SPACES Nepal MAY-JUNE 2005

Cover

INTRODUCTORY PRICE NRs. 100/-

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2 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

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MAY- JUNE 2005 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4

ARCHITECTURE

22 ENROUTE TO REDEVELOPMENT

PROFILE

48 ILLUMINATED LIVES

Bhimsen Thapa had the Dharahara tower built as a homage to the grandeur of Nepal.

Sidewalkers Ltd. are making sure it continues to retain its charm.

Creative Builders Collaborative is a design and construction company that is among the leaders in the field. The combined power of two lights is the reason for it being so.

52 ENDURING LEGACY

ART

The Keshar Mahal Gardens is well on its way to becoming an idyllic setting in which poets will perhaps find their muse.

34 CREATING A NEW NEPALI VOCABULARY

FEATURES

‘‘Siddarth Gopalan is no doubt a fine archiitect and a creative designer. He has an impressive portfolio and surely is aiming to reach greater heights as is evident from his ambitions.

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NEO-IMPRESSIONISTS OF KASTHAMANDAP

The seven artists of Kasthamandap Art Studio in Kupondole are young, dedicated and driven. They are also highly talented and with the common desire to be original in their individual capacities.

INTERIOR

38 GOD IS IN THE DETAILS The only word suitable to describe the renovation and refurbishment of Country Villa Resort in Nagarkot isMetamorphosis... .

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EDITORIAL Architecture is frozen music

- Leo Tolstoy

Nepal’s rich architectural history, depicted by magnificent monuments, temples and buildings, left frozen in time, does exhilarate the senses. The time, effort and patience put into these structures then, speaks volumes about cultures guiding the vision behind them. In addition, the visionaries who built these public buildings formed societies (guthis), anticipating the problem of maintaining these structures, which would be responsible for the buildings’ upkeep. However, with changing times, this system seems to have lost its effectiveness.

We bring to you in this issue two such historical monuments, the Keshar Mahal Garden (also known as the “Garden of Dreams” and the “Garden of the Six Seasons”) and the “Dharahara”. These monuments, built independantly by two historically significant figures, had been neglected till recent times and would have surely been ruined if not for a few conscious people who had the enthusiasm to revive them to their original splendour.

But that is where the similarity ends. The question of what is restoration and what policies and methods should be adopted for its maintenance are principal issues that need to be analysed by all of us.

It is said that an architect must first discover the soul of the building before he designs the body. When he is able to achieve this, it becomes a beauty that is recognised and does not have to be explained. This issue also features independant works of two young architects, Siddarth Gopalan and Alex Shrestha, who have brought life and colour back to some rather nondescript surroundings.

Illuminated Lives. See page 48

God is in the Details. See page 38

In keeping with our awareness campaign of the ‘inevitable big one’, this issue features another article on earthquakes, focused on schools where our future lies. Hope you get scared enough to do something about it.

Wonder if you noticed the Parting Shots in the previous issue. We shall be regularly featuring such pictures, which tell a story - a lesson rather. We hope the message we are trying to put forward is clear.

Until July

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Neo-Impressionists of Kasthamandap See page 16

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GOOD LIVING

MAY-JUNE 2005 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4

ARCHITECTURE

REPORT

PRODUCTS

79 THAT EXTRA COLOUR

90 WHERE DO WE STAND?

86 Adding Color To Your Life

A striking yellow coloured metal canopy is all too evident to onlookers passing by the Share Market complex in Putalisadak. This is ND’s - designed by Alex.

Experts in the field of earthquakes address the issue of earthquake risks in school buildings and declare seismic retrofitting and earthquake resistant construction to be of vital importance.

Colorful awnings have been in wide use throughout the world for quite some time. In Nepal too, their usefulness is gradually being understood and appreciated .

TRENDS

HERITAGE

72 DECORATING WITH IRON 68 Although it is a relatively late comer in the field of wrought iron furniture, Decoron has already made a name for itself for its fine workmanship.

CRAFT

29 ARNIKO LIVES He was chosen as the model for Arniko’s statue in China. Not only is he said to resemble the master, Dharma Raj Shakya is if not as, then, almost as talented as Arniko.

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SACRED GREENS

In this issue Anil Chitrakar writes about the vital role of trees and other greenery in the lives of inhabitants of the Kathmandu valley and the needs for active measures to protect them.

NEW DESIGNER

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SUPREME CONFIDENCE

Supreme lives upto his name. This boyish looking young designer is talented, innovative and supremly confident of his abilities.

87Termite Interception and Baiting System A new and sophisticated method of termite elimination has been introduced in the country promising total termination.

88 Wired To Technology A new and more sophisticated range of electrical accessories is fulsilling the need for aesthetics and safety in electrical installation.

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CONTRIBUTORS Dr. ROHIT K RANJITKAR is the Program Director of Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust. He has been active in the field of heritage conservation since 1991 and has been propagating preservation, as is evident from ‘Parting Shots’ in SPACES, for which he has been contributing relevant materials on a regular basis.

SIDDARTH LAMA is a freelance writer who has written on a variety of subjects in different magazines. Lately, Siddarth has been writing on the architecture of interestingly designed buildings in Kathmandu. Here he goes a step further and describes the architectural merits of the Garden of Dreams as well.

J K BOTHARA

COVER

is a senior Earthquake Engineer at the National Society for Earthquake Technology(NSET) Nepal.

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ANIL CHITRAKAR is an expert working to revitalize interest in historical sites, culture and tradition. He is a prolific writer who has been disseminating his unique and original views through his erudite writing via a variety of reputed magazines in the country.

S.K.SHRESTHA, M.Sc (Chem), MBA is the MD of Pest Control Nepal (PCN).

Terminating pests is his forté. He is committed to contributing towards preservation of monuments and heritage through voluntary efforts in termite elimination.

RAM C KANDEL

is a Civil Engineer associated with National Society for Earthquake Technology(NSET) Nepal.

SURYA P ACHARYA

is a Civil Engineer associated with National Society for Earthquake Technology-(NSET) Nepal.

Propane fuelled flames on the main and only historical pond in the Garden of Dreams at Keshar Mahal brings to life the grandeur and exuberance of times gone by.

Photograph by Ashesh Rajbansh Canon EOS 10D DSLR 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM lens 1/400sec@f6.3

MANAGING EDITOR

Uday Sunder Shrestha, B.E PUBLIC RELATIONS

Prakash Bahadur Amatya ASSOCIATE EDITOR / MARKETING MANAGER Amar B. Shrestha PHOTOGRAPHY / PRODUCTION CONTROL Ashesh Rajbansh LAYOUT DESIGN

Pavitra D. Tuladhar MARKETING / SUBSCRIPTIONS EXECUTIVE Wimmy Kaur ADMINISTRATION / ACCOUNTS Sanjay Shrestha PUBLISHED BY

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bitarak.com Ph: 5529726 / 5522472 email: info@bitarak.com SPACES - guide to good living is published six times a year at the address above. All rights are reserved in respect of articles, illustrations, photographs, etc. published in S PA C E S . 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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LETTERS WANTED-‘SPACES’ IN THE UNITED STATES

Thank you for sending ‘SPACES’. All of us here were pleasantly surprised to see such a good magazine. Many of us Nepalese living here would like to subscribe to your magazine. Let me admit that we are quite proud to show off such an excellent Nepalese magazine to our American friends. Please send us immediately prices in US dollars inclusive of postage charges and discounts, if any, for two year subscriptions. For your information, on 1st Baisakh many Nepalese living in Florida will be attending the New Year gathering in West Palm Beach, so if you could kindly send some copies, we will be grateful.

Thanking you and looking forward to more ‘SPACES’.

Niraj Man Shrestha 1727 Sawgrass Cir West Palm Beach Florida 33413, USA Hope you have received the copies we sent. Thank you for your encouraging remarks. We are also really happy that you find ‘Spaces’ to be of excellent quality and a source of National pride.

CONTINUE HIGHLIGHTING HERITAGE AND CONSERVATION

I would like to congratulate the ‘SPACES’ team for bringing out such an excellent magazine. I feel that ‘SPACES’ is something that was much needed in the country to highlight Nepalese Art, Design and Architecture that is no less than anywhere else in the world. Since I am interested in traditional architecture I would like to suggest that you continue to give importance to Heritage and Conservation activities with the same vigor as you have been doing till now. I am sure this will encourage organizations and individuals who are involved in such work.

I think ‘SPACES’ will continue to grow and flourish provided you do not compromise on the exceptional photography, writing and printing of your magazine. I wish ‘SPACES’ all the best in the future.

Sumitra Tuladhar Chetrapati Kathmandu

STUDENTS INVOLVEMENT WITH ‘SPACES’

After reading the last three issues. I would like to share some of my views with you. It’s great to see the progress of ‘SPACES’, i.e. the third volume.

Being a regular reader, what strikes my mind is that there aren’t any write ups or articles about students. Since ‘SPACES’ is mostly concerned with art, craft and architecture, there should be some columns for students of art, craft and architecture. This segment can feature their design work, research work or analysis. I did see an article done by our seniors who had already passed out from Pulchowk Campus in the first issue under segment called ‘Architecture’, the title of which was, ‘Traditionalism in Modernity’. Can’t we students be involved in your ‘SPACES’ so that we could get a platform to expose our talents?

And lastly, it would be good to know about the writers of the articles published in ‘SPACES’ so that along with the articles, we also get the chance to know the writers. Segments like Architecture, Heritage, New Designer, Report, Products and Interiors are praiseworthy. The printing quality is comparable to the best foreign magazines.

Shova Maharjan Student Institute of Engineering Pulchowk.

From your letter we understand that you feel ‘SPACES’ is becoming better with each new issue. Thank you for the compliment. We do have plans to have more interaction with students of the subject in coming issues.

> > Thank you dear Readers for your response.

We look forward to receiving more opinions and suggestions in the coming issues.

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NEWS & HAPPENINGS

‘BONSAI’

THE GREAT STRESS BUSTER-

APRIL 15TH 2004 will always hold a special place in the heart of nature lovers in Nepal, for on this day was born the Nepal Bonsai and Conservation Society (NEBCOS).

Similarly, 16th April 2005 will also do likewise, for on this day was held the First National Bonsai Exhibition. Bon (tray) and Sai (planting) are Japanese words but in fact, Bonsai originates from the Chinese words, ‘pen-tsai’ and this living art form is said to be ‘a crystallization of both Chinese aesthetic life style and the art of gardening’.

Because of its intrinsic aliveness, the art

of Bonsai is supposed to develop a bond between the bonsai and her creator. In the process, the creator experiences relief from stress and feels at peace with himself and the world. Besides the propagation of bonsai as an art that should be more widely practiced for this obviously important benefit, NEBCOS also has certain other objectives in mind including the creation of bonsai of threatened and endangered species for genetic conservation as well as to create bonsai for commercial purposes for employment generation. The pioneering organization plans to conduct orientation and training classes on creating bonsai in the near future.

The First National Bonsai Exhibition held at the Radisson Hotel, was inaugurated

by HE Tsutomu Hiraoka, Ambassador of Japan, and the welcome address was delivered by Bijaya Lal Shrestha, chairman and president of NEBCOS. General Secretary Surendra Lal Shrestha presented a report of NEBCOS activities while the vote of thanks was given by NEBCOS member Dr. Kunjani Joshi.

The exhibition was on display from 16th April to 18th April. S

2ND NEPAL EXTERIOR INTERIOR EXPO 2005 housing companies, banks, manufacturers of wooden and wrought iron furniture, furnishing houses, white goods suppliers, handicraft dealers, modular kitchen vendors, engineering colleges, cement, paint, tile and other hardware manufacturers as well as dealers of water purifiers, geysers and related products.

THE 2ND NEPAL EXTERIOR Interior Expo 2005 organized by Global Exposition and Management Services at Birendra International Convention Centre from 16th March to 20th March 2005 was, according to the organizers, a big improvement over the first one conducted last year at Bhrikuti Mandap. Exhibitors included 12 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

The event was organized in cooperation with the Society of Nepalese Architects and supported by Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Society of Consulting Architectural and Engineering Firms , Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Federation of Contractors’ Association of Nepal. S

AYA-

bangalore update

The Governor of Karnataka, T. N. Chaturvedi, gave away Architect of the Year awards on 31st.

March at Hotel Le Meridian in Bangalore. Minister for Housing, Anjana Murthy, was the Guest of Honour. Amongst the works nominated from South Asian countries to compete for the ‘Focus Countries Architect of the Year Awards’, the ‘Young Architect’s Award’ was conferred on Nepali architect Sarosh Pradhan for the construction of the first phase of his project, ‘Tewa’ in Dhapakhel, Kathmandu.

The Chairman’s award for outstanding contribution to architecture went to J. M. Benjamin from New Delhi. The Jury for the award, comprising of

Above: Sarosh Pradhan with other winners of the AYA awards with their citations.

eminent architects from South Asia, was earlier held on 27th. November at Chandigarh. J. K. Cement has been sponsoring the awards since 1990.

World famous architects like Laurie Baker, Charles Correa, Kanvinde, Joseph A. Stein, B. V. Doshi, Raj Rewal, Geoffrey Bawa, Muzharul Islam and Ananta D. Raje have been on the winners list in the past.

Sarosh heads the firm SPA and has worked on more than 40 projects in the last 8 years. His Sundhara Bakery Café has been in the limelight currently for its fresh approach. Some of the highlights of his achievements so far have been to win 2 prestigious National Design Competitions - Tewa and Sainbu Community Centre. S

FAREWELL KENZO TANGE (1914-2005) was famed all over the world as the architect who designed the Peace Park and Center in Hiroshima as a symbol of the human longing for peace. He was also equally well known for drawing the Lumbini master plan, the design of which he wished to be a tribute to world peace. Kenzo Tange started his journey in architecture in 1935 as a student in the Architecture Department of Tokyo University and later, in 1946, became assistant professor at the same university where he organized the Tange Laboratory under whose auspices were born famous architects like F. Maki, K. Kamiya, A.Isozaki, K. Kurukawa and T. Oki. At the age of 74, after a long and illustrious career, Kenzo Tange was awarded the Pritzker Prize. In the course of his creative voyage, the world renowned architect was invited to be a guest speaker at premier educational institutions worldwide, including, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Below: Peace monument in Hiroshima dedicated to World Peace.

Right: Master plan of the peace monument.

TO A MASTER ARCHITECT

Princeton and Berkley, beside others.

One of his outstanding projects that received worldwide attention was the ‘Plan for Tokyo 1960’ in which Kenzo Tange conceptualized the extended growth of the city out over the bay, making use of mega structures that included bridges, man made islands and floating parks. The master architect was deeply involved in urban design and planning projects in Italian towns in the late 1960’s which included a new town with residences for 60,000 in Catania.

One of his more interesting designs is the Yamanishi Broadcasting and Press Center in Kofu, Japan, in which one can observe the use of Tange’s novel theories- staircases, elevators, air conditioning and electrical equipment systems housed within cylinders; open spaces between floors that later was used for making terraces and roof gardens; some plots that were vacant and others occupied- all of this making expansion-potential possible if and when the need arose. Tange was also responsible for the expansion of the Minneapolis Art Museum in the United States, in which he doubled the original size of the 12,000 square foot structure by adding large symmetrical wings. In Singapore, some of Tange’s important works include the Overseas Union Bank, the GB Building, the Telecommunications Center and the Nanyang Technological Institute. Tange has been quoted as saying, “Architecture must have something

that appeals to the human heart, but even then, basic forms, spaces and appearances must be logical. Creative work is expressed in our time as a union of technology and humanity.

The role of tradition is that of a catalyst, which furthers a chemical reaction, but is no longer detectable in the end result. Tradition can, to be sure, participate in creation, but it can no longer be creative itself.”

Of course, much of his work was in Tokyo itself where the Alaska Prince Hotel has become a landmark and the Sogetsu Center, the Hanae Mori Building, the Hyogo Perfectural Museum of History, the Tokyo Cathedral of St. Mary, the Tokyo City Hall Complex, the Tohin School and the Ehime Perfectural Culture Center bear testimony to Kenzo Tange’s brilliance as does the twin arena of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, described as among the most beautiful structures built in the 20th century. He was undoubtedly the most influential figure

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NEWS & HAPPENINGS in post war Japanese architecture and was said to be influenced by the works of Le Corbusier. Tange himself went on to develop his own sphere of influence and a following of devoted disciples who along with their master also came to be known as the ‘brutalists’ because of their proclivity for raw concrete and mega structures.

