary version of the ‘old chowk’ of traditional Wadas of Pune. This is holistic process of architectural design and based on few basic parameters.The form has been derived from functional and climatic requirement of the spaces.

Architecture has a great responsibility to strike the right balance between human aspirations and our eco-system.

The sustainable green architecture is no more a distinction as a design concept, in fact it shall be the basic ethos for all the development on the earth.

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ARCHITECTURE

ORIENTATION AND PLANNING The building is oriented East-West. The residential zone lies on the north and the south, where the solar radiations can be cut with the help of shading devices yet allowing good ventilation.

West side of the building comprises of intermittent spaces. As these spaces are occupied for short time span, the harsh western sun does not affect the occupants directly.The east side has dining area, CM and DCM suites where the morning sun is taken care of by the overhangs. The Courtyard is covered with pergolas which creates semishaded open area. The courtyard acts as microclimate modifier with landscape and waterbody in the courtyard. Waterbody also help is evaporative cooling in hot-dry summers of Pune.

SHADED COURTYARD The courtyard building is a traditional & effective configuration for cooling in hot-arid climates, where there is a large diurnal temperature swing.

It forms the focal point in the entire building and also acts as a waiting lobby for the outsiders, which actually redefines a chaotic situation in case of crowd. One can enjoy the water body with a shaded courtyard & the diffused daylight, thus, having a pleasant feeling of being in context with nature.

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CLIMATE RESPONSIVE BUILDING ENVELOPE The facade of the building is very crucial element as it directly related to thermal and visual comfort. Each facade in this project is derived from its orientation and function. North Facade: North Side receives very less direct solar radiation as well as direct sun light throughout the year; hence this side is most preferred for suites. There is Diffused radiation for most of the year. Overhangs are designed to cater to summer sun. South side of building exposed to sun during winter solstice results in heat gain and glare. Glare and radiation gains are caused by angle of the sun above the horizon as seen in a section view parallel to sun’s azimuth. South facades are designed in such a way that terraces form a buffer between outside and main facade for 50% of the facade and for remaining part 150 mm wide louvers placed 250 mm c/c in order to get light and thermal environmental comfort in the months of January to November. East facade is critical only for morning hours. To deal with the sun, shading devices are designed.

West facade is the most critical as it receives maximum solar radiation.

To avoid this heat gain, most of the facade is dead and only ancillary spaces are planned on this side. The conference on west facade is secondary activity and used for shorter durations. The vertical louver is planned for the conference to avoid the solar gains.

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ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS Materials are very important part of the design as they directly affect the energy efficiency of the building. AAC blocks have been used for walls which results in reduction in non-structural weight of building. This block is fixed with adhesives where no curing is required and cement mortar has been avoided completely. Direct application of plaster of paris was possible here due to finished AAC block masonry.There is major saving in mortar and water.

Recycled ceramic tiles have been used for flooring in suites and granite has been used for all common areas.

Minimized solar heat gain and maximized daylight areas are seen in the building due to use of efficient glass. Heat gains have been reduced due to use of effective roof insulation and utilization of fly ash in reinforced concrete and masonry mortar is up to 35%.Exposed concrete is used as a permanent finish to the building to avoid the repeated maintenance requirement. Louvered facades have been created which has resulted in achieving the diffused natural daylight. It has also enhanced the harmony between the inner & outer environment. In interior works FSC certified wood-based materials and all Low VOC materials have been used.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY, PASSIVE COOLING STRATEGY (VENTILATION STRATEGY) AND WATER MANAGEMENT 52.81 % reduction in building energy performance index is seen in this design. 22 KW solar photovoltaic renewable energy plant is designed to cater more than 30% of artificial lighting. Heat pump based hot water system for 90% of hot water demand is installed in this project. Air-conditioning is design with VRV system.The ventilation strategy for this project aims at encouraging use of natural ventilation and reducing HVAC demand. All the common areas of the building, such as reception, waiting, etc. are naturally ventilated. For dining area is naturally ventilated along with fresh air is supply though evaporative cooling unit. All the suites and conference room on run on VRV air-conditioning which is designed considering 50% occupancy. The suites are designed with openable windows so that occupant is encouraged to open the windows unlike conventional star category hotels.

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There is reduction in irrigation water demand by 48%.

Sewage treatment plant is installed on site and the treated water is used for irrigation. With use of efficient water fixtures 50% savings in building water against conventional fixtures. Again, the waste water has been utilized for landscape irrigation.

TRANSITION SPACES Transition spaces play an important role in harsh climates, where there is a large environmental distinction between external and internal thermal conditions. Traditionally in such climates, transition spaces are found in different forms like courtyards, verandas, loggia, balconies and corridors. As transition spaces act as a buffer between outside & inside, they offer a linear, sequential experience to moderate thermal conditions. These spaces are very close to the outside environment but are protected from sun & rain. The principal areas of the building gain advantage in maintaining the desired thermal comfort levels with the help of transition spaces. The suites on south side have terrace on exterior façade and then passage and then courtyard. This sequential experience plays very important role in achieving comfort.

Circuit house is designed with 24m dia helipad. With large number of ministers coming in the city, helipad becomes very essential in saving time and man-power. This is a green concept as this will help to lessen the security expenses as well as traffic congestion caused during the arrivals of VIPs. The helipad is very efficiently connected with VIP guest areas.

ARTWORK AND EXECUTION AS GREEN BUILDING In this project, there are 225 pieces of art which include paintings, sculptures, murals and wall arts. This artwork in based on theme - “Care for Earth and Nature”. This message is passed on to visitors through the art by 30 local artists. This concept also encourages local art and also adds to the interior décor.

This project has been green in all aspects. Right from design to execution, all the care has been taken care in favor of green building. Activities like top soil preservation, utilization of existing development and transport corridors on site, effective erosion and sedimentation control, preserving existing trees on site, pollution control on site for vehicular movement in and out of site, curing with help MARCH 2018 SPACES / 31

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of gunny bags etc. were followed. Also, labor health, sanitary and education was given prime importance. Landscape is integral part of the project. Architecture and landscape have to co-exist. With this ideology, landscape is being designed with same architectural language. The landscape in this project seamlessly merges with spaces and becomes inherent feature of the project. The courtyard in design with green area which allows the front landscape connects with golf course on rear side. The continuity is maintained though bamboo plantation in the court. The seating is designed with pebble courts creating formal – informal zones within the landscape. The water body adds to the ambience – both visually and physiologically.

The landscape in front is continuation of courtyard following simple linear pattern. The granite platforms laid in landscape become seating as well as platforms for sculptures. In harmony with exiting trees, new native trees have been added which help in maintain the ecology of the site. The hard paving on site is reduced by 58.6% by introducing grass pavers which help in minimizing heat island effect.

100 % outdoor lighting is catered by renewable energy system.

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Founded by Ar. Sunil Patil as a Principal Architect SUNIL PATIL AND ASSOCIATES (SPA) is National award winning architectural & interior design consultancy.

Dedicated to environment friendly sustainable architecture, SPA was first established in Kolhapur in the year 1994 & later in Pune in the year 2010. Having completed numerous versatile projects which includes Public Buildings, Hospitality, Townships, Commercial complexes, Institutional Blocks, Villas, Interior designing etc., it has developed into one of the most innovative and respected firms in India. Decorated with many awards Ar. Sunil Patil has been selected as one of India’s Top Ten Architects for the CW Architect and builder awards in 2010. SPA’s team consists of thirty- five professionals that includes Er. Sanjay Patil as a technical director with more than 25 years of experience and Ar. Anuja Pandit - M. Arch. (Sustainable Architecture) as a director with 9 years of experience.

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GREEN INTERIORS IN HARMONY WITH ARCHITECTURE Interiors are thought in line architectural spaces. This being VVIP guest house, the elegant ambience is desired but with least maintenance. The décor is minimalist and in neutral pallet with colors added though only artwork. All partitions are designed in theme of trees. The detailing of interior design has gone upto signage which are presented with actual plants. In all the areas, interior décor shows innovation and originality and seamlessly integrates with architectural style. The style of décor is contemporary, yet it manages to bring warmth which is required in a guest house. The energy efficient light fixtures have been used along with custom made light fixtures from jute and recycled bottles.In the dining area, pattern of leafs start in the ceiling and continues in the chairs. Every furniture is designed with detailing so that at no point, the theme of project is lost. n

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INTO THE DEPTH

NEPALI CULTURE & HERITAGE AT PRESENT

Text and Images: Shuvam Koirala

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T

ake a walk around the various places of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur & Patan, you will definitely get a taste of Nepali culture and heritage. Explore everything that you can reach. But still, the true colors and depths of Nepali culture and heritage will not go through you. Every nooks and corners here have stories to tell. This part of the town is where still exists the culture and local heritage, whereas those exposed in a huge public spaces have been exploited and have lost their true colors.

Thanks to the storytellers & the local guardians of these inner parts of the town that the culture and local heritages still have their aura. But this aura, remains hidden and untold. To feel and experience this, one should be in sync with the same societal habitat. These are the places that don’t make into the books, travel guides and news headlines for those who seek. Rather, the exposed & exploited heritages come into sight and make the headlines and topic of interest. Heritage & Cultural values are not the topics for tourism business or some global fame on which the modern society relies on. They are the part of our society that identify us and our values.

Action are the two things that holds it all. Yet, when misguided, the same power to find pride & respect for our culture and heritage, gets corrupted into more commercialization.

Well, it’s on all of us to blame rather than just blaming the government and related authorities on this topic.

The growing society has exposed us to such level that we have been solely driven for showcasing & commercializing our culture and heritage. Awareness does not do much these days. What’s been taught and shared have become limited within the papers and such articles. Power and

Look in a different perspective.

Consider yourself being in a jungle.

You will relate everything there to be a part of natural jungle habitat. You wouldn’t go on wiping off the stains and mosses on it that makes the rock, a “green-grey” appearing object.

Rather, you would respect that as a part of the jungle. Think of our heritage as the same. On the title of Conservation/ Preservation, we are wiping off the

original marks, stains and colors of our heritages that have been passed through generations. Thanks to the Modern & Western culture and style [A Satire]. This has drawn a margin between maintenance & conservation of our heritage in the society.

Even the authorities seem to have complete negligence towards this scenario.

Same thing, commercialization, has hit them very hard that they have joined the trend.

We are so focused on looking the examples of European & Western styles that everything of our own Nepali culture & ethics have been forgotten.

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The local heritage and culture have become limited within the locals only. Best example: See for the Newari Gallies, “old traditional streets”, which have maintained their character on their own and local base. No-one has respect for the built environment as a whole but only a part of that environment that gives us fame & recognition in global media.

Recent controversy on the topic of “Rani-Pokhari” can be the best illustration. Different parties were formed for the sake of this topic of “Conservation & Reconstruction of Rani-Pokhari”. Some intervened very hard and went too far to completely destroy the identity of that heritage while

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some stood up being honest to stick with the core values of the original background. Well, what was decided at last, might’ve been the best solution. But still, they forgot the broader view of it. We have let such a holy place and a heritage carrying high cultural & traditional history and value, “Rani-Pokhari”, to be surrounded by commercial buildings, malls, cinemas and so much of examples of unplanned zonings. No one cares about the overall body of Rani-Pokhari but just the structure that lies in the middle of Rani-Pokhari. On one hand, we are restoring and maintaining the heritage, while, on the other hand, we are adding aliens and bizarre planning schemes around RaniPokhari to completely disrespect the soul and core values of Rani-Pokhari. So, “Why don’t we see things in a broader sense?” [Main Issue].

It’s just like introducing a big QFX Cinema in front of Pashupatinath Temple. Well, of course, to the business authorities, it is all about the client and authority deal but to the heritage, it’s a direct shame and disrespect that we don’t care anymore. Instead, we focus on embracing it.

The words “Modernism” and “Development” have taken a huge U-turn to go against our Nepali culture and heritage, which is our identity and pride. This is the societal issue of today which the growing generation needs to care and feel responsible for so as to truly reclaim the fact, “Nepal is the land of rich heritage”. n

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RESILIENCE WITHIN THE RUBBLE: RECONSTRUCTING THE

KASTHAMANDAP AND ITS PAST AFTER THE 2015 GORKHA EARTHQUAKE

Text and Images: Robin Coningham, Kosh Prasad Acharya, Christopher Davis, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, Ian Simpson, Anie Joshi and Kai Weise

Monks, nuns and laity joining together at the Saptabidhanotta Puja and prayer ceremony, to reanimate the Kasthamandap.

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THE 2015 GORKHA EARTHQUAKE CHANGED THE ICONIC SKYLINE OF KATHMANDU WITHIN MINUTES. A HUMANITARIAN DISASTER, IT WAS ALSO A CULTURAL CATASTROPHE WHICH DAMAGED 691 MONUMENTS ACROSS NEPAL, INCLUDING THE KATHMANDU WORLD HERITAGE SITE. HANUMAN DHOKA’S DURBAR SQUARE WAS SEVERELY HIT WITH 39 OF 97 PROTECTED MONUMENTS SUSTAINING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE, AND A FURTHER 11 COLLAPSING, INCLUDING THE KASTHAMANDAP – THE MONUMENT FROM WHICH KATHMANDU DERIVES ITS NAME. BETWEEN 2015 AND 2016 A TEAM FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY (GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL), DURHAM UNIVERSITY’S UNESCO CHAIR ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL ETHICS AND PRACTICE IN CULTURAL HERITAGE, THE UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING AND ICOMOS (NEPAL), WITH SEVERAL OTHER PARTNERS, WERE MOBILISED TO CONDUCT POST-EARTHQUAKE RESCUE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS AT THE KASTHMANDAP AND OTHER SITES ACROSS KATHMANDU. EVALUATING THE KASTHAMANDAP’S FOUNDATIONS, THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS, ARCHITECTS AND GEOARCHAEOLOGISTS ALSO RESEARCHED ITS ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS IDENTIFYING WEAKNESSES WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO ITS COLLAPSE. THIS INFORMATION IS NOW CONTRIBUTING TO DISCUSSION SURROUNDING THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THIS ICONIC MONUMENT, AS WELL AS PROVIDING AN EXEMPLAR OF HOW TO ASSESS AND RECORD HERITAGE SITES AFTER DISASTERS.

A

Nepali icon, the Kasthamandap lends its name and distinctive profile to a newspaper, airline, television channel, bank and shop logos. It was a rest house or Sattal and later housed a shrine venerating Yogi Gorakhnath. With multiple functions, it is believed that the Kasthamandap was originally a council hall and coronation pavilion but was latterly partitioned into shops and residences. Considered one of the oldest standing monuments in Kathmandu, textual sources placed its construction in the twelfth century CE. Hosting a blood donation clinic when the earthquake struck, heavy machinery was mobilised to clear the rubble and recover the injured and dead.

As the streets were cleared, loose brick and tile was removed to the Tundikhel Parade Ground without sorting, and many architectural and structural elements were lost or mixed.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, some damaged monuments were also deliberately demolished without recording due to public safety concerns, further destroying sites that had survived the initial earthquake.

Once the threat from aftershocks subsided, and with the continuation of humanitarian efforts, focus began to turn towards the reconstruction of fallen monuments, including the Kasthamandap.

The Economic and Social Imperative for Reconstruction

Inscribed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, the Kathmandu Valley is recognised for its artistic merit as well as its intangible value as a living monument playing a central role in the lives of thousands. It plays a major part in Nepal’s economy, contributing £913 million per year through tourism - 8% of Nepal’s GDP prior to the 2015 Earthquake. Its social and economic

roles have led to pressure to rapidly rebuild and $2.9 billion has been pledged by international donors.

The Kasthamandap soon became a focus for community resilience and collective memory and also became a symbol in the face of demands for the rapid rebuilding of the fabric of a nation.

The Post-Disaster Response

Although substantial funds were pledged for reconstruction, little was channelled towards understanding why monuments collapsed, how they were constructed and adapted over time, and whether their foundations showed evidence of damage; critical themes when considering the challenges of reconstruction in a seismically-active region. Like many monuments in Kathmandu, most knowledge about the Kasthamandap had been gathered from historic texts and traditions. Physical study was restricted to standing architecture with no understanding of foundations.

The post-earthquake response to heritage continued to focus on standing remains, even after superstructures had collapsed. Paving the way for rapid reconstructions, there was little attempt to protect or study surviving foundations, and engineers and architects dug large inspection holes next to damaged monuments. Unfortunately, the material they removed was not recorded and their observations unreported, irreversibly damaging underlying archaeological layers.

This was exacerbated in instances by the complete removal of ancient foundations without recording. Their strength, resilience and construction

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Rubble clearance at the Kasthamandap in the days following the 2015 earthquake

the surface to understand the condition of the foundations of collapsed monuments, detect why individual buildings had collapsed and understand their development and adaptation to their seismic environment.

The multidisciplinary team used methods ranging from Ground Penetrating Radar Survey and excavation. The exposed archaeology also allowed geoarchaeologists to collect samples to construct associated chronological and environmental sequences.

Our excavations at the Kasthamandap have provided new data for archaeologists and historians as well as information for the engineers and architects tasked with reconstruction.

They have revealed the full history of the Kasthamandap, providing an unique biography that can be linked with traditional and textual narratives.