Assigned by the UNDP to draw up a master plan for Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha, Tange completed his work in 1978. His plan focused on a three square mile mandala that led in concentric circles to the sanctum sanctorum- the sacred garden around the Mayadevi Temple.

The design incorporated a Monastic Zone segregated into the eastern zone for Theravada Buddhism and the western zone for Mahayana Buddhism, as well a Lumbini Village having lodges, restaurants, a cultural center and other tourist facilities. In his heart, Tange

desired that his design for Lumbini be a tribute to world harmony just as he had visualized the Hiroshima Peace Memorial to be a dedication to the human longing for peace.

Born in Imabari, Shikoku, Japan, in 1914, Kenzo Tange died on March 22nd 2005 at the age of 91 in Tokyo. He has left behind a legacy of masterful architectural works that will continue to inspire and stir the creative spirit of generations of architects to follow.

Kenzo Tange’s luminosity and brilliance can best be summed up by the jury’s citation when awarding the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1987-‘Given

Above: Kenzo Tange presenting the Lumbini master plan

talent, energy and a sufficiently long career, one may pass from being a breaker of new ground to becoming a classic….In preparing a design, Kenzio Tange arrives at shapes that lift our hearts because they seem to emerge from some ancient and dimly remembered past and yet are breathtakingly of today.’ S

RESTORATION WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH NEERU SUBBA WEBSTER, who describes herself as an entrepreneur, organized an exhibition cum sale of household furniture made from restored traditional Nepalese hand carved wood on the 5th and 6th March in Bansbari, Kathmandu.

Admitting that her source of inspiration has been Dwarika’s Hotel, which taught her that restoration with an entrepreneurial approach can generate satisfactory revenue, Neeru specializes in the collection and restoration of ancient wooden pieces of art in the form of intricately carved coffee tables, exquisitely designed windows, old and interesting pillars, railings and beams.

The exhibition had on display many such items as well as a large number of old wooden cupboards that had Right: Neeru displaying some of her innovative restored furniture.

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been restored keeping the original designs and engravings intact. In addition, there were some appealing bookshelves that had been ingeniously converted from old beams, any of which could well be a conversation piece in any room. The setting of the exhibition cum sale was most appropriate too, held as it was in the airy gardens of a two-storied house whose exteriors boasted traditional architecture and design.

“A hobby turned into an entrepreneurial journey,” is how Neeru expresses her interest in this form of restoration work and the exhibition has been the result of two years of painstaking effort. However, she is happy with the response she has received from the event and says that this has further motivated her to continue with her labours that undoubtedly will contribute to the protection of traditional art and craft in the country.

That she will scale greater heights in her journey can be foretold going by the fact that Neeru Subba Webster has other achievements to her credit such as her claim of being a pioneer in the field of embroidery work on Pashmina shawls. S

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ART

THE NEO-IMPRESSIONISTS OF KASTHAMANDAP

– Text Gemini Shrestha

THE MARCH OF STYLES The progression of art in the modern world goes like this: 1800 to 1825-Neoclassicism, 1825 to 1850-Romanticism, 1850 to 1875-Realism, 1875 to 1900-Impressionism, 1900 to 1925-The New Century Styles such as Fauvism, Cubism and Abstract, and 1925 onwards-Contemporary, including Surrealism.

Erina’s women, alone, or with child, have a freshness that is quite invigorating.

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From 1800 to 1850, towering figures like David, Ingres, Goya, Delacroix, Constable, Turner and Bonnington ruled the roost. In the period 1850 to 1875, Manet and Courbet joined hands to challenge the old order with their novel approach, which they termed as ‘Realism’. In 1874, a young group of artists that included Renoir, Monet, Sisley, Cezanne, Degas, Brazille, Fantin-Letour and others organized their own exhibition representing a new style, ‘Impressionism’. The Impressionists stunned the established order by painting brokenly, loosely and disjointedly as well as by their apparent carelessness in choice of subjects. They were

later joined by the likes of Pissaro, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Seurat, Whistler and Sargent, although these artists’ school of art could be said to be Neo-impressionist in nature, also called Pointillists, Divisionists and Symbolists.

Ask the seven talented artists of ‘Kasthamandap Art Studio’ in Kupondole, Lalitpur, about how they would describe their style, and they’ll say, ‘Post Impressionism’. This would of course imply that a lot of their style is influenced by Impressionism. And why shouldn’t it? After all, just looking at the roster of luminaries of the art world in the period 1850 to 1875, one can easily understand why this period in art history is so important and influences so many artists all over the world even today. ‘Kasthamandap Art Studio’ and its seven members are no exception.

In fact one could even compare the seven artists with the original group of Impressionists at least as far as their origins are concerned. Take for example the fact that the seven claim to have worked underground in the first two years of establishing their studio. It would be no surprise to know that the young artists, all students of Fine Arts Campus, Kathmandu, must have come together with a view THE TALENTED SEVEN

Take Asha Dangol, aged 32, for example. Awarded the Arniko Yuwa Puraskar in 2003, his style has undergone a sea change from the time he painted ‘Folk Images of Nepal’ (2002), held at the Siddartha Art Gallery, in which bold and colourful brushstrokes filled canvases with images of simple Nepali folks, and in which it is evident that Asha really enjoyed playing with a combination of effervescent colours, to his ‘Inside the Words’ (2004) at the Gallery Moksh, in which semi abstract figures in pastel shades and apparently nonchalant strokes conjure up images that cheer the spirit with their bohemian spirit. His ‘Myth and Reality’ is especially noteworthy.

to changing the established order. Or why else would they say that they worked underground for two years in the beginning? It certainly wouldn’t be far fetched to guess that the young artists were most probably heavily influenced by the history of the Impressionists.

Whatever the reason, it is a fact that in 1994, under the leadership of Prashant Shrestha, aged just 26 then but an accomplished artist nonetheless, eight artists came together to work in a communal environment in what they called, ‘Kasthamandap Art Studio’. On 30th March 1999, when he was just 31 years old, the dedicated mentor, Prashant, passed away suddenly.

It was a tragic demise of a promising life still left unfulfilled, but as one sits with the present members of ‘Kasthamandap’ in their studio, one hears his name mentioned often, and with reverence. One can see that Prashant’s spirit lives on and one can be sure, will continue to do so. Today, ‘Kasthamandap Art Studio’ is a name to be reckoned with in the art world of Nepal and its original seven founder members have each, individually, made a name for himself / herself.

Bhairaj Maharjan, another founder member, aged 33, recently this year, won the first prize in the Contemporary Art section in the prestigious National Art Exhibition (NAFA), with his ‘Lonely’. Bhairaj’s work too has undergone subtle changes with the passing of years.

His most recent exhibition titled, ‘Secret Moments’ (2004), at Siddartha Art Gallery, exhibited young and sensual women preoccupied with themselves in their most private moments. Although Bhairaj had not changed his central theme, that is, women, this was a far cry from the more mundane women and their less gainly forms that filled his canvases in years gone by. No doubt, the artist seems to be getting more familiar with, and thereby, more appreciative of his subject.

Binod Pradhan, 32, won the 2nd prize in the National Art Exhibition (NAFA) in 1997, and the 1st prize in the Ganeshman Singh Adhyayan Pratisthan competition in the same year. His latest solo exhibition titled, ‘The Solitude of Colour’ (2005), held at Siddartha Art Gallery, displayed cityscapes, temples and common folks occupied with daily chores in vibrant colours and textures that imparted an interesting effect. Binod’s forte seems to be the cultural and architectural aspects of life in Nepal, and in bringing out such perspectives in an original way, using light and shade intelligently, and with masterful strokes and bold colours, one will have to admit that the young artist does excel.

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Pradip paints festivals. However, his depiction of such events is a special joy to behold, painted as they are in vibrant colors and with great originality.

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ART

Erina Tamrakar, 35, was married a year and a half ago to another Kasthmandap-ite, Asha Dangol, and today is the proud mother of a bonny boy. Recipient of the consolation award in 1998 in the 28th National Art Exhibition, and the third prize in the 30th National Art Exhibition in 2000, Erina is well known now for her paintings of women, alone, and with child.

‘Reflection and Reality’ at Gallery Nine, in 2004, was her most recent exhibition. Originally, more adhering towards the use of green and blue colours, (some say, an influence of Gauguin), Erina too has changed with time and now her lovely women with their subtle contours and veiled faces are more colourful in attire as well as form. Moreover, motherhood seems to have brought additional fervour to her creativity.

She does still regard Gauguin as a favourite in addition to Cezanne.

Pradip Bajracharya, aged 34, won the 2nd prize in the 33rd National Art Exhibition in 2002. His recent solo exhibition titled, ‘Festive Images’ (2005), at Buddha Art Gallery, had on exhibition canvases flooding with pulsating colour portraying exciting images of various festivals of Kathmandu. His ‘Festive Moods’ held in 2003 at Siddartha Art Gallery, also depicted lively images of Newari festivals, but it is apparent that Pradip, with time and experience, has become much bolder and surer in energizing festival portrayals with deeper and stronger shade and colours that not only provide more dynamism but also more vibrancy. Verily, Pradip Bajracharya paints festivals like noone else does, and in his own inimitable style.

Pramila Bajracharya, 33, won a special prize in the National Art Exhibition (NAFA) this year and was the recipient of the Arniko Yuba Kala Puruskar in 2002. She had also won the consolation award in the 28th National Art Exhibition in 1998. Her first solo exhibition was held in 2002 at the Siddartha Art Gallery and was titled, ‘Images of Landscapes’. In 2004 she held her second solo exhibition, ‘Nature and Eternity’ at the Park Gallery. She is undoubtedly more drawn towards landscapes, but her landscapes are original and abstract, if not totally avant-garde. It is no surprise since Cezzane and Gauguin top the list of her favourite artists. One can assume correctly that even though Pramila is already an accomplished landscape artist, she has the potential and obviously, the commitment, to grow in stature as a true Neo-impressionist.

Sunila Bajracharya, aged 32, has had a solo exhibition in 2002 at the Srijana Contemporary Art Gallery that was titled, ‘Anubhuti’. Her works are usually ones that portray women’s faces but she does it in her own unique way. Each of her paintings is characterized by the positive use of strong lines and brush strokes that are flamboyant yet give an air of simplicity to the canvas resulting in a certain innocent vivacity of the whole. The vividness is further strengthened by the use of robust colours and lively forms. Sunila too venerates the 19th century Neo-impressionists and no doubt, she herself is progressing towards her goal of achieving her own originality with the passing of the years.

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Below: Paintings by Binod usually highlight traditional architecture in an interesting way. and with the use of subtle light and shade.

Above: Pramila’s landscapes have an originality all of their own and reflect the influence of Impressionism.

THE WAY TO THE FUTURE And with the passage of time one can foresee that these seven Nepali Neo Impressionists cloistered under a common umbrella, that of ‘Kasthamandap Art Studio’, and dedicated to keeping the spirit of their common mentor alive through their work, will be at the forefront of the art scene of the country in the days to come. Kasthamandap Art Studio is already famous as an entity, and equally, each of the seven artists have already begun their journey towards the fulfilment of their own individual potentials, in their own individual ways all the while retaining their own individual identities.

In conclusion it can be said that Kasthamandap Art Studio has already fulfilled its objective of proving that many different people can work together in a spirit of camaraderie, harmony and creativity. This must be all the more appreciated when it is well known that artists by their very nature are reputed to be a highly individualistic and temperamentally egoistic breed. This is why Kasthamandap Art Studio is so unique and, one could say, a rarity in today’s world. At the same time one cannot but be a little wary that such conditions could have an effect on the natural search for originality in a highly creative field like art and one fervently hopes that the artists are aware of this risk.

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ART

Below: Bhairaj’s work is more concentrated on women in their different moods and he has a mastery of his mediium that is quite powerful.

Above: Asha’s works have undergone changes with the march of time, tending to veer towards abstractism.

Below: Sunila paints faces using bold strokes and strong colours. Her paintings define her originality.

Howsoever Kasthamandap Art Studio progresses, all art lovers look forward to the talented seven delving deeper into their abilities and truly agonizing over their efforts so that creations are born. Creations that can compare with Impressionist works such as Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’, Renoir’s ‘Nude in the Sunlight’, Degas’ ‘Dancer’, Cezanne’s ‘Landscape with Viaduct’, Gogh’s ‘Starry Nights’, Gauguin’s ‘la Orana Maria’, and Seurat’s ‘Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ - paintings that echo artistic souls in ecstasy. And as everybody knows, ecstasy is only possible after agony. S SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 21

En routé TO REDEVELOPING

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WHENEVER PEOPLE PAY A VISIT TO THE CITY OF KATHMANDU, THEY OFTEN MAKE IT A POINT TO VISIT THE TEMPLE OF PASHUPATINATH. NOW IT IS DHARAHARA (THE TOWER), ALONG WITH ITS COUNTERPART SUNDHARA (THE GOLDEN WATER CONDUIT) THAT HAS TAKEN UP A SIMILAR STATURE IN THIS CITY’S CONTEXT. Text: ArchiFirm harahara and Sundhara both have been the strongest landmarks in Kathmandu ever since they were built. Elderly in the area nostalgically recall the past when Dharahara and Sundhara have silently witnessed an era of dramatic upheavals in this city’s history. After a long hibernation, summer has now arrived for the Dharahara-Sundhara area, awakening them from their slumber.

With pieces of these monuments crumbling, the adjacent garden overgrown with weeds and people virtually using it as public toilet, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), at the verge of Visit Nepal 1998, came up with the idea, in the form of a project, to clean and develop this area that was neglected for decades.

D

Sidewalker’s Traders, a private organization, was entrusted by KMC to carry out the project under ‘The Public Private Partnership Program’. After the joint consent of the Department of Archaeology, Nepal Tourism Board, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Local Development and Bhimsen Thapa Memorial Foundation, KMC agreed to lease out the area to conduct all developmental works under KMC norms, for a period of 20 years.

It has been intended that when the project completes, the area will have multitude of functions that will grow over time to maximize the area’s potential as an active public space. The program of the project targets to develop it as an important next tourist destination in the Kathmandu Valley.

Above: His Excellency the Prime Minister General Bhim Sen Thapa ( 21st July 1779 29th July 1839 AD). The General’s great vision is apparent from the Dharahara Tower that he built during his reign as Prime Minister (1806 - 1827 AD).

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ARCHITECTURE The area will be given a new dimension so that the idea of an open museum can be realized in its realm. All necessary tourist services and amenities will be added to make it a more comfortable visiting spot. The prime nodal disposition of the area has been a great asset for income generating activities and will be greatly utilized to sustain the project.

The area that the project mainly focuses on lies at one of the major entry points to the inner city of Kathmandu and encompasses the Dharahara and Sundhara premises – already delineated in the east, west and south with the visible boundary railings. It is towards the north that the margin seems to merge with the adjoining zone wherein lies the Department of Mint and branch office of a bank. There are two major thoroughfares passing through the area – one from Khichapokhari New Road to Shahid Gate and the next from Tebahal area to Shahid Gate, both making a prime confluence at the entrance point to the Dharahara premise. Apart from Dharahara and Sundhara, the two major structures in the area having significant heritage value, the garden space in front of the Dharahara was another part in need of attention. Besides the maintenance of the existing heritage structures, improving the quality of the space with additional public facilities and services will revitalize the area. The area, which was once quite dingy and cluttered, has been intended to be transformed into a place where people would long to visit again and again.

Unlike other distant parks or spots, where people visit occasionally, Dharahara is a point where most of the citizens pass by very frequently. It has already become more like a public square, which demands a new definition at this point of time.

BHIMSEN THAPA AND DHARAHARA Prime Minister General Bhimsen Thapa (1779-1839 AD) is credited for the construction of Sundhara (lit. golden

conduit) and Dharahara, also known as Bhimsen Tower after its creator. As history reveals, he was not only a military personnel, but also a wise politician, a reformer and a lover of art. The tower construction was not a local concept in this region and Bhimsen Thapa might have imported the idea along with the design and construction features from outside – apparently from Mughal India.