Dumping of historic debris from Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square.

techniques, and potential failure was not evaluated and many were replaced with untried and untested inauthentic modern materials. This is not only a concern for future seismic safety but contributed to a second cultural catastrophe - the loss of Kathmandu’s early archaeological sequences.

As valuable historic and structural information was being lost in this process, it began to be recognised that the process of reconstruction could be equally destructive. To mitigate this challenge, Durham’s UNESCO Chair, alongside the

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Department of Archaeology (Government of Nepal), ICOMOS (Nepal) and University of Stirling undertook two seasons of rescue excavations at damaged monuments, including the Kasthamandap, across the Kathmandu Valley.

‘Look Down, Not Up’ - The Archaeological Response

Rather than focus on standing architecture, we advocated the concept ‘look down, not up’ to fully understand the history, development and causes of collapse of monuments.

Our investigations focused below

Rescue Archaeology at the Kasthamandap

In 2015, a pilot excavation was conducted on the south-west of the Kasthamandap, followed by the recording of all its surviving foundations in 2016. As we removed the covering of rubble, it became clear that the bulldozers and JCBs deployed during the post-disaster phase had inadvertently destroyed more than a third of the building. They had also ripped out of many of the saddlestones, which linked the foundations with the timber superstructure. The rubble contained many saddlestones, and similar material has been uncovered during the processing of material in the Tundhikel Parade Ground, reaffirming the importance that debris should be processed carefully after a disaster.

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The Kasthamandap’s mandala foundations revealed during excavations in 2016.

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Foundations and projected elevation of the Kasthamandap after excavations in 2015

The ‘Missing’ Saddlestone

The removal of the rubble around the centre of the monument in 2015 revealed the surviving portions of the monument’s tiled floor around the Gorakhnath shrine, including three large saddlestones at the southeast, south-west and north-west corners. However, the saddlestone on the north-east was missing, with only tiles visible in its place. As these saddlestones would have locked the four large timber columns that supported the Kasthamandap’s timber superstructure, its absence was a concern as it related to understanding the stability of the monument during the 2015 Earthquake. Once the surviving tiled surface was removed from the entire footprint of the Kasthamandap, we were able to confirm that the saddlestone was present, but sealed beneath the tiled floor.

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In order to ascertain the stability of the foundations on which the saddestones sat, we exposed the foundations by meticulously recording and removing successive floor surfaces. The youngest tile floor was set in cement over surkhi and lay above two earlier brick pavements, both of which contained stamped Rana bricks. The earlier phase also contained an area of stone paving in the north-west of the monument. Including reused architectural fragments, we believe that it may define one of the later partitions inside the Kasthamandap, removed during the 1960s renovations.

A Symbolic Layout

These floors lay above a fine silt which, once removed, revealed the complete layout of the Kasthamandap’s foundations. Identified as a possibility during our excavations in 2015, the exposed plan formed a sacred

representation of the Universe, or mandala. The monument’s perimeter was defined by a one metre thick square foundation wall measuring 12 by 12 metres, supporting double socketed saddlestones. Set equidistantly in the middle of this square, the four saddlestones for the main timbers of the superstructure were supported on two metre deep brick piers. Later, cross-walls were built between each brick pillars and the surrounding foundation wall, creating a nine-celled pattern. Our excavations adjacent to the Gorakhnath shrine in 2016 revealed the presence of additional cross-walls within the central square, forming another nine-celled form.

This layout is similar to that of a monument at Harigaon Satya Narayan excavated in the 1980s. Professor Verardi recognised it as forming a navakunda, “a mandala subdivided

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Gold foil mandalas found within the socket of the northeast saddlestone

Reconstruction of the original interlinking of the superstructure and foundations of the Kasthamandap.

Double saddlestone with one cement filled socket within the Kasthamandap

The Kasthamandap’s rotten north-eastern wooden pillar without a tenon

into nine padas, which is one of the models envisaged in the traditional treatises on Newar architecture”.

Verardi recorded nine kundas filled with sterile sand and recorded contemporary rituals, which involved the “custom of constructing foundation walls with nine pits in a sacred building.

After the prescribed ritual, the pits are filled with sand or earth. The ritual documented prescribes that in each pit nine different kinds of grain are thrown.

According to another recorded ritual, it is the powder of the pancarangis, or ‘five minerals’ (gold, silver, copper, brass and iron) which is thrown in the kundas. The foundation of the sacred building, conceived and laid in the above way, is then sealed with a paved floor after having been consecrated”.

Such configurations have also been identified by Professor Tiwari in Deupatan and were observed before the destruction of the foundations of the Mani Mandapa in Patan during recent reconstruction.

It is anticipated that results of XRF analysis, particle size distribution analyses and micromorphological assessment will assist us in ascertaining

Rescue excavations at the Kasthamandap in 2015.

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Rediscovering the Kasthamandap’s northeast saddlestone.

whether the fills within the different cells exposed within the Kasthamandap demonstrate differing soil composition, scientifically linking intangible practice to physical remains.

The mandala hypothesis was reaffirmed by the discovery of five gold foil discs with mandala and floral designs within the sockets cut into the four large central saddlestones. We assume they were ritual deposits at the four corners for the prosperity and welfare of the building and research by Slaczka has shown that the twelfth century CE Kasyapasilpa states that deposits, or garbhanyasas, provided a “life-breath� to a building and also prosperity and welfare to those performing the ceremony. Other texts describe the placing of gold under main pillars relating to rites of cosmological significance, such as creating an axis mundi.

Rescue excavations at the Kasthamandap in 2015

Origins, Reconfiguration and Seismic Resilience

Our excavations at the Kasthamandap also offered the opportunity to trace damage to its foundations but our trenches demonstrated that the foundations were undamaged, with the exception of small vertical cracks in bricks immediately below two of the double saddlestones. Limited to the upper courses, this earthquake archaeological effect provides evidence of vertical movement during a seismic event. As the damage is extremely limited, it is likely that the mud mortar bonding the walls allowed flexibility during shocks, saving the building from further stress. As noted by engineers from the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, mud mortar prevents more devastating collapses as joint failure precedes brick failure.

Soil samples from the Kasthamandap

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The scientific dates, derived from Optically Stimulated Luminescence samples, confirmed that the Kasthamandap’s foundation wall and brick pillars were constructed in 700 CE, over 400 years earlier than previously thought. It was then subject to a major campaign of remodelling with the introduction of the cross-walls, forming the mandala pattern, within 200 years. Samples for the crosswalls forming the lowest mandala at the centre of the monument and timber members are currently being processed.

The lack of earthquake distortion within the Kasthamandap’s foundations highlights the resilience of traditional foundations in this seismic region, particularly as historic sources record 16 major earthquakes since 1100 CE. These dates also confirm Mary Slusser’s earlier assertion that “most of the principal national shrines, the temples and stupas, can be traced to Licchavi foundations, for the most part the superstructures represent restorations. The many scattered architectural fragments above ground attest to the splendour of Licchavi architecture”. We can now confirm that the Kasthamandap was firmly established by the beginning of the Transitional Period in 879 CE.

Linking the Foundations and Superstructure

As a multidisciplinary team, we were able to link our archaeological and geoarchaeological findings to architectural investigation. As well as identifying the date and cosmographic layout of the foundations of the Kasthamandap, we were also able to provide more information on traditional

Crowds and procession around the ruins of the Kasthamandap

construction and architectural methods of these key elements, and other parts of the Kasthamandap.

The four major saddlestones showed evidence of copper residues on their upper surfaces. These copper sheets were identified as a damp proof course between the saddlestone and the timber superstructure. In the socket of the rediscovered northeastern saddlestone, we recovered a copper shoe which had been originally nailed around the tenon of the large wooden pillar. With nail holes present, it illustrates forgotten traditional techniques to ensure the longevity of the timber tenon – an element in strengthening the resilience and integrity of the monument. It also suggests that the base of the pillar had already severely deteriorated but that conservators in the 1960s merely pushed tiles under the pillar base rather than dismantle the structure. We believe that this improper restoration resulted in creating a major weakness.

Following our recognition of weaknesses introduced by the major 1960s restoration, we also examined the surviving wooden elements, which had been salvaged and later identified

by Professor Arayal, the late Mr Sukra Sagar Shrestha. These timbers were examined by Anie Joshi to understand

the impact of the earthquake on the superstructure and its relation to the foundations. Our analysis started with a condition assessment of the major timber pillars, their connecting beams and the brackets. Three of the pillars had a base tenon to tie the pillar into its saddlestone and a second tenon to lock the upper part of the pillar into the brackets and beams above.

All the latter were broken during the earthquake but one showed signs of repair.

The base of the north-eastern pillar had clear evidence of 12 centimetre deep cut, indicating the replacement of the tenon piece. The seven centimetre long base tenons of two of the pillars were in good condition, while one was slightly rotten. The tenon for the north-eastern pillar was completely absent, indicating a major structural weakness. Among the 16 brackets used in its central structure, six were intact, while the other 10 brackets show evidence of the impact of the movement of the pillar, hence resulting in different breakage patterns. Similarly, there is evidence of major movement of the pillars in the damage pattern seen in the beams as well. Only one of the beams had a terminal intact, which must have been holding the north-east column with the replaced tenon, which failed easily

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Marigold garland sellers and archaeologists at the Kasthamandap

during the earthquake. Most of the outer pillars on the ground floor had decayed bases and broken tenons at the top, while the base tenons of the pillars of the upper floors were in good condition with the broken tenons due to earthquake impact on the overall structure.

The stability of the monument’s 20 metre high superstructure relied on locking each of its four central timber pillars into a saddlestone linked to foundations. However, as stated above, the north-east saddlestone had been sealed by tile. We deduced that the rotten base of its timber pillar had been damaged during conservation work in the 1960s but, rather than replacing or repairing the entire pillar, those responsible just pushed tile flooring under its damaged base. This confirmed our earlier hypothesis that the major structural timber pillar for the superstructure in the north-east was not locked into its resilient foundation below. A contributing factor in the collapse of the Kasthamandap, this element was free-standing, potentially moving at a different rate to the rest of the structure, perhaps leading it to slip and causing the monument’s complete collapse. We also noted that some of the smaller saddlestones had also been tiled over and some of their sockets filled, presumably due to rotten wooden tenons – again, contributing to weaknesses between the superstructure and foundations.

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Archaeology for the Past, Present and Future

Our excavations have shed new light on the early practices associated with the construction of monuments in the Kathmandu Valley and have demonstrated that the Kasthamandap and other historic structures had strong foundations, undamaged by centuries of earthquakes. Our team are continuing to examine the artifact and samples from the Kasthamandap, discovering new insights into its history and collapse - insights which could have been lost if rapid reconstruction had occurred. Our research has demonstrated how vulnerable the monuments of Kathmandu are from earthquakes but also from the equally great risk of post-disaster responses.

While humanitarian efforts are of paramount importance, heritage protection and the recovery of historic material are also critical in the aftermath. It is striking that postdisaster research has been very poorly-funded despite millions of dollars pledged for reconstruction.

As concerning, where post-disaster research has been undertaken, recommendations have not always been followed.

We identified a capacity gap for first and key responders working with heritage materials at collapsed monuments, and that this is not only an issue for Nepal as there are many World Heritage Sites at risk from seismic

events or related tsunami damage.

Whilst national and international communities mobilise emergency medical, rescue and engineering teams, there is little capacity for emergency heritage teams within SAARC region.

With this in mind, we piloted training for archaeologists and heritage professionals from Nepal in post-disaster archaeology in the Kathmandu Valley and strengthened links across South Asia by involving colleagues from Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar. Providing insights on their own countries’ challenges, these professionals gained experience within the unique context of postearthquake Kathmandu, which has been transferred, as was the case for responses to the August 2016 Myanmar Earthquake and also to Jaffna Fort in Northern Sri Lanka, where post-disaster methods have been applied to conflict damaged monuments.

To raise awareness of these challenges, we disseminated our research through an international workshop sponsored by an Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) Global Challenges Research Fund award (AH/P006256/1) to Durham and a National Geographic Conservation Award (#C333-16) to K.P. Acharya, in partnership with UNESCO, ICOMOS (Nepal) and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal.

The Workshop, ‘Heritage at Risk 2017: Pathways to the Protection and Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage in South Asia’, was held in Kathmandu in September 2017 and directly addressed issues of archaeological

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responses to post-disaster heritage, particularly its protection during and after catastrophes. To publically communicate this message, it was accompanied by a temporary photographic exhibition in Hanuman Dhoka’s Palace.

National and international delegates to the Workshop agreed resolutions that recognised the need for the evaluation of foundations of damaged and collapsed heritage sites through multi-disciplinary investigations.

Investigating seismic stability, it is suggested that foundations of monuments should be retained as far as possible if undamaged. As well as urging archaeological investigations before any subsurface interventions at historic sites, the resolutions also called for the development of a network of South Asian experts and key disaster responders to be rapidly mobilised to protect and rehabilitate sites and monuments following natural and cultural disasters as well as conflict. It is hoped that these resolutions will combat the many challenges facing heritage sites in Nepal, and throughout South Asia, leading to its enhanced protection.

We believe that interdisciplinary research, whereby archaeologists, geo-scientists, engineers and architects can work in a collaborative environment, is necessary to ensure sympathetic, authentic and sustainable rehabilitation reconstruction and renovation of key monuments. In this environment, each discipline can utilise its expertise to inform and aid the development of plans for conservation and reconstruction. To this end, with partners from Nepal and the UK,

we have launched a new project funded by a British Academy Global Challenges Research Fund award (CI170241), which brings together archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, geotechnical engineers, structural engineers and visualisation experts to build on the results of previous archaeological research across post-earthquake Kathmandu. By integrating archaeological and geoarchaeological evidence with 3D visualisation as well as geotechnical and structural engineering expertise, the project aims to develop pilot methods to evaluate the seismic safety of individual historic monuments within the Kathmandu Valley. At a time when heritage sites across the world are at risk from natural disaster and conflict, we hope that the approaches and methodologies pioneered in Kathmandu can be successfully transferred from Nepal to South Asia and the wider world.

Acknowledgements

The post-disaster research at the Kasthamandap, and across Kathmandu, would not have been possible without the dedication of team members drawn from the Department of Archaeology (Government of Nepal), Durham University, ICOMOS (Nepal) and University of Stirling and partners M.S. University of Baroda (India), University

of La Trobe (Australia), Central Cultural Fund (Government of Sri Lanka), Lumbini Buddhist University (Nepal) and UNESCO Kathmandu. We also thank the Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance for providing funds for Officers from the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library (Government of Myanmar) to join. We also acknowledge Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the communities of Hanuman Dhoka and Kathmandu for their support and interest.

The work at the Kasthamandap, and across the Kathmandu Valley, was funded by UNESCO, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) Global Challenges Research Fund (AH/ P006256/1) and National Geographic Society Conservation Trust Award (#C333-16). The work in Kathmandu has directly led to the development of our new British Academy Global Challenges Research Fund Project ‘Reducing Disaster Risk to Life and Livelihoods by Evaluating the Seismic Safety of Kathmandu’s Historic Urban Infrastructure’ (CI170241). n For more information about the postearthquake archaeological work at the Kasthamandap: https://www.dur.ac.uk/cech/unescochair/ research/kathmandu/ https://www.dur.ac.uk/cech/unescochair/ research/seismicsafety/

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ARCHITECTURE

Namche Water Park Landscaping the Heritage

Text: Shweta Shakya

N

amche Bazaar is the gateway to the Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks in the Solukhumbhu district of North-Eastern Nepal. The village locally known as Chholongmais situated on the crescent shaped mountain slopes, 3500 m above sea level. The Namche water park project is a conservation project initiated by the local community. Mr. Chhimi Kalden Sherpa, Chairperson of ‘Namche Mane Chungyur and Park Committee’ expresses that cultural heritage of Namche is a living part of the modern environment of the village, characterized in both statute and practice, as value for future generations as well as the present community.

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The project was conceptualized holistically, keeping in mind, the demands of heritage conservation and the needs of the community, by integrating those spaces for functional and religious purpose. The cultural heritage of Namche Bazaar is varied with network of touristic buildings, landscapes and religious shrines that depicts the various tangible and intangible attributes of Buddhism. The Buddhist philosophy stresses on the notion of openness and access to all. This has profoundly shaped the architectural landscape of the Namche Water Park Project and reflects the contemporary Buddhist society.

The main gate to the water park is followed by a wooden bridge. The circular island encompasses a lotus and a gravity fountain which then leads to the Pagoda roofed prayer wheels. Previously, the prayer wheels were guarded by stone barriers. Now, the walls have been brought down, inherently conveying the message of openness.

The impact of landscapes and water on the passerby is intuitively recognized by Architect Sumit Thapa and is reflected on his design, meticulously. Before, spring water was accessed through a small PVC pipe and confined in a narrow channel

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through the landscape. The habitants collected water from the pipe for their daily household activities. A public washing area is also designed and located at the foot of the park. A holy shrine, Nagtham, close to 500 years old, placed near the water source is revered by the inhabitants to this day. Now, the water can be accessed through the traditional stone-water spouts, ‘Dhungedhara’ which has been channelized along the prayer

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wheels, spun by the turbines. With 60 rpm speed, the turbines spin the prayer wheels unceasingly, illustrating the relentless succession of events. A number of ‘Chautari’ was developed around the existing tree where people can rest after the ascent. All the daily household activities are reiterated in an ordered and efficient way. Use of local materials like stone and wood is profound while the modern materials like cement mortar and

prefabricated roofs are also used judiciously. The local craftsman and artists had volunteered in embellishing the structures with the traditional iconography, accentuating the essence of heritage and sustainability.