Dharahara was the next translation of Minar (minaret) – tower typology typical in Mugal Architecture.

Surprising enough, though Bhimsen Thapa is credited for the construction of Dharahara, there is absolutely no mention of his name in the metal inscription atop the main entrance to the tower. The tower instead has been dedicated to queen Lalit Tripura Sundari, apparently a powerful figure in the political system in those days. We can settle that Bhimsen Thapa might have dedicated the tower in the name of the then ruling head.

Above: A steep flight of stone steps leads up to the Dharahara’s entrance.

Left: A bird’s eyeview of the garden and the immediate area below the the highest tower in Nepal.

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and developmental needs. There was a general outcry about the strength of this some 178-years-old monument. People were reluctant about whether it could withstand the public mass since it was going to be publicly open to the public.

Structural analysis and tests revealed it to be safe for vertical loads. However, the maximum live load that can be allowed inside the tower at a time should not exceed 750 kg.

This crucial limit has to be strictly followed during the operation of the tower. Except for the outer plaster crumbling at a few places, the masonry inside was found to be sound enough.

Whitewashing Dharahara posed a special challenge because of the lack of appropriate technology and methods in use in other parts of the globe where there are high-rise structures. There have been stories of painting Dharahara in the past by hanging oneself in bamboo baskets. A group of daring painters ultimately ended up with the rudimentary method of making rope ladders to paint Dharahara. To everybody’s surprise, they finished the job well within a period of thirty-two working days.

Above: Dharahara silhouetted against the setting sun.

Later in 1936 AD, Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher carried out the renovation of Dharahara after the tower had collapsed to its second floor in the 1934 earthquake. During its renovation, the tower was proportionately shortened from its original height but the vertical division of the tower was maintained. A projecting balcony was added on its seventh cornice level.

DESIGNED WITH SIMPLICITY Dharahara is quite simple in its design – virtually a hollow pipe with the central core and spiral stair running all the way up to the top. The inner shaft is almost vertical while the outer surface tapers as it goes up. Though the horizontal cornices on the external surface of the tower makes it seem as if there are storeys inside, the internal spiral staircase with its 213 steps, leads all the way up to the top without any landing levels or storey except at the 188th step for a projecting balcony.

The walls are built in baked bricks with lime surkhi mortar.

The thickness of the wall goes on decreasing as the tower goes up – from 72 inches at the bottom to 29 inches at the

As KMC has now handed over the place for public utility, the basic public facilities has become indispensable. Adding facilities like public toilets, water supply and electrification, and making other improvisations in the area was a tough assignment for the new management because being entitled as the heritage of Kathmandu Valley, Dharahara and Sundhara initially were taboos – when seen in perspective of conservation versus development issues. A balanced consonance was always sought for whenever there happened to be a skirmish between conservation norms

Sketch: ArchiFirm

THE GOLDEN WATER CONDUIT Sundhara, the golden water conduit, built alongside Dharahara, has gone through similar historical changes as Dharahara. Despite the fact that Sundhara is not as old as other stone spouts in the valley (most of which are as far back or Licchhavi Period ca.78 - 880), the spout has been executed with a high degree of detail and precision – a proof of survival of masterly skill and craft even in those olden days.

Conceptual Master Plan of A - Dharahara ‘The Tower’ B - Sundhara C - Garden

Sundhara-Dharahara: D - Proposed tourist rest place E,F,G - Open café & public square H - Department of Mint

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ARCHITECTURE top. The diameter of the core and the width of the spiral stair are each 3 feet wide. I-Section steel beams have been heavily used in the structure in areas like the balcony projection and spirally across the core and the outer wall to hold the spiral stair. At places, circular perforations are made in the wall to seek light and ventilation.

It is not only in the case of Dharahara that the exquisite example of building skill and craftsmanship of that time was manifested, but a look at the design and workmanship of Sundhara reveals that the builders skills were highly exercised and refined in different building mediums. Built in stone, Sundhara displays a marvellous interplay of geometry and intricate juxtaposition of shapes. Remarkably, the structure proper of Sundhara has shown very little maintenance needs even today, but the problem of supply and drainage system of Sundhara has become acute lately.

Locals blame it on the insensitive construction of buildings that has disturbed the original supply canal route of Sundhara. Today, water supply to Sundhara accounts for modern methods, artificially made reliable for the whole year. In addition, the problem of back-flow and ponding of Sundhara are recurrent whenever the drainage channels get blocked due to it being heavily adulterated by other private drains. A system of regular cleaning and maintenance of the Sundhara drain will ensure a solution to this frequent and disturbing problem.

THEMATIC PARK The former garden was developed into a thematic park as an intercepting rest space for visitors whenever they come or leave the Dharahara premise after their ascent to the

Above: The ancient golden spouts of Sundhara once refreshingly wet are dry and forsaken today.

Below: An inside view of the pinnacle of the historic tower.

tower. Amidst the surrounding area lacking in greenery, the soft landscape of the park will enhance the quality of the environment in the area.

Parallel to all the development works, the cultural vestiges in the area have been respected by all means. The existing cultural route, passing midway between the tower and the garden, was kept intact and neatly maintained because of its surviving significance during cultural occasions.

With “Project Sundhara–Dharahara” Kathmandu Metropolitan City has initiated a new trend of leasing the secular heritage site to the private sector – an experiment whose inferences are yet to be drawn since the project is still in its cradle stage. By such attempts, the upkeep and maintenance of all such crumbling heritage structures could be guaranteed but whether their extant cultural and heritage values have been properly addressed and sustained – this is something every prospective manager of such ventures should answer sometime or the other before attempting any such developmental goals. S ARCHIFIRM DESIGN ASSOCIATES NEPAL has been the official consultant to “Project Sundhara Dharahara”. The firm has already established a good reputation in the design and construction industry in the last few years. Comprising of a group of young and motivated people, it is making its mark with projects – both accomplished and upcoming. Making ties with expertise in required fields, the firm believes in rendering high quality service to prospective clientele. The firm has proven its abilities in various projects pertaining to architecture, conservation, planning and construction practices. archifirm@ntc.net.np

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The nine foot stone statue of Lord Buddha at Swayumbhunath in Kathmandu.

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CRAFT

ARNIKOLIVES “So that was how I got to have a statue of myself built in China!”

!

When deciding to whom the singular honor of carving the first ever life size portrait of King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev should go to, there was little doubt in anyone’s mind that Dharma Raj Shakya would be the chosen one.

The six and a half feet statue in white marble weighs almost two tons and took four months to be completed. Right now it stands tall in the courtyard of his premises, Arniko Stone Carving in Lalitpur Industrial Estate. Gazing at it with a satisfied look, the thirty two year old stone carver informs, “I believe it will be installed in Nepalganj.”

A STATUE IN HIS LIKENESS He has another first to his credit. His own life size statue stands equally tall in the most unlikely of places, the White Stupa Temple in Beijing, China. Hard to believe? Well, to be perfectly honest, although he was the model for that particular figure, it wasn’t meant to be his portrait. The fact of the matter was that when the Chinese authorities wanted to honor the Nepalese master craftsman Arniko for his significant contributions to their country, they looked around to find a suitable candidate on whom to model their dedication. They came to know that Dharma Raj Shakya of Patan was, besides being a talented sculptor himself, amazingly similar in appearance to the legendary master from the past. “So that was how I got to have a statue of myself built in China!” jokes the slim and doe eyed Dharma Raj. “While

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One of the huge stone lions commissioned during Visit Nepal Year 1998 that stands proud in Basantapur Square.

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CRAFTS there, I also had a chance to display my talents at an exhibition.”

THE DHARMA SHAKYA LIONS Dharma Raj Shakya is also famed for his two nine feet lions in Hanuman Dhoka in Basantpur, Kathmandu. The massive lions were made in 1997 as part of the preparations for the ambitious Visit Nepal Year in 1998.

“Keshav Sthapit was the mayor then and actually I was assigned to make nine lions altogether but due to financial scandals in official circles, I finally got to make only two.”

However, even just two were enough to display to anybody caring to clarify doubts about his artistry, that Dharma Raj Shakya was probably the foremost sculptor of the country. In fact the lions are now renowned as the ‘Dharma Raj Shakya Lions’, and will undoubtedly live on through the ages as fitting mementos of the sculptor, who even though barely in his thirties, has made a name for himself as the Michelangelo of Nepal.

But, “I haven’t been to Rome,” he admits ruefully. And, “I haven’t participated in any international competitions either.” Born on the 28th of July 1973 to Nunem and Dhan Raj

Shakya, Dharma Raj did his Bachelor in Fine Arts from Fine Art Campus in 1998 and later on, MA in Culture from Tribhuvan University. However, he has been carving stone figures since the time he was around seventeen years old and won the gold medal in 1992 in both the Reyukai Poster Competition as well as in the National

Handicrafts Competition. In 1994 too, he received the first prize in the National Art Exhibition, the National Handicraft Competition as well as the Reyukai Poster Competition. The young artist was honored by the state in 2000 when the Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu was conferred on him.

Among the host of awards and honors

Above: Some fine examples of Dharma Raj Shakya’s artistry.

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CRAFTS Dharma Raj has accumulated in his career, the Arniko Youth Art Award conferred by the Rastriya Yuwa Sewa Kosh in 2002 holds special meaning for him. “Maybe because it is named after Arniko,” he admits.

Hotel Fulbari, Pokhara, a 9 feet Buddha as well as a 10 feet one in Swayambhu, “Stone carvers were called a 7 .5 feet Rimpoche ‘Lhon-karmis’ and looked down Padma Sambhav in Nagarjun, as well as all the upon, but now it has become a stone work done for the respectable vocation.”

Himalayan Pavilion during BUSINESS UNUSUAL Expo 2000 in Germany.

Dharma Raj Shakya is proud to He has had his work inform that an ancestor, Abhay exhibited in Japan, Raj Shakya, made the Mahaboudha Vihar, also known as Bangladesh, Germany, China, Qatar and England. He is the nine thousand Buddha Temple, in Patan, in the 16th the vice president of Artists Society of Nepal as well as century. His own father, Nunem Raj, is an assistant of Friend’s Trust and executive member of Handicraft professor at the Lalitkala Campus and has been teaching Association, Nepal Fine Art Council and Nepal Heritage sculpture there since 1978. Three younger brothers help Society. No small honors, these.

Dharma Raj out in his workshop while at the same time studying in colleges, and a younger sister is studying in As mentioned, he has won numerous accolades in many school. Dharma Raj was married to Archana Bajracharya different occasions. And he was chosen as the sculptor to a year ago and today they have a month old daughter. “I carve the first portrait of King Gyanendra Bir Bikram still have to decide on a name for her,” he smiles. No Shah Dev. Remarkable achievements for anybody in one doubt a son would have been named Arniko! Dharma Raj life one would think. And more so if one is to realize Shakya believes that working in stone is one of the that Dharma Raj Shakya is only 32 years old. So one hardest of artistic professions and in the old days, stone would be forgiven for thinking that maybe, just maybe, it carving wasn’t a profession to be especially proud of. is no coincidence that the young sculptor should resemble “Stone carvers were called ‘Lho-karmis’ and looked down the legendary Arniko himself. upon, but now it has become a respectable vocation.” He also is of the opinion that this business requires relatively Truly, Arniko lives! S low investment in monetary terms and it is actually the effort and artistry that is the major investment.

He works mostly on limestone which is available locally and costs little. Some work requires the use of marble stone that is imported from India and which obviously costs more.

Much of his work consists of idol figures for places of worship within the country, and some for residential and commercial establishments. As for business abroad, he informs, “Until four-five years ago, exports were on the rise and we exported mainly to places like Japan, Taiwan and India. Since then however, there has been a sharp decline.” He has done a couple of fountains for some local connoisseurs including industrialist Padam Jyoti, architect Ujjwal Man Shakya and hotelier Rajesh Tuladhar. Dharma Raj is also proud of the Chaityas and Garuds he made for Hyatt Regency.

THREE THOUSAND AND COUNTING Besides these, the sculptor claims to have carved more than three thousand figures and they vary in size from tiny figurines to very large statues. The largest statue he has carved has been the nineteen by fifteen feet limestone Budhanilkantha Narayan located in the Chandeswari temple in Banepa. Other noteworthy stone-craft done by Dharma Raj include a 6 feet Saraswati idol in Ilam, a 7 feet Ganesh at 32 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

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INTERIOR

CREATING A

NEW NEPALESE

VOCABULARY “Any style can be made to look good if done well”, according to the tall architect with the soft-spoken manner, Siddarth Gopalan. Although he is quite young and has been in the profession for only five years, this young architect certainly knows what he is talking about. The list of works and the impressive names of the clients that Siddarth’s firm, ‘Arc Inc’, has in its portfolio is such as to inspire disbelief. Disbelief, that an architect who has been practicing for only five years could be so successful in so short a time.

Just to recapitulate, Siddarth’s works include, the residences of the Australian High Commissioner, Swiss Development Agency, industrialists Binod Chaudhary, Diwakar Golcha, Vijay Dugar, Bikash Rana and Siddhartha Rana as well as the corporate offices of Sipradi, Himal Media, Chaudhary Group, CONTECH and the Khetan Group.

Impressive list what? But wait, that’s not the end of it. Siddarth Gopalan has also done the interiors for show rooms of Tata India, LG, DotsFashion Wear and Ground Zero Gift Shop. Among restaurants and hotels, the interiors of Patan Dhokaima, Hunter’s Lodge and Restaurant, La Dolce Vita, Jalan-Jalan, Nepali Chulo and the Roadhouse Cafes in Thamel and Patan have won a lot of acclaim.

Two recent projects that he found quite exhilarating were the Mystic Masala Restaurants in London and Petworth, England. “They have been completed,” says Siddarth. “And the best compliment I received was when an English lady commented about the one in Petworth, ‘It’s so Petworth!’”

Siddarth also remembers, “Since the Mystic Masala was located in a 300

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year old building, many different types of permissions had to be obtained when constructing.” Siddarth Gopalan is currently busy with a large-scale housing project (Valley Homes) in Sunakothi, Lalitpur, in which he is the chief architect.

Other ongoing assignments include interiors of residences for Prabhakar Rana and Shyam B. Pandey, Country Villa Lobby in Nagarkot as well as interior of Hot Breads in New Road.

Doubtless, the quantity of quality

Nagarkot has become the richer due to the architectural metamorphosis of Country Villa Resort.

assignments this young architect has accumulated in a short span of only five years must be the envy of many.

It also makes one wonder about how he has been so successful so quickly.

Perhaps the fact that the important contacts developed by Siddarth’s father, Raj Gopalan, a civil engineering consultant who has been practicing in Nepal for the last ten years, must have surely helped. Siddarth’s mother, Urmila Basnet, is originally from Dharan who did her MA in English

Literature from East West Center in Hawaii where in fact, she first met Raj Gopalan. Siddarth was born in Delhi on 27th of September 1973 and his early education was in Modern School of Delhi. He went on to do his B.Arch from Institute of Environmental Design (IED) in Anand, Gujarat, from where he passed out in 1998.

Presently, the academically inclined family live in Bakhundole while Siddarth’s younger brother, Gaurav, is in the US doing his Ph.D in Aerospace

Engineering. An academic family indeed! Siddarth’s hobbies include listening to music, travelling to historical sites and reading books and periodicals on art and culture. He is also quite obsessed with collecting curios - the more antique, the better.

He says, “Reading magazines and going through others’ works helps one to be discerning. The study of antique objects enables one to better understand the sense of colours and proportions.” Once upon a time, for two years, the young architect designed SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 35

INTERIOR traditional architecture. Siddarth also worked with the renowned Indian architect Inni Chaterjee for a year and under Narendra Pradhan during his training period. “I regard Inni Chaterjee as my mentor,” says Siddharth. “I learnt a lot from him.”

To a question about the ethics of doing interior work when qualified as an architect, Siddharth says that there is a huge difference between interior designing and interior decoration.