The existing stupa situated was damaged during the earthquake which was restored and consecrated with the guidance of the local community and “Lamas”. This centuries old stupa had

ARCHITECTURE

also been fortified by stone walls but now is both accessible and visible. Just beside the stupa, a Pagoda Pavilion had been built in the memory of late Pemba Doma Sherpa, the first Nepalese female mountaineer to climb Everest through its north face and one of the six women to have summited the Everest twice.

Some of the biggest reforms are brought about by the rank and file rather than a head of state. The Namche water park project was started in 2015. The harsh cold weather and difficult access did slack the construction work, but the spirit and vision of the local community has ultimately led to its final stage of completion. The park is planned to be inaugurated on August, 2018.

Integrating a multidisciplinary approach in this community-led conservation project, has proved to be a success story. The involvement of the public, private and non-government sectors helped to carry out the conservation with careful management in ways to preserve and sustain the significance of heritage. n

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INTERIOR

Maya Manor

BOUTIQUE HOTEL Text: Rajina Shrestha and Urusha Karmacharya  Photo: Pradip Tuladhar

LANDMARKED AS THE PECULIAR, TALL AND YELLOW BUILDING FROM THE BUSY STREET OUTSIDE JAI NEPAL HALL IN HATTISAR, IS THE BEAUTIFUL MAYA MANOR. A HISTORIC MANSION RESTORED INTO BOUTIQUE HOTEL, MAYA MANOR STARTED ITS OPERATIONS IN 2016 BUT HAS ITS ROOTS DATING BACK FROM THE 1930S. THE PROPERTY IS A PART OF KATHMANDU GUEST HOUSE GROUP OF HOTELS AND RESORTS.

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he building saw significant restoration after the 2015 earthquake and is now a balance of small and big buildings around a small shared open space.

It opens with an entrance typical to palace gates and a clean, rough flooring leading into the lobby through small staircases and a hallway.

It was built in 1935 by Toran Shamsher J. B. Rana, the first chief of police with a European influence. Buildings like Singha Durbar and Rashtrapati Bhavan are all built on similar architectural grandeur of european colonial influence. When the Ranas visited the British Raj in India, they brought back this influence and reflected it on their mansions. The Maya Manor in 1960s was also the official residence

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of Chinese ambassadors for over a decade. In 1974, the Shakya family from KGC group of hotels and resorts bought the mansion and lived there until it was converted into a boutique hotel in 2016.

The entity today is a boutique hotel with classic architecture and upscale amenities. This choice of accommodation comes in between an impersonal five star hotel and a cheaper alternative that lacks character. By definition, boutique hotels are stylish small and luxurious hotels with 10-100 rooms and most times than not, its Unique Selling Point. For Maya Manor, it has to be the ownership of the tradition and design it flaunts and the rich authentic history attached to it.

The lobby for example is a quite, reasonably spacious space with sharp

hospitality available at need. It is attached to a small accessible museum. Items at the museum range from furnitures to old kitchen measurement tools and gifts from significant guests to the Ranas or the KGH. The furnitures, like a beautiful dressing table designed like an old house that served powerful men and women in the last millenium, were a part of the durbar when bought and currently conserved for guests to observe. Open for observation, the space can also be used for a chit chat with a guest. Just outside the museum are unique and reasonably priced collectibles available for the guests to purchase.

The dining space adjacent to the lobby is decorated with pictures of maharajas from various places like Udaypur and Patiyala. Old pictures of Tudikhel, Queen Elizabeth, and Maya Manor itself surround the walls.

This dining hall like room is a more constricted space but with a lot to observe- even a rock garden just outside!

The rooms in the hotel are categorized into deluxe and suite.

Moving progressively upscale in size, the deluxes have shower closets while the suites have bathtub amenities. Three of the suites are in the main building while four more are housed at the Carter wing. The suites, which are larger with more moving space, have carefully conserved the antique finishing. The hall leading up to the suites in the main building are antique royal settings with a shared balcony. The suites are filmsey and spacious like how you would expect a diplomat guests in the 50s to be

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THE CARTER CENTER IS A NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION STARTED BY THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES, MR. JIMMY CARTER IN 1982. THE CARTER CENTER BEGAN WORKING TO BUILD PEACE IN NEPAL IN 2004, MEDIATING CONFLICT BETWEEN VARIOUS FACTIONS WITH ITS OFFICE IN MAYA MANOR. IT OBSERVED THE COUNTRY’S FIRST CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN 2008 THROUGH THE SOUTH WING OF THE MANSION. IT HAS BEEN NAMED CARTER WING IN HONOR OF HIS MISSION AND HIS TIME AT THE MANSION. THE CENTER THEN CONDUCTED LONG-TERM POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL MONITORING UNTIL JUNE 2013. RESIDENT CARTER CAME REGULARLY TO THE MANSION TO OVERSEE THE MISSION.

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INTERIOR

accomodated. They are even named after significant guests who lived in the space for important visits.

For more formal guests, the building has two meeting styled spaces. An executive meeting hall at the top floor is for smaller group meetings while larger hall downstairs can be used for more formal settings with a larger group of people.

The terraces at the building are delights! The one roofing the tallest building has a bar like space to view the city from stools adjusted at the edges, decorated with miniature versions of Dharahara and Ghantaghar. It has a beautiful view of the wide Naxal Road. Roofing the carter wing is a cafe space called the carter garden with faux grass carpet, nestled away at the furthest corner from the gate.

Their more smartly tuned terraces are at the second and third floors of the main building that are cocooned with the view of the property and neoclassical garden colored in buttery yellow and white colors. The golden wrought

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INTERIOR

iron is a sheer reminder of royalty and class that used to live and own the property. With the surrounding buildings hiding the traffic, this particular view from second and third floor terraces spares you the noise and creates an illusion of being far from the city, while actually being quite connected. The terrace is also open to visitors in small numbers and groups dropping in for a quiet meal.

Considering that the franchise owners have their own history with the building, the elements in the building do not seem forced.

Most elements are preserved rather than bought and placements speak of history rather than design. And when you see that tall yellow building from across Jai Nepal, you do not expect this tiny world of itself inside with rich history and balance. n

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INTERIOR

The influence of

color on memory TEXT : Ar. CHHAVI VASHIST

COLOR IS BELIEVED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT VISUAL EXPERIENCE TO HUMAN BEINGS. BOTH THE EYES AND THE BRAIN WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER TO TRANSLATE THE THINGS WE SEE OUT IN THE WORLD. COLOR HELPS US IN MEMORIZING CERTAIN INFORMATION BY INCREASING OUR ATTENTION LEVEL. THE ROLE PLAYED BY COLOR IN ENHANCING OUR ATTENTION LEVEL IS UNDISPUTABLE. OUR EYES CONTAIN LIGHT RECEPTORS THAT TRANSMIT RELEVANT SIGNALS TO THE BRAIN, AND THIS IN TURN PRODUCES INTERNAL SENSATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS THAT WE KNOW AS COLOR. THE MORE ATTENTION FOCUSED ON CERTAIN STIMULI, THE MORE CHANCES OF THE STIMULI TO BE TRANSFERRED TO MORE PERMANENT MEMORY STORAGE IN OUR BRAIN. HERE, WE WILL EXPLORE SOME COLOR STRATEGIES AND ITS INFLUENCE ON HUMAN BRAIN AND MEMORY.

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H

uman cognition involves many mental processes that are highly interrelated, such as perception, attention, memory, and thinking. An important and core cognitive process is memory, which is commonly associated with the storing and remembering of environmental information. Can color result in improved memory abilities? Yes! Color can be very effective in learning and educational setting, marketing, communication, or even sports.

Color has been found to increase a person’s arousal. Arousal refers to the state of being alert physically and internally. The concept of arousal may include the physical, psychological

INTERIOR

and emotional arousal. Colors affect our memories every day and throughout our lives, and are used both intentionally and subliminally by every person. Scientific testing has found that certain colors are more stimulating, which enhances memory and human psyche. This stimulation can be negative or positive; affecting how you’re distracted, what you can recall and what initially attracts your attention and uplifts the mood.

The factor that needs to be taken into account is few colors or combination of colors are involved in designing which can leave a impact on memory, like which color is in background and foreground. The right combination of colors is important because it can produce higher level of contrast, and this can influence memory retention.