“Interior designing requires more of an architectural training and every architect must be well versed in interior designing, since no work is complete without both the exterior and the interior.” Besides, “Architecture and interior designing can be said to be two equal halves of the full picture.”

He feels that the architectural field is a very tough one in Nepal. “You have to first of all educate the client and then get work out of them while at the same time his interest has to be kept going.” Siddharth admires Gotz Hagmuller especially because of ‘his ability to use traditional materials in a modern way.’

He himself wants to do just that besides experimenting with ideas, colours and textures. “Of course not at the client’s expense,” he hurriedly clarifies. Siddharth also admires the design of the J Bar done by Sonia Gupta of Delhi and derives satisfaction from many of his own works especially Courtyard Restaurant, Country Villa in Nagarkot and Hunter’s Lodge in Gokarna.

Above: A cosy nook in the restaurant.

“Architecture and interior designing can be said to be two equal halves of the full picture.”

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jewellery. Siddharth adds, “My experience in jewellery designing helped me when I was doing the Mystic Masala Restaurants in England since they involved oriental type designs.”

Siddarth’s thesis in college was on ‘Influence of Tradition on Contemporary Architecture in Nepal” and at one time he had an yearning to work with Gotz Hagmuller because of the great architect’s innovative ideas on

Siddharth Gopalan is on a roll and has a lot to show for his talents, but he is onto something bigger today. “I want to use things which have not been documented before. For example, in the Roadhouse Café you will see décor that people see everyday but have not been documented. There is also no reference to Nepalese furniture in any of the international reference books. I want to create a modern Nepalese vocabulary for furniture and interiors.” S

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INTERIOR

GOD is in the details

IS MORE OFTEN THAN NOT JUST AN APHORISM USED TO EXPLAIN AWAY IDIOSYNCRASIES OF AN ARTIST’S IDEAS GONE AWRY.

o the layman, all it means is that he needs to dig deeper into the labyrinths and find meanings in things hard to understand.

So when Architect Siddharth Gopalan repeats the maxim while showing off the architecture and interiors of Hotel Country Villa in Nagarkot, one is naturally put on guard. But after just a few minutes within the uniquely original environment of the hotel’s restaurant on the ground floor, one will have to admit that Siddharth is only making a singularly honest statement and nothing more sinister than that.

T

Finished just three months back, the restaurant now is undoubtedly the highlight of the hotel. With a seating capacity for a hundred people

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The lounge is a place of comfortable retreat at the Country Villa Resort.

Before SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 39

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including an open terrace area, the restaurant in the day, offers a breathtaking view of deep valleys and high mountains to the east and northeast. At night, the intricate lighting arrangements are such as to reflect the interiors on the now dark windows, in the process, succeeding in creating an aura of spaciousness, warmth and intimacy.

Facing Page: Small details that have made the interiors more interesting.

Below: The terrace adjoining the restaurant is also a special place and is blessed with an excellent view.

Above: Hand plastered walls with small alcoves and fascinating lighting endows the restaurant with an intimate aura.

DESIGNED AND CONCEPT CREATED The bar, the wine rack, as well as all the chairs and tables have been constructed from hard sisau wood.

Maybe, ‘designed and concept created’ would serve as a better term instead of plain ‘constructed’. One notices that almost all of the furniture has been deliberately rough-hewn with no smooth finish whatsoever and that no nails have been used. Obviously, dado joints as well as mortise and tenon joints were applied. Siddharth explains, “My idea was to create a rustic atmosphere, but with an international flavour.”

Doubtless, the architect could have been inspired by designs used in ski SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 41

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INTERIOR resorts such as that in Switzerland. Of course the young architect is quick to deny this. “I do study architecture and interiors from all around the globe, but they serve only one purpose, and that is to open my mind to newer and more diverse styles,” he says. “Much of the work done in Country Villa is unique but at the same time, my concept has been based on the local Tamang style architectural values.”

Undoubtedly, the seating arrangements lined along the far wall can be said to be quite original. “I utilized the hereto unused space between the outer and the inner building walls to fashion these miniature and private lounges,” explains Siddharth. “The skylights above these lounges make them really warm and cosy places to dine in on sunny days.” Each such lounge is separated from the other by walls, which have a square window- like opening, so that a certain symmetrical effect is achieved. In small alcoves on the walls, one notices metallic models of bicycles that the young architect says he brought from India, and which he wanted to use as decoratives because the bicycle is a popular means

of travel favoured by tourists when roaming the countryside. On the hardwood rustic tables can be seen cylindrical glass candleholders that Siddharth designed and for which the middle parts of hurricane lamps were used. Hung on the pillars at regular intervals are candle style lights in front of small mirrors. In fact much emphasis has been given in the selection of designs for lighting effects and it is evident that the designer has an affinity towards the same. In fact he says so himself, “I like to design lights.”

At the far end of the long and rectangular room is a wide fireplace with stacks of wood on both sides, but which, the architect is quick to admit, “Is not functioning perfectly.”

DETAILS, DETAILS AND MORE DETAILS The walls and pillars of the restaurant are a sight for sore eyes, and so they should be, considering the effort the young designer and his team has put into making them at once attention grabbing and artistic in content. No smooth surfaces here either, again probably to reinforce the rustic feeling.

“It was a chore teaching the masons to hand-plaster the walls so that an

undulating effect could be achieved,” says Siddharth. And it is true. In the evenings, the walls with their patchy stone blocks and cream and limestone like swathes, cast off soft shadows in places, fulfilling the architect’s purpose to achieve a surging effect.

‘God is in the details’- indeed it is, if one is to take the restaurant of Hotel Country Villa as a case in point. Some other interesting details are the floor, the ceiling, and the rampant use of old and un-hewn timber used as ceiling beams as well as lintels on alcoves along the walls. The floor inside is tiled with square blocks of yellowish Jaisalmer marble, the colour of which complements with the total colour scheme of the Villa. The open terrace with its seating arrangements around tree stump tables, has unevenly shaped granite stones on the floor. The height of the restaurant’s ceiling cannot be more than eight and a half feet which could of course be a bone of contention for tall guests. But again, Siddharth is quick to explain, “At first I myself was apprehensive about the height, but a low ceiling was advantageous as well, to impart a more local content.” To conjure up a visual sense of space above one’s head, the young architect played around with uneven and subtly coarse limestone like colours as well as earthy yellow tones between and over the wooden beams set at regular intervals on the ceiling. His scheming resulted in another fine example to prove the aforesaid adage a truth.

WORKING SMART AND WORKING FAST “It took me four months to finish the interiors,” informs Siddharth. Of course the young architect is far from satisfied with the time taken to finish the job, but as he says, “It took this long mainly because of the many holidays taken frequently by the workers to celebrate this or that local function.” Siddharth claims to be a fast worker himself and says that he Left: The bar has a wide array of choice liquor made all the choicer due to the unique wine rack made of sisau wood.

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Above: Nestled on the magnificent high hills of Nagarkot, the resort has taken on an identity all of its own.

Inset: The resort before its metamorphosis.

usually finishes the preliminary design work within a few weeks at the most.

He further elaborates, “I get down to work and visit the site very frequently and innovate as the project progresses.

I feel that doing too much of detailed drawings and drawing up elaborate plans beforehand is a waste of time.”

He is also thankful that for this particular project he could get a free hand from the client. Probably due to the wonderful work done in the restaurant, it transpired that the young architect could next convince the hotel owner to allow him to redesign the

lobby as well as much of the exteriors of the main building. A quick comparison between the re-done main building and the adjoining one within the same hotel premises is enough to make a visitor aware of the glaring difference in aesthetical values and originality between the two.

MORE DETAILS - THE LOCAL TOUCH No wonder then that Siddharth is very proud of what he has been able to achieve. While the adjoining building is as mundane a hotel building as one will find anywhere, and when realizing that the re-done main building must have been of the same hew originally, anyone can appreciate the creativity of the young architect. The colours used on the exteriors are both a compliment to Siddharth’s common sense as well as to his innate sense of harmony. “I have used earthy yellows and musty reds that are the commonly used tones in houses in the region.” He explains further, “This, I believe, allows the Villa to blend in with the local environment which is an additional

benefit because tourists usually love the experience of living within environments that are different from their own and more in tune with the locality of their destinations.”

Siddharth has also made use of wooden planking as out-hangings along the sides, parallel to the ceiling and roof of the Villa. The lobby has a reception facing the main entry doors and behind which one can get an immediate view of the sweeping view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The lobby is a place that is meant to be sat in and enjoyed, offering as it does an out of this world panoramic landscape from all points. “Since many visitors like to spend their time in the villa reading while savouring the spectacular scenery, we have taken care to construct the furniture so that they are particularly convenient for reading activity,” informs Siddharth.

Details, details and more details. He adds, “Things like the height of the tables, for instance”. A tiny antique looking table fan stands at one corner SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 45

INTERIOR of the reception counter, which the young architect says he bought from Gautam SJB Rana of Baber Mahal Revisited. “It was on sale and I bought it immediately,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. “It works!” Not only does it do that but one could say it is an eyecatching adornment as well.

‘God is in the details’. If there is any doubt left that Siddharth means what he says, then one has only to observe that even the kitchen next to the restaurant has a large window facing east. This wall to wall glazed opening forces one to assume that the architect must have had on his mind the fact that the awesome scenery in full sight at all hours would be inspiring to the chef and the cooks as much as to guests from near and far. Assuring gourmet creations to satisfy the finickiest connoisseurs. “Yes, that’s right,” Siddharth Gopalan agrees with a beatific smile. S

A RUSTIC TRANSFORMATION Breath taking scene of the Himalayan panorama, sculpted interiors, finest of cuisines, all singing in harmony like a thousand piece orchestra of the legendary maestros. Nestled in a rich ambience, Country Villa stands elegantly with the exterior hue complementing the sunrise, for which Nagarkot is so famous. Capped by the sloping shingled roof is the building - picture perfect against a backdrop of the snowclad peaked mountainscape.

As one enters the Villa, the floor, walls, ceiling and nature through the large windows, all complement one another.

The floors are mirror polished stones from Jaisalmer, a city in India famous for this golden coloured marble, which was once the choice of the yesteryears legendary Maharajas. This yellow floor gives a rustic look to keep with the general décor of the country setting. The 46 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

white lime mortared walls in the basement restaurant, reflect and disperse light filtering through the skylights. This stonewall construction is typical of Nagarkot building style, except for the innovative white lime mortar in lieu of the traditional mud mortar used in the local buildings. The beamed ceiling with white and yellow colour visually enhances the height of the ceiling at the basement level. The furniture uses Tamang motifs blending nicely with modern style and connects the modern with the traditional.

The lobby is a wide-open arena with good comfortable sitting spaces and is an ideal setting to sit and relax.

Windows are large and viewing the Himalayas in all its panoramic splendour is obstruction free. The double deckered side tables with stylishly improvised copper urn lights

Text: Siddarth Gopalan

at the upper deck, soothingly aids the process of comfortable reading. The ceiling in this hall is in a beam and plank style with a combination of wood finish and white colour for the plank, reflecting lights coming through the windows.

The terrace deck is a mosaic of stone slabs and white cement, which is vibrant and lively, complementing the natural visual beauty of the Himalayas.

The original parapet wall has been replaced by a wooden railing, supported by stone dwarf pillars which also houses copper lamps. As the name suggests, Country Villa is designed in a country style with accents on Tamang culture. The exterior building wall is given a mud finished look with slate shingles on the sloping roof. It is a visual delight against the back drop of the shining Himalayan panorama. S

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PROFILE

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Text: Amar . B . Shrestha

ILLUMINATED LIVES

DEEPAK & JYOTI– the power of their combined glow shines bright on Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC).

It is but natural that Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC) should shine. After all Deepak (light) and Jyoti (glow) are the husband/wife team who head CBC, one of the premier design and construction firms in Nepal. An illuminating pair, no doubt! The architect couple have an able associate in civil engineer Manohar Sherchan who completes the troika of directors on the board. As Deepak Sherchan, architect par excellence, says, “Our strength lies in teamwork. No one should think that he/she alone can do enough.” Jyoti Sherchan, nee Joshi, is supposedly the organizer and financial whiz while her husband, Deepak, is the artist who conceptualizes designs and

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puts them on the board. “Manohar, on the other hand, is the implementer who gets things done on the ground,” says Deepak.

It is said that a man’s nature can be deduced from his environment and from the home he lives in. It could also be true that a person’s nature can be surmised from his place of work.

If so, then one needs only to visit the offices of CBC on the fifth floor of Heritage Plaza II in Kamaladi, Kathmandu, to conclude that this firm is no common establishment. The main office through the library has an 18 feet high ceiling, and an extravagance of natural light streaming into the capacious and

DEEPAK & JYOTI– the power of their combined glow shines bright on Creative Builders Collaborative Deepak is more geared towards (CBC). sports and has been a sportsman tastefully furnished room through two large windows overlooking a lovely terrace garden, the handiwork of Jyoti.

“I love gardening,” she says. “In fact most of the landscaping work on our projects gives me ample opportunities to indulge in my passion.”

since the days when he captained his school’s Silver Team and excelled in hockey, football, boxing and swimming.

Today he is more into squash and tennis. No wonder even now he does not look a day over forty although both husband and wife are well into their fifties. “I met Jyoti when teaching at the Institute of Engineering,” says Deepak. So started a love affair that culminated in a fruitful marriage resulting in further blossoming of CBC as well as three daughters- Puja, a doctor who is doing her MD in Chicago; Prarthna, an architect with Masters in Housing and Real Estate from Holland and with further plans to acquire a doctorate; and Prakriti who is studying hotel management in Switzerland.

It is no accident that the family is so brilliant in the academic sphere.

Although Jyoti’s mother, Angur Baba Joshi, is well known for her social service work as well as for the fact that she was the first and probably the longest serving principal of the pioneering ladies college, Padmakanya Campus, very few know that Jyoti’s father, Prof. (Dr.) Balaram Joshi, was a nuclear physicist. “You can imagine, there wasn’t much use for his expertise in Nepal then,” remarks Jyoti. “He worked for the United Nations most of his working life but I remember he was recalled to Nepal during the Chernobyl disaster to check and verify that milk here was not contaminated!”

Angur Baba Joshi, meanwhile, did her

B.Lit and Bar at Law from Oxford University. As for Jyoti herself, “I was Board 2nd in the SLC exams in 1968.

Probably the first girl in the country to get on the board.” Her Alma Mater till class nine was St. Mary’s School and then she joined Mahendra Bhawan from where she gave her SLC exams.

Jyoti was awarded a scholarship under the Colombo Plan and went on to study architecture in Maharaja Shivaji Rao University in Baroda. She remembers, “I graduated along with Chandra Lekha Kayestha in 1975 and I believe we were the first two lady architects of Nepal.”

Deepak’s family on the other hand, has always been into business and industry but he himself was no less a brilliant scholar than anyone on his wife’s side of the family. After finishing school from St. Xavier’s in 1965, he joined Amrit Science College then went on to do a five and a half year course in Architecture from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur. One can guess that Deepak must have really excelled in academia since it is well known that to get admitted to an institution such as IIT, Kharagpur, is every student’s dream come true. Deepak passed out in 1975 and worked with Robert Weize for a year, then with Shanker Nath Rimal for a year and a half. Later, for about two years, he taught at the Institute of Engineering in Pulchowk, Lalitpur where he met Jyoti, who too

Above: The award winning SOS Village in Itahari and its site plan.

was teaching there. Deepak then formed his own company, CBC, along with civil engineer Diwaker Sherchan and architect Sri Ram Bhakta Mathema. The team worked together for about four years after which they parted ways and Jyoti and Manohar entered the picture. From then till now CBC has grown from strength to strength. “One of our most important clients has been the INGO, Save Our Souls or SOS,” admits the couple. “We have designed and built seven of the eight SOS Villages throughout the country.” In fact, for the SOS Village located in Itahari, Deepak Man Sherchan, in 1997, was awarded the South Asia Commendation Award instituted by JK Cements of India.

“The SOS Village projects had special design requirements inbuilt into their philosophy of creating spaces where orphans and deprived children could

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live in a family environment while at the same time growing up into educated and aware citizens,” says Deepak. “So, to give the feeling of living in individual homes, we segregated the living spaces into ten to thirteen units housing about ten children each. In addition, school buildings had to be constructed as well as staff accommodations and administration buildings.”

A large silk screen painting by Binita Rana hangs on the wall of Deepak’s office and lends an air of colorful vibrancy to the surroundings.

According to the debonair architect, “Actually, graduates at architectural schools are taught to appreciate art so that after graduation each can go and discover his/her own niche with regard to specialization.” Jyoti is of the opinion that, “An architect is a designer and a technocrat.” Howsoever the couple may define their profession, Deepak is the one who handles public relations, business policies and sketches

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and admits, “This profession has to be understood in its totality as one having huge requirements in the area of public relations and an understanding of business.” Jyoti is the manager and team leader who handles the nitty gritty including the minutest financial details.

“She is very good at managing day to day affairs as well as the finer points of financial dealings,” informs Deepak.

The pair are proud of many of their completed projects including Heritage Plaza II. “We finished this in 1997 and since my sister, Dr. Ashok Banskota’s wife, is the other partner besides us and Manohar, we had a free hand while designing and constructing.”

Built on about two ropanies of land, the plaza consists of a built up area of 35000 square feet and has five floors.

From their offices on the top floor of the Plaza has been born many great designs such as the Malpi International School in Panauti, St. Mary School’s new building in Jawalakhel, the SOS Village series, the Mechanical Training

Above: Creative Builder Collaborative’s planned project in Bishalnagar Heights - the Indreni Apartments.

Center in Balaju, the Trek-O Tel Hotel in Pokhara, Herman Gmaar School in Banepa, the Marcopolo Business Hotel in Kamalpokhari, Staff Residential Quarters of St. Xaviers’s College in Thapathali, the Family Planning Association of Nepal Central Office, and the offices of ILO Danida, besides many others. The SOS Village in Chitwan has been only recently completed as has been the St. Mary’s School building.

However, the Malpi International School holds special significance for the pair. “Deepak wants to contribute to society through the medium of education,” says Jyoti. “The Malpi School, of which Deepak is the Chairman, cost Rs.15 crores to be built. The school provides high quality education to 400 residential co educational students and all profits go

§

towards the service of the local community in Panauti.” Jyoti and Deepak are excited that the first batch of students from Malpi appeared for the SLC exams this year. Deepak adds, “We designed Malpi School is such a way as to promote lots of interactive thinking besides providing a positive atmosphere whereby creative learning could be encouraged.” One of the highlights of the design is the large and spacious courtyard and ampitheatre in the centre of the complex.

Although CBC is, as Deepak says, “one of the leading design and construction firms in the country,” he himself started his studies in engineering and only later shifted to architecture. According to him, “The architectural profession started to pick up as a worthwhile profession after people began to notice designs created by Robert Weize- designs such as the Annapurna Hotel, the Malla Hotel and the barracks in Chauni.” Deepak, for a time, was associated with Building Design Associates of which Tom Crees, Narendra Pradhan, Raja Ram Bhandari and engineer Ashesh Giri were also members.

“During the premiership of Dr. Tulsi Giri BDA got some prestigious projects like the Airport and the Sherpa Hotel, due to which the architectural profession was further highlighted,” says Deepak.

Undoubtedly, Creative Builders Collaborative is riding high at the present moment and as the pair says, “It’s quite difficult to get the two of us together in a day, we are so busy.” One of their completed projects about which the couple seem specially satisfied, is the Saptarangi Apartments opposite the Prime Minister’s Quarters in Baluatar and although they believe that the building bylaws are lax and builders seem to be getting away with anything, they themselves are careful to follow the letter of the law to the ‘t’. This conscientiousness, combined with their deserved and proven reputation, perhaps, explains why Deepak has formed a partnership with Prithvi B. Pandey and Mahendra Lal Pradhan to form the Subhakamana Housing Project that is in the process of designing and constructing the Indreni Apartments, a 30 apartment complex, all in one block, in Bishalnagar heights. And no doubt this will be as successful a project as any that CBC has attempted, because as Jyoti says, “The very fact that Creative Builders Collaborative has designed it and will be building it is enough to give confidence to the public that will be a worthy one and one that they can be sure will be of the best quality. Something that is dependable and trustworthy.”

Such is CBC’s reputation today, thanks to the illumination of Deepak and Jyoti. S

Typical 3 Bedroom Apartment

1. Main Entrance 2. Master bedroom with attached bathroom 3. Children’s bedroom 4. Guest room 5. Common bathroom 6. Living room 7. Dining room 8. Kitchen 9. Store 10. Maid’s room 11. Maid’s bathroom 12. Balcony 13. Service balcony

Typical 4 Bedroom Apartment

- Each individual apartment overlooks the green and landscaped inner courtyard.

- Only two apartments per floor share a single core with lift which ensures, privacy, security and safety.

- The unique design of the building ensures the best possible orientation for every apartment.

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L

Text: Siddarth Lama

egacy

52 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

AN ENDURING

ARCHITECTURE

“the most refined of all Rana gardens in Nepal” The Garden of Dreams within the Keshar Mahal complex is a unique urban space in Kathmandu. By virtue of restorative measures, it has becomes a public garden, which hopes to attract visitors with its pleasing environment, and in doing so become self sufficient in its own care and maintenance. In other words, for a reasonable fee, visitors will have the privilege of visiting the Garden of Dreams, which in turn will ensure the garden’s capability to maintain its

restored standard and thereby continue to attract visitors.

The restoration of the Garden of Dreams is a case study for local architects and restorers working on, or intending to initiate, similar projects. It brings forward the interesting possibilities that exist not only to give form and utility to other neglected spaces in the city through restoration and innovation, but also to make them economically viable in the long run.

Götz Hagmüller, chief architect behind the restoration of the garden, has already had success in this field in the Patan Museum project, which he completed in 1997. The museum, housed in a restored former palace wing, currently attracts enough visitors both local and tourists, to be able to take care of its running expenses and maintenance costs.

The Garden of Dreams at first sight comes across as a slight incongruity if SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 53

ARCHITECTURE

one considers its existence as a refined Edwardian garden, occurring in such close proximity to the clutter of the architectural drabness of the tourist area of Thamel.

But this still does not lessen the aesthetic appeal of the place - even if only half the original garden remains in existence, that too, yet to be completely restored. The original garden was created in the early 1920’s and when it was complete, it was probably “the most refined of all Rana gardens in 54 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

Nepal”, according to chief architect Professor Hagmüller.

The garden was built by Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, the son of Prime Minister Maharaja Chandra Shumsher. Legend has it that he began work on the garden on winning a hundred thousand rupees in a game of cowrie shells. Whether this is true or not is not known, but what is known is that Kaiser Shumsher was a remarkable man and that the garden he built was a reflection of his many talents and

varied interests. Kaiser Shumsher has been described as “a statesman, scholar, linguist and connoisseur of horticulture, art and literature.” Aside from that, he was also well-travelled, extremely well read and a member of the ruling aristocracy. The Garden of Dreams, to put it succinctly then, is a reflection of a privileged individual’s personal ideal of beauty and aesthetics and a horticulture connoisseur’s paradise. Or perhaps it was just the manifestation of an ego that often comes with a great mind. Why exactly

of the garden, speak of a nostalgia for a place that Kaiser Shumsher may have liked to have been in instead.

The actual design and layout of the garden was carried out by Kishwor Narsingh, one of the primary architects behind the design and construction of the imposing Singha Durbar and other Rana palaces.

His client, it is speculated, was likely to have been a very demanding one, for not only was he a man well read in the nuances of western architecture and design and knew what he wanted, he would also have wanted it done to ideals he could well afford to have.

The garden was therefore the result of an experienced architect working with a demanding client who had a vision and who also had fairly unlimited resources. Given such conditions, an end result that was anything less than extraordinary would have been a

shame and fortunately it did not seem to have disappointed Kaiser Shumsher.

The garden passed into obscurity and indeed neglect after the Kaiser Mahal was converted into the Ministry of Education and Sports. Sometime around then, the garden’s western half too was lost to the commercial development of Thamel. In fact, of the original six pavillions, each dedicated to one of the six Nepali seasons, only three remain today. It could well have remained forgotten and its beauty lost to decay had its Left: An aerial view of the eastern part of the Garden with the Basanta pavillion at the far end. The main pond (the only historical pond) is in the centre.

Below: This view shows some of the unique elements of the Garden such as the urns, balustrades and decorative garden furniture .

he built the garden is up for conjecture. The fact that he built it well is less so.

A great mind he probably did possess and the Kaiser Library, which still exists today, albeit in a slightly depleted form, constitutes his personal collection of books and bears testimony to a man of tremendous interests as well as learning. At that time however, the great institutes of learning and knowledge were in the west and the library, and especially the architecture SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 55

Plan Drawing Courtesy: Prof. Gotz Hagmuller

LEGEND 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

New entrance and fountain forecourt Grishma (early summer) pavilion “Hidden garden” (between two walls) Barkha (monsoon) pavilion Rotunda (reconstructed) New fountain in Asade Char Bagh Kaiser wing (garden administration) Amphitheater and water moat Labyrinth around rhomboid structure Main pond (the only historical pond)

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11 12 14 15 16 17 18 13 14 15

Basanta (spring) pavilion Restaurant kitchen and services Kaiser Mahal palace Historical gate Garden service area New interior gate New guards’ quarters Pergola and new pond Kaiser Mahal palace Historical gate

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Garden service area New interior gate New guards’ quarters Side entrance Parking area Generator house Main gate to Kaiser Mahal

N

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 57

as well as the original landscape elements of the garden. Also, aside from the structural elements, a lot of the garden is about the actual plantings, which the current restorers have tried to recreate as far as possible. A landscape architect is replacing a lot of the original plants and when complete, this garden will boast a truly varied but ordered selection of flora, possibly unmatched by any other garden in Kathmandu.

An interesting element in the reconstruction of the garden includes the double wall along the entrance side of the garden and the creation of a stepped waterfall in the narrow space between them. This space, which would otherwise have been useless, is now both of visual interest, as well as a device for masking noise from the busy street over the wall. In fact, water has been used at the main entrance too for this purpose and forms a clever transition from the noise of the road outside – into the calm of the garden – or vice versa. Stillwater has also been used at the base of the newly created amphitheatre, in the gazebos to the Left: Unique details scattered through out the garden add visual delight and imparts a romantic atmosphere to the environment.

Below: A maze of low and dense hedges is obviously the result of dedicated artistic labour.

dilapidated condition not been noticed by a few concerned individuals who initiated a restoration project that commenced in 2001. What is interesting about this project is that a relatively unknown piece of architectural heritage has been refurbished to make it interesting and useful. What was almost dead is now being given new life.

About the garden itself in its current form, some may describe a few aspects of the neo-classical style and scale of the garden as a bit clichĂŠd, but it manages to shake off that aspersion when viewed overall. This in part is the result of the changes and additions made to both the standing structures, 58 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

ARCHITECTURE

Right: An old photograph showing Field Marshall Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana in the Basanta pavillion. Amongst the tall graceful columns one can see a bust symbolic of classical times adding an elegant touch to the Garden.

Photos Courtesy: Lok Bhakta Rana

Within the Garden walls, Kaiser Shumsher created an exquisite ensemble of pavillions, fountains, decorative garden furniture and European inspired features such as verandas, pergolas, balustrades, urns and birdhouses. He erected six impresssive free standing pavillions, each dedicated to one of the six seasons of Nepal. These pavillions provided the Garden’s architectural framework and lent a cosmopolitan flavour to the formal arrangement of flowers, shrubs and trees.

-from ‘Keshar Mahal- Garden of Dreams’

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The pond in front reflects the famous facadĂŠ that is today easily recognizable and clearly identifiable with the Garden of Dreams.

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Grecian pillars and columns in Grecian white pillarsalbaster and columns customary gracegrace one one of the three pavillions. of the four pavillions.

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ONE MOMENT IN ANNIHILATION’S WASTE, ONE MOMENT, OF THE WELL OF LIFE TO TASTE THE STARS ARE SETTING, AND THE CARAVAN STARTS FOR THE DAWN OF NOTHING - OH, MAKE HASTE! ALAS, THAT SPRING SHOULD VANISH WITH THE ROSE! THAT YOUTH’S SWEET-SCENTED MANUSCRIPT SHOULD CLOSE! THE NIGHTINGALE THAT IN THE BRANCHES SANG AH. WHENCE, AND WHITHER FLOWN AGAIN, WHO KNOWS! AH, LOVE! COULD THOU AND I WITH FATE CONSPIRE TO GRASP THIS SORRY SCHEME OF THINGS ENTIRE. WOULD NOT WE SHATTER IT TO BITS - AND THEN RE-MOULD IT NEARER TO THE HEART’S DESIRE! AH, MOON OF MY DELIGHT, WHO KNOW’ST NO WANE, THE MOON OF HEAV’N IS RISING ONCE AGAIN: HOW OFT HEREAFTER RISING SHALL SHE LOOK THROUGH THIS SAME GARDEN AFTER ME - IN VAIN! - from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

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ARCHITECTURE Left: Perhaps these steps leading to the amphitheatre give meaning to the saying, ‘architecture is born from art’.

Below: Symmetry and harmony are well defined in the circular design of the amphitheatre centre.

The Restoration of the Garden of Dreams was funded by the Austrian Government as the main donor. Eco Himal, was the executing INGO for this project and its chairman, Prof.

Kurt Luger, was amongst those instrumental in procuring funds this project needed.

east of the garden and at the foot of several sculptural and structural elements. In general, the new water bodies, including a fountain at the main entrance, provide both a masking element over outside noise, as well as impart an aura of calmness to the garden, making it easier to appreciate its name as the Garden of Dreams- or a garden for dreaming in!

Several new elements have also been added to the original walled garden, which include a new gate, ticketing booth and visitor centre to the south, along the wall running parallel to the road into Thamel. This will in the future be the main entrance. This entrance will facilitate both tourist traffic as well as other visitors to access the garden and when complete, there will also be a restaurant and a café in other parts of the garden. As this project is geared not only towards restoration, but also the use of the restored space for visitors to enjoy and spend time in, it has been rebuilt keeping visitor utility in mind. In this respect, the restaurant and café and the amphitheatre have been added to the garden to provide both traffic as well as revenue for the garden.

earlier has not been ruled out – as a lot of the work is already complete. When complete, this garden will represent the revival of a unique architectural heritage – in a form that has both cultural utility as well as long term economic viability.

With the help of the donors, designers, architects and other well wishers, what was once a ghost of its former self, is now well on it’s way “to becoming a prime destination for tourists and local visitors alike”. That was, and is, the stated goal of the restorers of the Garden of Dreams, and one that visitors in the future will concur with.

The project’s local partner institution is the Garden of Dreams Development Board, Kaiser Mahal, headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports. Two eminent board members, appointed to the board in their personal capacity, deserve to be mentioned. One is Karna Sakya who launched the project during his tenure with the “Visit Nepal Campaign” in 1998 and was instrumental in stopping the destruction of one of the garden’s remaining pavilions. The other is Lok Bhakta Rana, son of late Kaiser Shumshere, who greatly contributed with his advice and good memories of the garden from childhood days as well as with the provision of historical photographs from family albums. S

The restoration and addition of new facilities to the Garden of Dreams is scheduled to be complete in 2007, though the possibility of it opening SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 63

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YOU EXPERIENCE ARCHITECTURE NOT ONLY BY LOOKING AT IT AT A GIVEN MOMENT, BUT MAINLY

BY MOVING AND LIVING WITHIN AND AROUND IT.

L

arger THAN IFE

L

GÖTZ HAGMÜLLER is a name that is readily recognized in architectural circles in Nepal for his work as an architect and conservation consultant in numerous noteworthy projects here.

Born in Vienna in 1939, and an Austrian citizen, Prof Götz Hagmüller first came to Nepal nearly 40 years ago on a UN mission and settled in Bhaktapur in 1979. The title of professor that he bears is an honorary one, awarded by the President of the Republic of Austria in 2000. His work though is more in the area of creating and restoring architecture than in teaching.