Higher level of contrast may refer to the color hue (the wavelength) and the luminance (brightness of the color). It was predicted that

higher level of contrast will attract more attention and better visibility of an object or information. Example, stimuli with white foreground on red background can have a higher level of contrast compared to the other color combination. Similarly, the use of a white color background with black color foreground has a better contrast level for memory retention for both short-term and long-term.

The color used in designing does play a very important role in influencing consumers psychologically, which is characterized by emotional attachment, attention, memory, and attitude that later increase the likelihood of buying behavior.

associating color and its significant effect on memory abilities. In other words, color has the potential to increase chances of environmental stimuli to be encoded, stored, and retrieved successfully. The choice of colors and the manipulative aspects can, however, influence the extent to which colors can influence human memory performance.

An important aspect in successful and efficient cognitive functioning is the abilities to utilize the system to the fullest. Research on memory has provided a vast strategy that can be used to ensure successful retrieval.

There appears to be a basis for

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INTERIOR

COLORS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE The human brain able to distinguish over two hundred shades of white, able to see the same color no matter the light source, saying color is essential to our perception is no slight exaggeration. Here are a few colors and the corresponding impacts they have on our brain and memory.

Cool Colors Cool colors, such as blue and green, are less stimulating and more relaxing.

Flash cards, study notes or artwork provided on paper in these colors have been found to be less effective because of their calming effects.

However, cool colors have been found to stimulate creativity. Also, it was found that the majority of participants associated green color with the feeling of calmness, happiness, comfort, peace, hope, and excitement.

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Warm Colors Warm colors, such as red and yellow, are more stimulating and therefore, more memorable.

Our minds automatically respond to these colors because they are more noticeable, and even help improve the ability to recall facts, if presented in vivid warm colors.

White White color can actually lead to boredom.

Spaces that are monochromatically white tend to hold our attention span for a shorter time than

colorful areas and tend to prompt us to reflect on our own thoughts, separating ourselves from the environment we’re in. Unless you’re a romance novelist, it is not suggested a complete white color scheme. To increase your thinking power, as white is often considered sentimental or nostalgic, both of which can inhibit your ability to think in the present or future. However, white is the perfect color to use with any other color.

It aids in mental clarity and encourages you to clear clutter and obstacles (physically and mentally).

INTERIOR

Black Color Black color was associated with the feeling of sadness, depression, fear, and anger.. However, the degree of arousal level may differ depending on the type of emotion or feeling being attached to it. It adds a sense of sleekness or stylishness, which can stimulate some people’s creative minds by making them feel more professional or sophisticated. Others may simply consider it depressing.

If you think you can handle it, you can soften the black details by using accents with black satin bows, polka dots or stripes. Just make sure the black is truly an accent and doesn’t dominate the main color.

Brown Brown is associated with nature, trees and wood. It represents conservancy and humility. Next to gray, brown, in one of its many shades, is one of the most neutral of the colors. It is useful in balancing out stronger colors, and because it is one of the most predominant hues in nature, it gives a sense of familiarity. Light brown confers genuineness while dark brown is reminiscent of fine wood and leather.

Gray Gray gives the stamp of exclusivity. It’s the color “around which creative people are most creative.” Gray is a neutral color that can enhance and intensify any other color it surrounds. It can enhance the psychological response of the other colors it supports. Gray may be a better option for most than black. While it has no intellect-stimulating powers on its own, it’s associated with wisdom and solidity. It also works to enhance the effect of other colors in small doses.

• Blue and Green – calming – blue is the most preferred color across cultures.

Blue. With its cool undertones, blue is a calming, soothing color that’s often used in bedrooms. However, blue is also thought to stimulate productivity, which makes it an ideal option for a room where your teen plans to study.

That’s why it’s best to decorate your workplace with a vibrant medley of stimulating hues that increase output and spark creativity. Low-wavelength colors, like restful green and calming blue - two of the most common colors in Mother Nature’s palette -- improve efficiency and focus. Dark or extremely bright blues should usually be avoided in dedicated work spaces (like your craft room, home office or kitchen), as they can actually be quite oppressive in large doses. Instead, opt for country blue, powder blue, pale periwinkle, steel blue, cornflower or sky blue. But paired with the right partner color, feel free to toss out some bold blue throw pillows.

The key to creating an environment conducive to learning in a classroom is to not over-stimulate learners.

Overstimulation is often cause by large amounts of bright colors, especially reds and oranges.

Calmness, relaxation, happiness and comfort are feelings elicited by colors such as green and blue.

Warm types of colors such as yellow, red and orange have been found to have a greater effect on attention and helps in memorizing as compared to the cool type of colors like brown and gray.

• Red and Orange – arousing Red – may stimulate excitement and is used to light gambling casinos. Red color is being attached with stronger emotion or feeling compared to the other type of colors.

Red boosted performance on detailoriented tasks such as memory retrieval and proofreading by as much as 31% compared to blue. Conversely, for creative tasks such as brainstorming, blue environmental cues prompted participants to produce twice as many creative outputs as when under the red color condition.

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Orange - is a good balance between the passionate red and the “yellow of wisdom.” Orange is symbolic of endurance, strength and ambition.

It can represent the fire and flame of the sun. Orange is said to also have the cheerful effect of yellow, but is intensified in its closeness to the color red. The color orange stimulates mental activity by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain and makes you feel invigorated and ready to get things done. You should definitely avoid bolder oranges if you tend to be naturally hyperactive or are easily angered.

Also avoid all but the most subtle oranges if you’re easily distracted.

You can also try softer or earthier hues like nectarine, orange rose, pumpkin, canyon sunset and more. To avoid overdoing it, try a single accent wall, throws and decorative pillows or other accents.

Bold reds and oranges may increase a child’s IQ as much as 12 points by attracting a child’s attention to details.

The ranking of color preference internationally is blue, followed by red, green, violet, orange, and yellow. Small children naturally prefer

luminous colors like red, orange, yellow, and pink.

• Pink – interestingly calmed inmates in institutions. is the most gender specific.

Pink represents femininity and has a gentle nature (which is not a bad thing).

Pink is associated with sweets like candy and bubble gum. It also symbolizes softness. Because it’s so “feminine,” use of pinks should be well planned.

• Purple - is a mixture of somber blue and active red. It can represent coolness, mist and shadows. It symbolizes royalty and dignity and can be mournful, yet soft and lonely. Purple is described as an “unquiet color” being mysterious and mystic in a cultural sort of way.

• Turquoise - Turquoise surroundings make it harder to concentrate on specific tasks. Add a few fun accents in a neutral room but definitely don’t use this color on your walls.

• Dark Purple - Dark purple is often seen as romantic, alongside scarlet red, and sends the wrong message in an office environment.

Psychologists also have found that human eye is significantly better at recalling scenes, pictures and images, if they are not just black and white.

They believe this is because color has a stronger appeal to the senses, prompting a better connection to parts of the brain involved with memory. Colors create interest and helps in making a space look lively. One can surely choose color as per his/her age group and requirement.

More colors should be introduced to kids. Choose tones as per your taste and enjoy its long-lasting influence on your memory. n

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SMART CHOICE

PRODUCTS: Because of its inert nature, uPVC pipes are used for outgoing pipes that collect water from the house to the compound or the sewage pipes.

It’s strong and resistant to chemical erosion. However, they cannot be used to transmit drinking water.

RIGHT MOVES SMART CHOICE FOR

The construction, furniture, and design market has taken a huge leap from the classic metal and wood. Moving on from Vanilla and Chocolate staples, when mint chocolate chip and butter brickle icecreams are presented to you, it’s always wise to consider your choices. Last month, we told you about fiberglass roofs, furniture and bathroom accessories at Right Moves Smart Choice. We’ll take care of all the mumble jumble research to help you make a smart choice about uPVC this time. uPVC is an improvised version of PVC where u stands for unplasticized. It is one of the most versatile polymers of the century. Its UV protection, chemical resistance, rain insulation, self extinguishing feature, and affordability makes it a smart choice.

Regular PVC(Polyvinyl Chloride) is a common, strong, but lightweight plastic used in construction. Plasticizers are added to it to make it more flexible. If the plasticizers are not added, it’s called uPVC(Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride). While PVC is used in pipes, cable insulations, and toys, uPVCs are used in plumbing, window frames, drainings and such. In construction, uPVC can be used as an alternative instead of wood or cast iron.

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The uPVC frames of doors and Windows are increasingly being preferred to Wooden and Aluminum counterparts. Your choices in market range from Chinese materials to Nepal made brands. As per your dimensions and design needs, the companies will get your products ready within 1 week to 1 month. uPVC materials are made in two partsProfile production and Fabrication.

Profile production is getting the base material in sheets and other forms.

Fabrication is design and adjustment into desired shape and size. While the chinese companies get profile production from China, they get the fabrication as per your needs done in Nepal. However, Nepali companies have started with profile production and fabrication both in the country itself. These fabrication plants can work with both local and imported uPVC material.