Photo Courtesy: Leohard Stramitz

ARCHITECT

worse still, penniless artists. So, both Götz and his brother chose architecture as a sort of a middle path between the professions their mother didn’t like. It seems to have been a good choice for a career since both his son as well as his brother have joined the same vocation. His brother Roland, and son Kai, have also contributed to the design of the Patan Museum on short-term assignments.

The professor and his family have made Nepal their home for the last 26 years, and he says it is something they have never had any regrets about. His wife, Ludmilla Hungerhuber, a creative artist in her own right, is also his most helpful critic, according to Prof. Hagmüller, on whatever he designs. She manages the Garden of Dreams project that both of them are currently working on.

Hagmüller graduated in architecture from the Technical University in Vienna in 1966, and completed his postgraduate studies in Urban Development Planning from London University in 1972. Interestingly, he also studied film and television at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, before beginning his career in architecture. “I wasn’t quite sure what interested me more, film or architecture, so I went into both,” he says. He still retains his interest in filmmaking, and has a number of documentary films for television under his belt, including a few produced during his time in Nepal, and a movie ‘KANGA MUSSA’, which is about an African emperor’s pilgrimage from Mali to Mecca.

The son of a structural engineering consultant, who spent a lot of time working in the Middle East. Götz and three other siblings grew up under the care of their mother back home in Austria. She disliked the ‘gypsy’ life of their father and advised her children not to become engineers, or

Talking about the two disciplines he says, “In film, the built environment is only background and frame, but moving through spaces and time is peculiar to both. You experience architecture not only by looking at it at a given moment, but mainly by moving and living within and around it. Both are

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ARCHITECT would agree to that description. In 2002 Hagmüller’s book ‘PATAN MUSEUM – The Transformation of a Royal Palace in Nepal’, was published in London, reflecting on his major work of 15 years.

While working on the Patan Museum, Hagmüller was also involved in the reconstruction of the 17th century Cyasilin Mandap in Bhaktapur, and produced a TV documentary ‘The Pavilion of Eight Corners’ on this project. Clearly a person who believes in multitasking, he also found time to be involved in the restoration and earthquake-reinforcement project proposal for the historic ‘Palace of 55 Windows’ in Bhaktapur.

Dizzyingly, while working on conservation projects in Laos and Cambodia, Hagmüller between 1988 and 1994 also helped prepare a Conservation Master Plan for Swoyambhunath in Kathmandu and was subsequently appointed consultant for its implementation as well as technical advisor for the ‘Patan Conservation and Development Programme’.

For his extensive contribution to architecture and heritage conservation in Nepal, Prof. Hagmüller was awarded the Royal Medal of the Order of ‘Gorkha Dakshin Bahu’ by His Majesty the King of Nepal in 2001.

Above: Two massive lions guard the magnificent entrance to Patan Museum in Patan Durbar Square

art forms and media created by man, as much as in turn they shape our conception of the world around us, for better or worse.”

Prof Hagmüller began his career as an Assistant Professor of Architecture, Technical University Vienna, back in 1967. He moved on from teaching to other interesting tasks like preparing the ‘World Conference on the use of Wood in Housing and Building’ in Vancouver in 1971 and to researching the feasibility for the industrial use of papyrus in building and interior decoration in Chad the following year. He says he apparently did inherit his father’s ‘gypsy’ quest for wider horizons, and found himself roaming the world to see how other people built.

His professional association with Nepal began in 1979 when he came to Bhaktapur as project manager of the urban renewal and development project there, and he continued in this capacity up to 1983. His next architectural project, and one he is perhaps best known for here, is the Patan Durbar Conservation and Museum Project which began in 1986 and ended in 1997 – with a follow-up assignment between 1998 to 2000. He worked as chief architect and project coordinator, and the end result of his work, as he puts it, was “a self-sustaining cultural institution and a revenue-generating prime tourist attraction of international standard”. Most visitors

66 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

Asked to comment on Nepali architecture, he observes that among the noteworthy idioms in traditional building and urban design, Malla-time Nepal has one of the most distinct styles and settlement patterns in Asia. He describes it as “a comprehensive and unmistakable architectural language from farmhouse to temple, to palace.” He notes that even later influences from abroad, as from Indo-Moghul Lucknow, or from neo-classical Europe under the Ranas - have found a genuine Nepali expression, again spanning from palace to mansion and cottage.

He finds it astonishing to observe that this age-old strength of tradition, where even simple farmers and tradesmen had a common and coherent understanding of beautiful building and architecture has so totally vanished during the latter half of the last century. He regrets that as far as local building trends go, the most dynamic and widespread construction boom ever in the history of Nepal’s capital city and other towns arguably has also produced the most careless, poorly constructed and ugly buildings of our time.

Prof Hagmüller however expresses hope in the trend amongst a few young architects, builders and designers, who are now teaming up with a new generation of private and corporate clients having a genuine interest in better architecture as well as in the urgent conservation of what is left of Nepal’s unique heritage and building tradition.

Currently Prof. Hagmüller is occupied with the restoration of the historical ‘Garden of Dreams’ at Kaiser Mahal in Kathmandu, which is a cultural heritage and tourism development project scheduled to conclude in 2007. S

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SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 67

HERITAGE

S

acred

Greens Text: Anil Chitrakar

As we all know, when trees grow, they need carbon dioxide as ‘food’ and hence is the single most important way to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.

We live in a very strange world of economists who have made gold very expensive, but air, which we could not live without for even a few minutes, is free. Or at least one has been made to believe it is so far. The logic the economists will present is that gold is rare and air is abundant. When one is in hospital and has to buy an oxygen cylinder or if one has been to “oxygen bars” around the world, including those in departure lounges at airports, we know that air can be very expensive!

For the people of Kathmandu, clean air is becoming rare.

NON POINT SOURCES Chimney stakes and dust clouds that come from the brick kilns and factories are a major source of pollution in the Kathmandu valley. So 68 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

are the dusty streets of cities and the endless construction that seems to take place all over. However, one little known but very important source of pollution is us: yes, you and me. As we breathe in and out, we use oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. While technology, better standards and enforcement can reduce point sources of pollution, it is very important to have trees and greenery to absorb the non-point sources of pollution. As we all know, when trees grow, they need carbon dioxide as ‘food’ and hence is the single most important way to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.

One hundred trees can take in 18 tons of carbon dioxide in urban areas according to research done by the Sierra Club. In heavy energy dependent economies, where air

conditioning is a way of life, urban trees can reduce cooling needs by up to 10 degrees thus saving up to 50% energy needs.

OUR SACRED FORESTS The only reason why there is a large chunk of forest around the Bajrabarahi temple near Chapagaon is because it is sacred and people believe that not even a leaf is to be removed.

The forests on the east bank of the Bagmati at Pashupatinath is still there because people believe that this is

where Shiva and Parvati frolicked in the form of deers; and hence is called mrigasthali. The forests at Gokarna, Swayambhu, Surya Binayak and Karya Binayak are all still there because they are associated with the divine and not mortals at a ministry or some department. The common belief that Changu Narayan came from the Champak (Chaanp) tree has helped preserve these trees as well. Similarly Shenguli trees, Rudrakshi, Baar and Peepal, the Bodi tree, the Bimara fruit tree as well as numerous flowering trees

that are needed to perform rituals during festivals are safe because they are sacred.

on-going work to expand the road by encroaching the forest at the Bhandarkhal near Pashupati.

PEOPLE AND TREES Over the centuries, a large portion of wooded areas of the Kathmandu valley have been lost to make homes, roads, offices and hotels for people and their cars. If it were not for the sacredness of Mhepi or Swayambhu, a lot more open and green spaces may have been lost. A good or rather, a bad example of losing our tree cover is the

Just 150 years ago Laurence Oliphant, a traveller through the valley in “A Journey to Kathmandu” dated 1852 had this to say of the greenery: “The knolls, wooded or terraced with romantic old Newar towns crowning their summits- the five rivers of the valley winding amongst verdant meadows – the banks here and there precipitous, where the soft clayey soil

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 69

HERITAGE

had yielded to the action of the torrent in the rains- the glittering city itself- the narrow paved ways leading between high hedges of prickly pear- the pagodas and temples studded in all directions, presented a scene as picturesque and perhaps more interesting than would have been afforded by the still lake embedded in wild mountains and frowned upon by snow-capped peaks; while the richly

cultivated knolls in the valley formed fertile islands, the luxuriant vegetation of which would have softened the scene into one of exquisite and serene beauty.”

Ten years ago, Newsweek did a story on mega cities, which stated that there were going to be 30 cities in Asia that would have more than 5 million inhabitants by 2010. There would be over 350 million people living in these cities compared to 210 million in 1994. Kathmandu’s population today is by anyone’s guess anywhere between 1.2 million and 1.5 million. Whatever the number, we are all breathing CO2 out and taking in the ever rare oxygen. In 1920 during the prime ministership of Chandra Shamshere, the population of Kathmandu Valley was 306,909 and Above: The view of Bungamati from Karya Binayak reveals an abundance of forest greens.

Left: Most temples and other houses of worship are usually surrounded by lots of trees.

70 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

Above: A spectacular view from Changu Narayan.

the number of households stood at 64,440 according to Perceval Landan who extensively travelled and wrote about Nepal at the time. Further, the population break down by the valley towns was Kathmandu 108,805, Patan 104,928 and Bhaktapur 93,176.

ADDING NEW FORESTS While the wall around the “UN Park” is very impressive, the trees in the ‘park’ are not. Any attempt to create new green areas in the built up parts of Kathmandu is very difficult. Avenue plantation is very difficult to “sell” to adjoining house owners and businesses. The trees that lined the road to Bhaktapur are gone. It is in this context that the sacred greens of the valley are crucial for the quality of life here. Private gardens do provide some help but these are small compared to the forests we have. Globally, there are efforts to list cities or “places to avoid” based on certain health related criteria - mainly air pollution levels. Many people in Kathmandu seem to believe that peace and an end to conflict will bring people back to this country.

If the air quality does not improve, we could very well see another form of “travel warning”. We took peace for granted….let us make sure that we do not take our sacred greens for granted, ever. S Above: Pasupatinath temple also is rich with foliage.

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 71

D ecoron’

DECORATING WITH

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72 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

“I AM TOTALLY DEVOTED TO MAKING ‘DECORON‘ THE LEADING WROUGHT IRON FURNITURE MAKER IN NEPAL”

“ANY DÉCOR LOOKS GREAT with ironware,” according to Ritesh K. Shrestha, youthful owner of ‘Decoron-The Iron Furniture Showroom’, located in Bijuli Bazar, Naya Baneswar, Kathmandu. And that’s the reason for the name-as simple as that.

‘Decoron’ has been in the business of crafting elegant wrought iron furniture and decoratives since only 1st September 2003, but in spite of its short history, has established itself as one of the leading wrought iron furniture makers in the country.

Credit for making a name in such a short period must surely go to the innate marketing talents of business savvy Ritesh, holder of a

master’s degree in business administration from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management in Pune, India. “To tell you frankly, I got the idea from watching Hindi soaps on television, where the lavish sets included a lot of iron furniture,” admits the tall MBA. After finishing his studies, Ritesh started his business by importing iron furniture from China. But it wasn’t long before he had opened his own factory, ‘Iron Touch’, in Sitapaila, along with a partner, Prajwol K. Tamrakar.

“Initially, Prajwal’s father, mechanical engineer Pradip K. Tamrakar, was a big help and provided a lot of guidance,” remembers Ritesh.

“In fact he still is a big help to ‘Decoron’.”

A fashionable queen size bed with matching side tables.

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 73

TRENDS Undoubtedly the results of their venture must have been excellent and highly encouraging. No wonder Ritesh Shrestha declares with determination, “I am totally devoted to making ‘Decoron’ the leading wrought iron furniture maker in Nepal”.

He is preparing to export to European countries in the near future, and towards this end, is already planning manufacture of pre-assembled furniture in his factory.

This fine rack combines spacious utility with a touch of class

74 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

Talking about his initial foray into iron furniture making, Ritesh recalls problems in sourcing reliable raw material taking into account the small market of the country. “Most of the raw material comes from India,” he informs.

However, astute entrepreneur that he is, he discloses, “We started with very little investment. Started small, but progressed fast”. He believes that certain factors have contributed to ‘Decoron’s’ good fortunes. Factors that

This setting is truly artistic in content SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 75

TRENDS include well designed products that have taken into consideration ergonomic aspects like symmetry, balance and comfort, as well as meticulous attention to a great finish in each of its products.

Ritesh also mentions effective marketing strategy as another contributing factor.

“We targeted households but encountered resistance in the beginning from a lot of people who had the conception that iron furniture were cold entities as compared to wooden ones.

Besides, obviously, people were used to having wooden furniture around and were more at home with their warmth, richness and familiarity.”

However, with persistent efforts, Ritesh could get the message across that iron furniture had some great advantages over wooden ones. Advantages such as them being more environment friendly (saving trees), having longer durability, requiring minimum maintenance, of light weight and elegant looks, space saving as well as having the inherent character of being able to retain their original looks forever. “Besides, beautifully designed iron furniture does have more artistic content and aesthetics are as far as prices are concerned, there isn’t much difference between iron and wooden furniture.”

A queen sized bed (5ft. by 61/2 ft.) costs from Rs. 15000 to 16000. King sized ones (6ft. by 7 ft.) costs around Rs.18000. A sofa set is usually priced at around Rs.25000 while mirrors can be bought for about Rs.6000. Staircase railings can cost Rs.650

and above per running feet including fitting and finishing.

Of course, it must be remembered that the beds we are talking about are beautiful works of art, so refined are the designs, the sofas we are referring to are sculptured pieces of ergonomically configured comfort and the mirrors have a much deeper aesthetic function than just to look into at one’s reflection.

Similarly, the staircase railings are something uncommon. Chairs and tables, perennial favorites, come in a variety of designs and colors. ‘Decoron’ also has on display plenty of decoratives and centerpieces and each is descriptive of the saying, ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’.

According to Ritesh, ‘Decoron’s’ future strategy to capture more of the relatively small but nevertheless, growing, market, includes increasing visibility combined with better service to customers. “Our efforts will be completely geared towards developing long term relationships with our customers,” says Ritesh. “No doubt, to achieve this goal, we will have to substantially improve our services which in fact we already have started to do. We are also striving to give better products with more original designs.”

‘Decoron’ has plans to experiment with different colors in their newer designs to change the perception that wrought iron furniture has to be black. ‘Decoron’ wants to export as well. Doubtless, ‘Decoron’ also desires to grow from strength to strength within the country. And ‘Decoron’ longs to lead the pack as far as wrought iron furniture making in Nepal is concerned.

Well then, shall we say, ‘all the best?’ S

Left: A miniature Eiffel Tower-designed and executed with artistry.

76 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 77

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78 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

ARCHITECTURE

XTRACOLOUR

THAT E

Text: Siddarth Lama

BUT THE ND’S OUTLET THAT WAS ADDED THERE HAS GIVEN THE BUILDING THAT EXTRA COLOUR AND MADE IT A FRIENDLIER PLACE.

The Share Market Complex in Putalisadak is amongst the few modern buildings in Kathmandu that boast a distinctive design and makes a first impression. In a street where most buildings begin off the pavement, this one draws people in by its stepping back from the pavement and letting people come to it by creating an inviting area in front, a courtyard like area laced with stairways. The building itself is a glass and concrete façade of modern and almost severe geometry.

When complete, it looked good, but a bit severe.

Then came the Nepal Dairy fast food outlet into this grim world of tinted glass, and suddenly, a yellow flower bloomed in the middle of a grey and morose desert.

Not that anything is wrong with the façade of the Share Market building.

After all, a share market is supposed to be a serious place. But the ND’s outlet that was added there has given the building that extra colour and made it a friendlier place. Conceived by architect Alex Shrestha, the fast food outlet uses a first floor open area and has

Above: The artistically conceived yellow coloured metal ribbed sail structure that acts as the roof of ND’s in Share Market Complex building in Putalisadak enlivens the whole structure.

Inset: The complex as it was before the construction of ND’s.

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ARCHITECTURE converted it into a place where people can meet and eat without actually having to step into the formality of a restaurant or even a building really. A large stairwell area and an adjoining walkway deck have been brought together to form the ND’s outlet.

The architect has created a kitchen defined and bound within a food display zone and service counter. This area has its back against the elevator shaft, and roughly constitutes one corner of a square. The C shaped counter, about 15 feet in length, has a curved glass top and according to the architect, is one of the first instances of its use in such a context. Around two feet off the counter’s edge is what would be the inner area, or the actual enclosed area of the place.

The rest is all a part of the outdoors, and in fact, there is no seating space in the enclosable area. Given the relatively cramped kitchen quarters (approximately 100 sq feet) the service space outside is much larger and spread out. Essentially, customers sit outside and this would have been an untenable concept, had it not been for the crowning feature of this outlet.

Pardoning the pun, this crowning feature is in fact a metal ribbed sail structure, fabricated indigenously out of curved metal struts welded together, and covered with metal sheets to create a Sydney opera house-ish structure.

It is smaller than its inspiration of course, but it effectively covers the outdoor seating area from the elements, and also provides a distinct visual identity to the place. Painted yellow on the underside, it is distinctively

Above: ND’s occupies pride of place in the complex and itself imparts a dash of colour to the building as well as convenience to visitors.

bright, and placed as it is against a grey building, it stands out very well.

So essentially, what the designer has done here is, adapted an area originally designed for commuting and maybe loitering, into an effective food outlet, using a minimum of enclosing features at the ground level. The area is defined by the sail, or lotus leaf roof, depending on how one wishes to see it, which provides both a sheltered area as well as allowing other traffic to pass through the area if necessary. Other than that this ND’s outlet does not boast anything else that is quite distinctive or special. It is just a changed functional space using decorative and architectural means, where colour has been provided by the tiled floor and the trademark coloured chairs, reminiscent of the other ND’s outlet at Mahaboudha. S

80 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

ARCHITECT

ALEX SHRESTHA

ARCHITECTURE

Alex Shrestha is the CEO of Wonaw Associates, an architectural firm that he founded a few years ago.

At 30, he is amongst the young brood of architects in Kathmandu who have chosen to form their own company and forge their own path in the field, instead of working under a firm. Always interested in designing and in drawing, he credits his choice of a career in architecture to the opportunities his school provided him in exploring and developing his interest in this area. His father was an aircraft engineer and so becoming a pilot was the other area of interest as a child – but he decided on architecture anyway, and has no regrets about his choice.

Alex completed his secondary school education from Goethals Memorial School in Kurseong, India, his O Levels from Dubai and his CBS from Delhi. He then obtained his Bachelors of Science in Architecture, with a distinction, from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, in 1998. He subsequently completed his Masters of Science in Urban Planning from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, and once again did so with distinction. During his Masters degree, Alex worked for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intern, and then as an assistant Program Officer. His work included areas of restoration, preservation and conservation of World Heritage sites in Kathmandu, and in areas of urban planning. Prior to that, he was a senior architect at Blue Mountain Design Company in Kathmandu and organized and documented the company’s winning entry to the South Asia Architect of the Year Award. It was with this company that he got an opportunity to test his skills and vision in projects ranging from residences to hotels to factories and restaurants.

His organization, Wonaw Associates, was commissioned

by Nepal Dairy to design and build their showpiece outlet at the share market complex in Kathmandu.

Following its success, Alex and his team have designed and built a second ND’s outlet in Basantpur (this outlet subsequently changed ownership), and is currently engaged in another project with the same client.

Alex says he likes to work in a hands-on manner, and that he likes to be involved in all aspects of the architectural process when designing and building for his clients. Judging from the faith ND seems to have in him, he seems to be doing it right. S

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NEW DESIGNER

SUPREME

C N F I D E N C E He sits languidly before the computer, yet his eyes are narrowed in deep concentration. Ask him for a definition of his profession and he states firmly, “Architecture is the science and “Credit must be art of designing built space to mould it into a finished form that is functional, aesthetic and durable.” The 27 year-old says he given where due, studied architecture because, “This is such a creative field unlike even if it involves other professions where you have to learn by rote and follow junior professionals paths trodden by others before you.” About the profession’s future he says, “This is an extremely satisfying profession and in a firm.” it’s good that there are more architectural colleges today. ” He does caution, “Theory alone is not enough and much practical work needs to be done before one can claim to be proficient.”

He adds, “The more I practice, the more I begin to understand that there’s much, much more left to learn.” Supreme received his B.Arch degree in 2001 from IOE, Pulchowk. On December 2004 Supreme completed his Masters in Urban Planning.

Born on the 7th of July, Yetkhatole, and now living in Naya Bazar, Sorhakhutte, Supreme’s works include the Teaching Hospital hostel and University Grants Commission offices, besides the Nepal Pavilion in Aichi, Japan, and the Naachghar project. Currently he is busy with extension work of Kathmandu Medical College. He is fairly approving of the standard of education in the country. He admires works of architects Bibhuti Man Singh and Rajesh Shrestha and admits that he has a soft corner for Prof. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, whom he admires the most.

He advises students not to lose heart and become frustrated while pursuing their vocation, instead to keep in mind that the field is promising if one is willing to put in dedicated efforts. At the same time Supreme does concede that client awareness is not very high right now.

“Some clients think that a design is just a formality needed to get building permits..” He believes that it is the duty of professionals to give correct advice and suggestions to the clients regarding matters such as bye-laws, aesthetic, functional and efficient use of available space, as well as the need to keep in mind the inherent relationship between external and internal environment in living spaces.

Supreme Shrestha looks forward to juniors getting able and wise guidance from their seniors as well as due credit for work done well, “Credit must be given where due, even if it involves junior professionals in a firm.” He also feels that there is a tendency for his young contemporaries to get frustrated too soon and look for greener pastures overseas. The young architect himself is confidence personified, and no more is this more evident than when he declares, “Having more colleges is good because this will encourage healthy competition leading to better standards in education.” And, “There is no need for professionals to go abroad as there is enough scope within the country itself.” S

82 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

Text: Supreme Shrestha

URBAN

TRANSFORMATION OF TRADITIONAL TOWN KHOKANA Kathmandu valley comprises of not only urban settlements like Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, but also traditional rural settlements.

Although agriculture plays a vital role, several settlements are involved in specialized non-agricultural roles. Such varying activities within the Valley’s topographic diversities have created differing solutions for the physical nature of settlements.

Khokana, a dense medieval Newar settlement, about 6 km south west of Lalitpur City, is an excellent example of a Malla period settlement with outstanding built forms and open spaces. The lavishly decorated brick houses with magnificently carved Newari windows, the street paving, urban spaces in the form of squares, courtyards and efficient water collection systems are signs of a prosperous past. Designed with distinct objectives and understanding of urban spaces, Khokana’s streets, masterfully arranged to create visually and socially effective squares, focus attention towards a temple with placement of monument in just the right place.

Socio-cultural activities like Jatras, its close relationship with agriculture, socio-cultural activities, built heritage and urban form, demonstrate the town’s original character.

Kathmandu Valley Long Term Development Plan, 2002, projects the Valley’s population to increase twofold in the next 30 years, reaching 30 lakhs, of which 80% will be urbanized.

Urbanization will affect smaller towns like Khokana too. Development pressure is already seen around Sainbu, neighbouring Khokana. Being located near the Capital and Lalitpur City, the seeds of urban transformation are already planted in Khokana. Presently, Khokana seems to be an old settlement without promise. If planning is not done immediately, the

traditional image will soon disappear. In this backdrop, this article explores the impact of urban transformation in Khokana and tries to answer what kind of policies should be formulated so that development pressure may be absorbed without compromising its image and vitality.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND It is assumed that preliminary settlements of Khokana were established during King Narendra Dev’s time.

Chronicles relate stories of bringing Adilokeshwor Machhindranath to Nepal during this period and King Amar Malla is credited with establishing the town in the 15th century which he named Jitapur.

Khokana is also known for being the first to have electricity from Pharping, Nepal’s first hydropower project.

Similarly, among the first sixty schools set up by Bir Samsher, one was established here.

RELIGIOUS CONTEXT OF PLANNING: An ideal Malla town (like Khokana) would consist of a crossing of main roads with each related town district representing the four-quarter of the universe. The town’s nucleus was usually the palace, a religious landmark, or a major temple. In Khokana, the deity Rudrayani is located at the apex of this system. Wealthy high caste

Above: Existing physical infrastructure of Khokana is poor.

families settled around the nucleus and others settled in almost concentric circles around them. Agricultural fields enveloped the whole of this.

Generation of movement patterns Cosmic perceptions and godly laws have generated a series of movements at specific times. Gods reside in different places at different times of the year and visit other gods to live out heavenly obligations. During certain festivals, Gods are carried in palanquins, travelling a set route from one temple to another thus generating movement patterns within the town.

The route also signifies the traditional settlement boundary.

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 83

NEW DESIGNER ISSUES, CAUSES AND EFFECTS (A) PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION

The physical transformations are vertical division of houses; floor additions; new construction method, material and technology and change in space use. The changing skyline has deteriorated the image of the cultural heritage. Piecemeal material changes, vertical sub-division and addition of floors in traditional buildings have weakened their structural capacity.

(B) PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION -

URBAN SPACES OF KHOKANA Routine movements of the living include daily rituals like bathing in rivers or sacred ponds, offering pujas to various gods, going to and fro from farms, going to the market, etc., thus generating patterned movement.

Almost all Malla towns were situated on ridges along rivers to meet such requirements. Farmlands all around and across rivers have caused growth of radial streets that converge as they reach the town. Such nodal points were developed into squares or lachhis, with increasing social importance as they get closer to the central nodal point.

Khokana’s streets can be classified on basis of function, scale and variation rather than on width. Squares for outdoor living and recreational activities are essential elements to create a better social and physical environment. The elements of these squares are houses, temples, patis (rest house), stone spouts and wells.

Khokana shows a distinct set of squares with a clear hierarchy on the basis of function rather than shape and size. These are the central square (chwe lachhi), community square (kwe lachhi), residential neighbourhood square (hyabu and gaabu lachhi) and the private residential square.

CONSERVATION / MAINTENANCE Understanding the problem of continued maintenance of monuments, strong and effective social institutions 84 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

called guthis (trusts) were formed. The creator(s) made either cash or kind donations for its regular maintenance and for performing various associated rituals and festivals.

PRESENT CONDITION OF KHOKANA Earlier, a booming oil business combined with communal efforts had resulted in all round development and active conservation works. With new technologies, traditional oil producers became obsolete. Socio-economic conditions worsened.

The changing life style is reflected in occupational changes, reduction in agricultural land holdings, modern buildings, increased use of modern amenities. showing that urbanization has begun but transformation has been found to be unsatisfactory.

A majority of the households’ monthly income is below Rs. 5000/- (VDC Profile, 2002). Existing poor physical infrastructure and pathetic sanitation and solid waste management are evident. Condition of roads, especially within the core area, is appalling and most buildings are vulnerable to earthquake.

Changes in land use with new scattered constructions mostly along arterial roads and preference to vehicular accessibility have compelled builders to move to open sites and no public open spaces have been defined. Private open spaces inside settlements have decreased to accommodate increased families. Peripheral development has increased land value and high land transactions are made along the arterial road near the Sainbhu planning area, resulting in decreasing land holdings.

This is likely to push farmers to phase out land to the market. This process of converting agricultural land into building parcels in a piecemeal and scattered approach has resulted in haphazard development.

(C) OCCUPATIONAL TRANSFORMATION Gradual change from primary occupational activities to secondary activities have been due to insufficient earnings from agriculture.. Also, apathy Above: Old buildings are vulnerable to earthquakes.

Below: Khokana was once famous for such mustard oil mills.

Above: Rudrayani Temple can been seen in the centre.

of youth towards oil production, lack of raw materials and insufficient marketing has added to its decline.

Caste based occupations are becoming obsolete. Economic segregation has increased due to decrease in agricultural fields and there has been a marked increase of school dropouts to learn trade.

(D CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

Low economic conditions has decreased the income of the guthi primarily instituted for the functioning of festivals and cultural practices.

Hence most religious activities are slowly dying out and the close-knit community structure, reinforced through rituals and festivals, gradually breaking up, leading to cultural degeneration. The Town Reform Act 1962, specifying a minimum tax of Rs. 25 per ropani to the Guthi, has been a deathblow to the system.

PROPOSED STRATEGIES To resurrect the economy and to regulate landuse, a development policy along with landuse planning and development is required.

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT POLICY: Cultural heritage could be marketed and so a conservation programme becomes necessary.

• Khokana should be included in national heritage sites so that by laws can be enforced and tourism could be promoted.

• Dilapidated buildings and structures should be restored to compatible uses to generate preservation revenue.

• Improve Infrastructure.

• Tourism services should be added and programs like Heritage Trails should be organised, especially during festivals and jatras.

• Conservation legislation should be prepared to retain traditional form with acceptable modifications.

• Since vehicular traffic can affect vulnerable structures, narrow internal roads should be paved with compatible materials, allowing only light vehicles and pedestrians.

• Community awareness programs about conservation should be conducted and new buildings constructed in traditional style should be rewarded and given subsidies.

LANDUSE PLANNING APPROACH Khokana’s peripheral development and present haphazard landuse changes should be regulated so that a compatible development to the traditional core can be achieved. A special zone should be allocated as a transitional space between the traditional and the new area to minimize the effect and enfringement of the inevitable development.

TRANSITIONAL ZONE • By laws should be worked out at least to maintain a compatible street façade with the core area.

• A compact settlement should be planned to consolidate scattered development at the periphery. Land development techniques like GLD can be used for planned development to

provide access to each plot and create open spaces.

• A ring road around settlement areas can be provided to cut off ribbon development along arterial road and to provide services to the traditional settlement areas.

NEW DEVELOPMENT AREA • The new area should be isolated from the traditional settlement area to offset negative effects of urbanization and modernization.

• The high land transacted area next to Sainbu planning area and the eastern side of Khokana, where development pressure will obviously be prominent, can be developed as the new development area.

• If found functional and economically viable, traditional expressions in the new development area can be applied in the form of open public spaces.

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK To achieve Khokana’s physical and economic development, the following strategies need to be implemented:

• All round capacity building of local government bodies should be done and grass root organization should be strengthened to involve local efforts.

• Coordination with central agencies should be maintained for infrastructural development and income generation mechanism should be worked out for the self-sustenance of cultural functions.

• Agricultural development programs should be launched and policies should be formulated to capitalize linkages with major urban centres.

• Training programs on semi-skilled and skilled jobs should be launched.

• Traditional oil production should be revived by active marketing. and by incorporating adequate modern technologies through government and private agency funding. S

Footnotes: Abstract from “ Urban Transformation of Traditional Town Khokana” M.Sc. Thesis in Urban Planning, 2004, Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus.

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PRODUCTS

ADDING COLOUR TO LIFE COLOURFUL AWNINGS, of which most are striped in design, are a sight for sore eyes. Not only that, awnings serve a very valuable function in that they can be vital components in any design scheme to make use of all kinds of open spaces. Besides, awnings can expand available space very usefully indeed.

Nepal as well. Being the sole agent for a premium brand, Metaphor Traders believe that it is their responsibility to create more awareness about the many uses of awnings.

And the uses are many. Colorful awnings, besides providing adequate shelter from the elements, can also give a touch of class to any surrounding: be it a home, a garden, restaurants, hotels, terraces, shop fronts or farmhouses. One can see for oneself how their colourful awnings have added colour to the Nanglo Café at Sundhara. Similarly, Solver awnings can also be seen adorning homes made by Civil Homes in Sunakothi.

Recently a boutique, Prabhashree, in Durbar Marg, has also opted to beautify their establishment with awnings from Metaphor Traders.

In Pokhara, Solver awnings from Metaphor Traders have added elegant colour to the Aviation Club premises. Besides, there are many private residences in the capital where the company’s awnings have been made use of aesthetically.

Metaphor Traders of Kamaladi, Kathmandu, have been marketing the Solver brand of awnings, manufactured by a leading awnings manufacturer of India, for a little more than a year. Solver awnings offer a wide range of both retractable and fixed type awnings.The product range includes European style retractable awnings, retractable huts, door and window canopies, tents, umbrellas as well as attractive promotion balloons.