Nepali uPVC costs start from NRs. 500 rupees per sq feet and its chinese counterparts start from NRs. 600/-.

The rest of the cost depends on the style you are demanding and the kind of glass you intend to use. This is a lot cheaper than Wood but competes around the price market with Aluminum. However, it is necessary to notice that price for aluminum changes with thickness and how that compares in strength with uPVC. 78 mm sheets do not have the same strength as the more expensive 90mm sheets. uPVC also doesn’t require maintenance,

SMART CHOICE

thus bringing the overall long term cost much lower.

Doors can be available in Sliding, placement (regular), and Swing fashion.

Sliding doors are more preferable in smaller spaces as they will not take up a lot of room area. Especially in small bathrooms, sliding doors will leave you with a lot of movable space. Swing doors can be opened from both the sides and work better in places that have a lot of to and fro movements like offices, stores, and cafes. Moving from the white aluminum ones, you can opt for different colors for your residential use or wooden and other textures. Design choices can also differ on the design and themes your house is built on. uPVC windows can be fixed, placement (regular) or double and single slide.

Another option you will have is to get a single or double glazing. Regular single glass placements are single glazing. Placing two glasses side to side after creating vacuum in between these glasses is called double glazing.

This makes your room soundproof and maintains temperature indoorsespecially if you’re using an AC inside.

The double glazed windows are more expensive and not incredibly popular in residential buildings but are more common in commercial spaces like offices and hotels.

Office partitions are also mostly opted for in uPVC for again the cost factor, and ease in installation and movement.

For their lack of heat conductivity and UV insulated nature, they are also a better choice for roofs compared to jasta- Corrugated Zinc Sheet. Your ATM Cards also also made of uPVC! ADVANTAGES: The biggest advantage of uPVC doors and windows above wood is the strength.

The layer of galvanized steel makes the

doors difficult to break. Since these doors are anti crowbar, they cannot be force opened by an intruder- making them safe choices too!

Unlike wood, uPVC doors do not get damp, are rigid, and waterproof, thus making them easy maintenance. They do not catch fire or rot, which is a lot more than what we can say about the wooden counterparts. Already cheap to buy and install, they also do not need painting or other form of maintenance. Their basic architecture also makes them very easy to install, adjust, and remove.

Double glazed uPVC windows and doors are able to cut down noise by as

much as 70%. They are UV resistant with presence of coat of deneutralizing agent. PVC doesn’t conduct heat well, therefore doesn’t transfer temperatures from inside to outside, or outside to inside. It is 1250 times more effective than aluminium in this respect. Double glazing your doors and windows would be a much smarter way to go as it is said to improve thermal resistance by 94%. A lot of 25 year old uPVC windows and doors are still working in excellent conditions. Manufactured with special impact formula, they can bear cold impact rest of 1kg hammer dropping freely from one meter height at 10 degrees. And uPVC can be recycled as often as 10 times making it incredibly environment friendly. n

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NEW IN THE MARKET

Furniture for your comfort - Supreme Does your furniture makes your place look dull than usual? The whole place needs a re-touch of proper furnishing. Don’t worry Supreme Internationals has launched Cruz, Deck and Amaze chairs for your selection. Cruz is inspired with French designs. The chairs are available in coco brown, coke red, black, moss green. These chairs are perfect for restaurants and even kindergartens. As the colors provided are vibrant and are very durable than any other plastic chairs. Deck is solid, heavy weight and yet stylish chair with wooden looks made with finest raw materials and latest gas injection molding technology. These chairs are the new replacement for your wooden dining chairs as they are available in different shades as per your choice. The available colors are black, globus brown, cadmium green, red, teal blue. Last but not the least Amaze, centre folding bench that are easy to use and are available in different colors can be the show stopper of any buffet. With available height of 743 mm, width 457mm, and depth 2438mm the table is a necessity for our huge family gathering. The table is available in grey, globus brown and red. n

Made in Italy - Furniture Accessories Bridge Tech International Pvt. Ltd. has introduced Italian brands “Gildo Profilati” and “3B” in Nepalese market. Gildo Profilati is active in the furniture sector with its product line in Decorative Aluminum Strips for Doors with Crystal Inserts and Metallic Frame, Honeycomb Paperboard and Alverolar Cardboard, Pull-out Kitchen Cabinets & Sliding Storage Baskets, Photo Luminescent Profiles and Edge banding: State-of-the-art, Decorative profiles for sofa legs and furniture feet, Decorative profiles for interior doors and cabinet doors, Extrusion of Thermoplastic Profiles and Edges wall corner guards and edge protectors, aluminum table legs, decorative laminates, pictures and mirror frames, sticks and curtain rods and such. The products composed by Gildo Profilati are appreciated all over the world for their first-class quality, the great care taken over their design and the use of top quality raw materials.

Whereas Maxxigloss and Maxximatt are Shutters from “3B”.

Maxxigloss which is over 92 gloss and Maxximatt which is below 5 gloss are the 2 new extremely durable surfaces for kitchen, bathroom, bedroom cabinet components, storefixture components and interior doors. These products are certified from TÜV SÜD, Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), Forest Stewardship Council and California Air Resources Board (CARB P2) with low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

These products are free of PVC and Phthalates. They are traceable, have color stability and are high scratch resistance as well. n

For further details, contact: Rohi International P. Ltd., Kuleshwor

For further details, contact: info@bridgetechintl.com

Bathsense Classica Sanitary Ware has introduced Bathsense by Asian Paints with the long standing of expertise. Bathsense as a brand brings alive the philosophy of bathrooms that are built with good sense. Bath sense uses art, science and technology to achieve smart and sensible bathroom spaces. The four new ranges feature blend of design, flow, finish and functionality barred by expert craftsmanship and cutting edge science. Discover the sensible science that makes both sense faucets so unique each range has unique features that adds to its appeal and function the design of Invictus is a beautiful lend of straight and curved edges ensuring that water flows as freely as possible. Altius has a firm and sturdy build for superior durability. It has topped off with a timeless charming look. The most striking feature of the Theta range is the inclination of the body with respect to its base which gives it a unique flexibility. And the Sprott with unconventional design creates water experience like no other and many more. n For more information about Bathsense contact Classica Sanitary Ware, Tripureshwor.

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SIGMA TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD Prasuti Griha Marg, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: + 977 1 4262184, Fax: +977 1 4258634 Mobile: 977 1 9809 183636 Email: info@3mwaternepal.com

URL: fb.com/3m

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ART

Minimalism

A RARE PRESENCE IN NEPALI ART Text: Madan Chitrakar

The writer amidst the huge “Color Fields of Mark Rothko”, at National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, US.

‘MINIMALISM’ IS A THOUGHT AND A WAY OF SELF-EXPRESSIONS IN VISUAL ARTS. WORKS OF ART WITH THIS THOUGHT WHEN APPEARED FIRST WAS DESCRIBED AS REVOLUTIONARY AND A DEPARTURE FROM THE THEN EXISTING STYLES. AS SOME WORLD FAMOUS GREAT MASTERS MADE A NAME IN IT, ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WERE ALSO LATER, FOUND FOLLOWING THIS SCHOOL OF THOUGHT. SO HERE IN NEPAL TOO, IT IS HOPED, ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS WITH A FLAIR FOR MODERN APPETITE HAVE REMAINED FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM. 68 / SPACES MARCH 2018

ART

An early work of Piet Mondrian, 1924/1925

I

n Art, Minimalism is a work of art – a painting or a sculpture- created with as little possible use of elements, details or references in art; and accordingly so, is described as minimalist art. Generally, a minimalist artist eliminates the contents or elements to minimum in a creative exercise. They believe there’s no need of creating a crowded canvas to make an impact. So to many of the early artists, the primary forms were simple geometric shapes – like squares or triangles or similar forms, in minimum shades, even in monochrome or layers. A quote from one of the early Minimalist artist Ad Reinhardt best describes the philosophy of this thought. It says in art, ‘….The more stuff in it, the worse it is… and an Art begins with the getting rid of Nature’..!

But to an uninitiated, in Nepal and elsewhere, an idea that a painting with a couple of squares, triangles or simple geometric forms or mere few lines as contents, may certainly look and sound absurd - and baffling. An established common wisdom usually has it that an art should depict normal things or preconceived forms like humans, living or non – living objects or beings or the nature; and such are often termed as ‘representational’ art.

But as time has moved and moves on, so does the thoughts and minds of the artists – especially to them who strongly believe in dynamism in mind and in behavior.

Precisely is the reason, the world art has had witnessed

Mark Rothko, 1949

so many phases and new streams of ideas and forms, including the ‘Minimalist Art.’ No wonder therefore that, to understand and enjoy more in art, it would only be helpful and interesting if one is to go for little tit-bits from the history of modern art.

MINIMALISM IS AN OFFSHOOT OF ABSTRACT ART

The advent of 20th century witnessed a series of movement in Art and in its thinking mainly in Europe – including the emergence of Abstractions in Art. The emergence of Abstractions in Art changed the art of Painting forever.

Artists then after, no longer believed it is necessary to emulate what one sees in or from Nature. Now an art can go beyond being descriptive. Thence after, to them it’s an idea that mattered most to create an art. It hardly mattered whether the contents remained – from figurative or nonfigurative. As a result of such a vague thinking, multiple ideas and styles emerged – including now famous, the process of abstraction from Nature.

The thinking of famous Dutch painter Piet Mondrian (18721944) and his famous renderings of evolution of landscape to abstraction is often regarded as the trail-blazer or the path leading to wider popularity of the school. And his compositions evolved later, in squares with primary colors, as early as 1921 AD, also may well be described as the roots of Minimalism. But meanwhile or even little earlier a new movement known as Suprematism, very close to

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ART

Fifth Station, Barnett Newman, 1962

Knight’s Heritage, Anne Truitt, 1962

Untitled, Donald Judd, 1963

26 December 1962, Anne Truitt, 1962

Mondrian, has had already been developed in Russia, initially led by Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935) and later Liubov Popova (1889-1924) - also with strong geometric forms – almost always in primary colors, overlapping of triangles and similar simpler forms.

After the Second World War however, many of the famous European painters shifted to US, mainly to the city of New York; and as a natural result, new developments began here – including the Minimalism. No wonder, it appeared first during the 60s of the last century in the city of New York. When it appeared there it was openly described 70 / SPACES MARCH 2018

by the critics as a protest: and a visible reaction against the crowded canvases of ‘Abstract Expressionists.’ The minimalist artists too, openly termed the style and thoughts as running away from crowded or multiple elements. Some of the best known names globally today in Minimalist Art are Frank Stella, Donald Judd and Anne Truitt – though she always hated being described as a woman artist and branded as ‘Minimalist’. To any minimalist fan therefore, a visit to the National Gallery of Art at Washington DC., would be like a sacred pilgrimage - to enjoy these aweinspiring modern works.

ART

Suprematist Composition, Kasimir Malevich, 1915

Painterly Architectonic, Liubov Popova, 1916/17

But the thoughts of simplicity in presentations and the use of squares, also has had led to another famous school of thoughts in abstraction – widely described as ‘The Color Fields’. Here the artists featured wide expanses – usually in huge squares or rectangles of colors in huge canvases to express their feelings and emotion. But this is also, for sure, another extension of the theory of Abstractions.

Some of the famous artists who made the ‘The Color Field’ so widely popular are Mark Rothko (1903-1970), Barnett Newman (1905-1970) and Robert Motherwell (1915-1991).

Their works remain immortal till to this day and has had well remained a great attractions in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., US. - since the day it was hung there.

MINIMALIST PRACTICES IN NEPALI ART

The evolution of modern Nepali Art has had remained comparably slow and the artists then proved less receptive to changes in its initial years. Several factors could be attributed for this. First and foremost, Nepali Art historically for centuries, had had remained deeply rooted in the religious thoughts and forms for a long time. An era of Western art forms arrived as late as third decade of last

Elegy to the Spanish Republic, Robert Motherwell, 1953

century only – albeit limited to wholly academic style and presentations – like portraiture, landscapes and frequent appearances of human forms in secular settings.

An exposure to modern thoughts as found in the early part of last century in Europe was a far cry in the isolated city of Kathmandu. There was no way Nepali artists could’ve been influenced by the modern movements –taking place in New York. It was only during the early sixties works with the Post-Impressionists influences first appeared after the arrival of L.S.Bangdel – a domiciled Nepali living in London then. His later exercise in abstractions, much later, however could be described as the earliest instances of Abstract Art in Nepal. And he too seemed unaware of Minimalist thoughts. And by then many new turn and events – including Minimalism, has had taken place and deeper roots globally.

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ART

An early abstract, L.S.Bangdel, 1978

Cover Design with Minimalist thought, Madan Chitrakar, 1991

Minimalist form in a cover design, Madan Chitrakar, 1982/83

The late sixties and early seventies however, witnessed the fresh arrival of younger graduates in Painting from Art institutions in nearby India. Regardless of their exposures to new developments in modern Art, except one or two – probably Krishna Manandhar, very few seemed prepared for Abstractions in visual expression. Krishna too, after some time, opted out of total abstract series and found seeking fresh pastures in other kind – close to abstractions but – based on mountain-scapes or the trees -scapes.

Others however, mainly went for either the art – rooted on traditional influences; or others sought refuge in – what could be described best as derivative in nature. Meanwhile, some more artists also did try abstractions in their paintings – but at the best, it turned into poor imitations or outright mediocres. So for a long time, Minimalist art never appeared in Nepali Art – in a painting form.

This is until the early 80s. However minimalist art did appear in art – albeit in applied forms. During these years Madan Chitrakar is seen, for a reasonable length of time, using Minimalist thoughts in design works – mostly in the form of cover design of literary works in vernacular literature.

He seemed highly focused then in using straight forward geometric forms like varied sizes of circles, squares and

Disguised Harmony, Bijaya Maharjan, 2015

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ART straight lines – in the minimum colors possible. In the literary circles then, such works were widely hailed as new and fresh from stereotypes.

Nature Unwrapped, Bijaya Maharjan, 2017

And in the recent times, however, younger artists are gradually seen attracted to this philosophy of art – a rare form of art in Nepal. Visibly a front runner among them is Bijaya Maharjan – a graduate from KU Center for Art and Design. Bijaya since his graduation, over the years, has had been able to transform himself into an artist, an art - teacher, a designer and a creative photographer - all encapsulated in one. This transformation is made possible primarily because of the liberal and open academic drills he has been through during his years in the Center. And as a painter, he is found playing with minimalist forms since his early years – when he began eliminating details from architectural contents or forms found in the narrow lanes of Kathmandu. In the recent years, he is seen bolder with eliminating maximum elements and with limited forms – leaving a vast area with plain color fields – reminiscent of great works of Mark Rothko. n

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FROM THE SHELF

WONDERS OF THE WORLD

M

ore than 80 of the world’s most awe-inspiring creations of nature itself, such as the Great Rift Valley of Africa and the mysterious Ayers Rock of Australia, as well as many other breathtaking sights are the subject of this fascinating book. No less impressive are the man-made wonders, for example, the great pyramids of Egypt, the exquisite Taj Mahal of India or Michelangelo’s incomparable Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome.

A Spanish writer and philosopher wrote that ‘To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand’. I think that travelers, be they international jet-setters or those who prefer their armchairs, should always pack in their knapsacks those two essential items — ‘wonder’ and ‘surprise’. They are always ‘Wanted on Voyage’. Apart from anything else they always provide adequate compensation for that most unwelcome and miserable of travelling companions, ‘disappointment’. If a place fails to live up to expectations 74 / SPACES MARCH 2018

or reputation, our luggage seems to get heavier. So, the delight of experiencing surprise and wonder with.

All of us travel for our own reasons with our own motivations.

We are all on our own voyage of reconnaissance or exploration, whether we do the actual travelling or let our imaginations fly by leafing through a book such as this most attractive and informative one - The Wonders of the World. You will find wonders - both man-made and natural - that will surprise you and help your understanding. n

This is not a Book Review; this is just an effort to conveying information to the readers on rare and valuable books on art and architecture. This column aims to give a helicopter view on such books and thus presents the excerpts and illustrations either from the preface, introduction, jacket or main contents of the book from the shelf. This book was kindly provided by Mandala Book Point, Kantipath, Kathmandu (Tel. 4227711).

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ARTSCAPE

GANESH DHAM Seema Sharma Shah’s prints depict the images of the Gods and Goddesses of the Kathmandu Valley. Hindu temples, Buddhist stupas and religious mythologies are the recurrent images in her paintings. In this painting, Seema Sharma Shah has created the various images of Lord Ganesh which are carved on the stone and wood from the valley. Her mystical and magical works appeal for the spiritual, harmonious and peace. n

ASHA DANGOL

DR. SEEMA SHARMA SHAH Born in Varanasi, India in 1966, she did her BFA in Painting from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India and did MFA and PhD in Printmaking from the same University. She has done 11 solo shows in Nepal and in India. She has received Merit Scholarship from Faculty of Visual Arts B.H.U. Varanasi, U. P. State Cultural Scholarship, Lucknow, Fellowship of Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi and her selected awards are Annual Arts Exhibition- Faculty of Visual Arts B.H.U. in 1984, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Award in 1990 and National Art Exhibition, NAFA Kathmandu in 1997.

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