Besides the obvious benefits of awnings, it must also be emphasized that awnings retain room brightness while at the same time protecting indoor/outdoor furniture and furnishing from fading. Solver awnings are made from an Italian material known as Ferrari which is corrosion resistant, requires zero maintenance, and are guaranteed for at least five years. Without doubt, Solver awnings can add glamour and colour to any space. Awnings can also lead to reduced power consumption due to the fact that their use can keep covered areas cool, thus requiring less use of air conditioning.

Energy efficiency and satisfactory shade It is evident that awnings have been in could be reasons enough for more use of extensive use in many other countries for a awnings. However, one must also admit that long time. According to marketing directors the addition of elegance and colour to one’s Surya and Sachit Shrestha, the concept of surroundings as are provided by colourful using awnings to expand available space awnings, is an equally good reason to plan while at the same time, adding a touch of using one ain and around your space. S colour to the surroundings, is catchingExpansive on in for lawns imparts regal atmosphere to the hotel.

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PRODUCTS

TERMITE

INTERCEPTION & BAITING SYSTEM

Termite Interception & Baiting System is a new method to manage termite invasion. Until now, treatment usually involved the application of a chemical barrier involving the spraying of toxic and environmentally persistent chemicals which is obviously troublesome as well as hazardous to health and environment. Although termite barriers either kill or repel the pests when they attempt to cross the barrier, the efficiency of the method is questionable. The most carefully applied barriers do not always form a continuous and uniform chemical barrier between buildings and termite infested earth because of the tedious nature of the application process and the difficulty in placing a barrier beneath an existing building.

Almost inevitably, gaps are left in the barrier through which termites, which are always looking for an opening and a new meal, can invade. These gaps can be created in barriers when they are physically disturbed, weakened or when they simply wear out.

The application of such barriers are troublesome because it can even involve removal of finished interior surfaces.

Besides, such treatment releases an offensive odour making it mandatory for occupants to evacuate their houses during treatment. Also, termite barriers are still only a passive approach because termites must attempt to enter a building protected by a barrier to be affected by it. It is a reactive method because it simply waits for termites to attack.

The new system developed in the United States and produced by Ensysex Australia Pvt. Ltd. is known as TERMITE INTERCEPTION AND BAITING SYSTEM and it has a proactive approach. Exterra doesn’t just kill termites when they try to enter homes but actually eliminate the termite colony right in the ground where they live.

WHY IS THIS SYSTEM SO POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE? The major activity of this system is to intercept termites and feed them their favorite food. Termites are intercepted by bait stations placed at selected points by trained applicators. Points of termite interception may be located both in the ground or above the ground . These stations contain food which is extremely palatable to termites and are referred to as Interceptors (Eucyliptus). The Exterra stations are designed in such a way that termites searching for food can easily find the Interceptors. Once intercepted, the actual process of baiting then begins.

Requiem Termite Bait is the product which actually kills termites before they escape. Termites have an exterior

Physiological Change after Requiem Bait Consumption

skeleton (exoskeleton) that is shed and replaced with a new one as the termites grow and this process continues throughout their life. This is called moulting and termites failing to moult, die.

The Requiem Termite Bait stops the moulting process resulting in certain death. The effects of Requiem Bait results in sterilising of eggs and death of workers, early instar termites, soldiers, the king and the queen, in that order. Besides self consumption, workers carry Requiem Baits to feed their king, queen, soldiers and the young in the termite colony.

It may take 3-4 months for complete elimination but within 4-6 weeks, there is a drastic reduction in the rate of wood consumption by termites after consuming baits. The

Termites Random Foraging

Termites Intercepted

amount of damage to a building is reduced well before actual elimination of the colony.

The Baiting System is becoming popular because it is non toxic and environment friendly. Entire colonies are eliminated, occupants of a house need not move out during treatment, the system is provided with a monitoring system and, besides being economical, can be used in almost all types of buildings and locations.

Pest Control Nepal, distributors for the product, further expresses its willingness to work in the protection of world heritage sites and historical monuments by contributing towards termite elimination. S -S.K. Shrestha (M.Sc., MBA) Director, Pest Control Nepal

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PRODUCTS

WIRED TO

TECHNOLOGY NORTH WEST SWITCHGEAR Limited is a leading name in the field of electrical fittings and accessories.

One of their recent introductions has been the new Convex Series which is a modular range that includes switches, sockets, 16A and 25A push button switches, dimmers, fan regulators, telephone sockets, computer data transfer sockets, hospitality products and so on. Described as being of European design, the Convex Series combines superior electrical engineering technology with elegant aesthetics. The modules are of standard size and can be mounted with plates in a variety of color combinations to blend with the interiors. The front plates are easily interchangeable to match the surroundings as well.

The fittings are made from high gloss virgin grade thermoplastics to ensure a defect free surface. In comparison to other brands, North West modules have some definite advantages. While customary brands have modules that snap-fit into plates, North West modules are firmly mounted on frames with screws which make them sturdier. In addition, while conventional brands are entirely made of polycarbonate which melts on heating and can catch fire, in North West modules, all parts that are in contact with ‘live’ metal are made of ‘thermoset material’ which has excellent electrical insulation properties.

Only the visible parts are made of polycarbonate to ensure a superb surface finish and gloss.

As far as sockets are concerned, while conventional brands do not have spring loaded tubes, all North West sockets have tubes that are spring 88 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

loaded to ensure uniform pressure and a firm unwavering contact. Also, unlike ordinary models where multi-sockets can only take one plug at a time (i.e. either a 2-pin or a 3-pin plug), North West multi-sockets can take one 2-pin and one 3-pin plug at the same time.

Regarding fan regulators, North West models are of step type with 6 positions unlike conventional regulators which have only 5 steps. Besides, North West regulators can be rotated a full 360 degrees making it possible to turn them without much pressure, assuring less damage, unlike in ordinary brands where knobs cannot be rotated 360 degrees, thus requiring excess, pressure while turning which naturally can damage the regulator.

North West switches are equipped with LED indication unlike ordinary models in which only neon indicators are available. They are also unique in that push button models in 16A and 25A ratings with illumination and double bridge contacts are available with no comparable product in the market.

Other unique products are the Single Phase Motor Starter, the Tiny Trip Modular MCB and Power Units for air conditioners and pumps that offer complete protection from overloads and circuits.

Marketed by Multitec Trade Circle, Thapathali, distributors for Nepal, North West products have been used with satisfaction in numerous projects, including Kathmandu University, Ganga Lal Heart Center, Vijaydeep Pharmaceuticals as well as many housing projects including Ansal Chaudhary Developers, Comfort Housing, Sunrise Apartments, Civil Homes and the upcoming Valley Homes in Sunakothi. S

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REPORT

ADDRESSING THE SCHOOL EARTHQUAKE RISK:

WHERE DO WE STAND? Text: Jitendra K Bothara, Surya Acharya & Ram C Kandel

BACKGROUND Schools in Nepal, both private and public, face extreme risk from earthquakes due to the high vulnerability of the buildings as well as their high occupancy. Nepal is located in one of the highly seismically active regions of the world. In 1988, an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit eastern Nepal. More than 950 school buildings incurred damage of different degrees spanning between damage to collapse (Thapa, 1988). Fortunately, the earthquake happened during the night when the schools were vacant and no human casualties occurred.

The loss suffered by a community in the collapse of a school building is psychologically much more as it houses the entire future generation.

Functioning schools provide a feeling of normalcy and are ideal for temporary shelter, medical clinics, and other emergency functions.

Furthermore, introducing seismic safety into a school is a step forward towards increasing seismic safety awareness at the community level as well as technology transfer. The strengthening of a school building becomes a model for domestic construction, as schools are matter of concern for all.

The importance of school buildings during an emergency initiated NSET (National Society for Earthquake Technology) to carry out a vulnerability assessment in 1998 AD, of some 60% of the public school buildings from Primary to Higher Secondary level in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts. The 90 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

[

]

The most disturbing fact is that none of the public school buildings are earthquake resistant among the normally constructed ones.

disturbing outcome of the assessment work and benefits of intervention in schools such as introduction of seismic protection at the community level, craftsman training, technology development and transfer and awareness raising, convinced NSET to conduct an earthquake risk reduction program. Since 1999 AD, NSET has been continuously running programs for school earthquake risk reduction under its School Earthquake Safety Program. What has been observed is that any activity in schools has a farreaching effect. By raising awareness in schools, the entire community is reached because lessons trickle down to parents, relatives, and friends.

The goal was to break the barrier and move from “nothing” to “something”.

The basic philosophy of the intervention was that any improvement in the school building structure maintaining a minimum seismic safety protection should be acceptable if it can be replicated in the community (Bothara et al, 2004).

The school building construction was taken as an opportunity to train masons technology development

Figure 1: Post-stressing of weak beam.

(Figure 1), technology transfer recognizing their accessibility to potential house owner and their role in safer construction. Unfortunately, only public schools could be covered in this study since most of the private schools were found to be run in rented houses.

Neither the school authority nor the landlords were interested in a vulnerability study of their premises, principally because of socio-economic reasons.

However, it does not imply that these private school buildings are less vulnerable from earthquake point of view. A very preliminary study will surely show that none of the private schools run on rented buildings have

REPORT been specifically designed for schools, which must have specific needs and requirements in terms of planning, operation and safety.

PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS THE SURVEY OUTCOME The study covered more than 900 school buildings constructed in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Lalitpur district. Out of these 900 buildings, 78% were normally constructed (normal mud to reinforced cement concrete construction) and the rest were standard two room steel sheds constructed by the government under Figure 2: School buildings

a) An unfired brick building (note the crumbling walls)

b) An brick building in mud mortar (note steep staircase for individual room and severe cracking)

World Bank funding, after the 1988 earthquake. It was found that even in the valley, (the economic, political and technological hub of Nepal) more than 60% of these public school buildings are constructed of weak materials (mud, fired or unfired brick or stone in mud mortar) and are highly vulnerable to earthquake. The most disturbing fact is that none of the public school buildings are earthquake resistant among the normally constructed ones.

Furthermore, there were serious deficiencies in the egress routes such as

classroom doors opening inside, steep stairs and possibility of crowding at exit during emergencies.

It was found that in most cases, the community itself procured the public school buildings. In addition, as with the residential buildings, the schools were constructed employing local craftsman and therefore play a focal role for technical input, although most of them have no formal training.

Thus, these school buildings incorporated all the weakness as other residential buildings and were found to be highly vulnerable to shaking by even medium level earthquakes. The seismic assessment of these normally constructed school buildings showed that in case of intensity IX MSK earthquake shaking (the Valley suffered intensity X earthquake in 1934 NepalBihar Earthquake), more than 77% of the school building might suffer destruction to severe damage beyond repair. An earthquake occurring during school hours would hence be disastrous with the loss of a whole generation of the community and the trauma caused by it would be beyond any imagination.

INTERVENTION PHILOSOPHY For improving seismic safety of existing school buildings, options such as demolition and earthquake resistant reconstruction or seismic retrofitting must be weighted against criterion such as involved cost, time, disturbance to school function, disposal of scrapped materials, impact on community, opportunity of technology development etc. Retrofitting of buildings is found to be a promising and feasible option.

However, retrofitting will not be possible if the building is in a too dilapidated condition. Further, the level of retrofitting to meet safety level defined by building codes will not be possible economically if the building is constructed of brick or stone laid in mud mortar. Hence, the level of retrofitting must be such that the building is able to tolerate a low to

Figure 3: Retrofitting of school building

a) Before intervention

b) After Retrofitting Figure 4: Earthquake resistant new school building construction.

a) A masonry building

b) A reinforced concrete building Figure 5: Replication on Earthquake Resistant construction.

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 91

REPORT medium level of earthquake without collapse or delay its collapse during a big seismic event to allow its occupants to escape. Both structural as well as non-structural components need to be considered when implementing improvement measures in both retrofitting and new construction. To meet the egress requirements, all doors must be made to open outwards and for easy exit, easily negotiable staircases must either be re-constructed or made negotiable. Exit routes must be specifically defined.

Following this approach, NSET has already implemented retrofitting of four unreinforced masonry school buildings as well as 16 new constructions in and around the Kathmandu Valley, spread over 19 schools ranging from primary to higher secondary school. The process still continues. The program has been successful in transferring technology to the local craftsmen who were found to

92 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES

be quite keen to learn about the complete process and to adopt the technology as well. These masons have become the propagator of the message and replication of the earthquake resilience construction has been observed around the close vicinity of the schools.

The experience shows that seismic retrofitting and earthquake resistant construction of new school buildings are affordable and technically viable.

What was observed was that the seismic retrofitting cost about 25% of the reconstruction cost. The additional cost of seismic strengthening of load bearing buildings was around 5% of the total new construction cost.

The lesson learned from this endeavour is ‘what is accepted by the community?’ is more important than “what is necessary?” and for long term sustainability of any work community involvement is a must. S

References Bothara, J. K., Pandey, B., Guragain, R., 2004, Seismic Retrofitting of Low Strength Unreinforced Masonry Non-engineered School Buildings, Bull. of New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.

Bothara, J. K., Sharpe, R. D., 2003, Seismic Protection in Developing Countries: Where are the Gaps in Our Approach? Paper# 73, Conference Proceedings of Pacific Conference 2003, Christchurch, New Zealand.

KVERMP, 2000, Seismic Vulnerability of the School Buildings of Kathmandu Valley and Methods for Reducing it, Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management Project implemented by National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Thapa, N., 1989, Bhadau Panch Ko Bhukampa (in Nepali), Central Disaster Relief Committee, Nepal.

PARTING SHOTS

TRANSITIONS The city of Patan has always been at the forefront of art, architecture and craftsmanship, and the people of this historic city take great pride in the fact. The city has an abundance of fine talent in the form of gifted artists and skilled craftsmen well versed in many schools of art and craft.

Patan also boasts of beautiful traditional architecture that has been preserved in many places and in many houses. It seems that the locals here are more concerned about retaining their traditional culture including age-old architecture than are most people in some other parts of the valley. However, it is also a fact that in their enthusiasm,

spurred on by time and socio-economic factors, the new houses built in place of the older ones, tend to lose the original character and harmony visualized by the age old architects.

While their efforts have to be appreciated, one has also to realize that such houses do not truly reflect traditional architecture and in fact could be mistakenly thought to be so by future generations. Because of this, if more awareness is not propagated, really genuine examples of fine traditional Newari architecture will be hard to find and emulate in the future.

Recorded Year: 2001

Building Occupancy: Residential / Commercial The left portion of the building is totally dismantled and concrete pillars are ready for erection. The traditional three bay window on the first floor has been slashed vertically without any regard to its value or importance.

This signifies a prevalent lack of awareness about the importance of preservation.

Recorded Year: 2005

Building Occupancy: Residential / Commercial The original building no longer exists and has become part of history. The left portion has now been constructed in a so-called traditional style with random use daachi appa (traditional conical brick) and traditional windows. The new construction is noticeably out of proportion vertically and horizontally.

2001

Building Occupancy: Residential / Commercial Traditional Newari small town house divided vertically.

Before this vertical partition, the house had an attic throughout its length. The right part of the attic floor has been replaced with a full floor and a terrace. The traditional brick surface on this side of the house has been covered with brick plaster.

2005

Recorded Year: 1995

1995

Location: Sundhara Corner House, Patan

SPACES MAY - JUNE 2005 93

ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTORY Akarshan Interiors

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Asian Paints

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Avco International

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Inside Cover

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47

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78

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07

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81

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33

Himalayan Eng. Associates 67 Hilltake

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Hotel Shanker

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15

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The Explore Nepal

32

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ATTENTION PROPERTY OWNERS If you have any constructed property waiting to be disposed, we shall be glad to feature it under our ‘Prime Properties-For Sale’ section in forthcoming issues of ‘Spaces-guide to good living’. Please note that prior to publication, our in-house experts will first inspect the property.

Contact: Marketing Department.

Phone: 5544606/5526040 email at market@spacesnepal.com

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AVAILABLE AT New Road Deshbhakta (Pipalbot) Krishna, (Pipalbot) Madan, (Pipalbot) Chitrakaar, (Pipalbot) Sandesh Griha

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Chabahil Bhaba Books Charumati Books Asha Books Kantipath Student Books Mandala Book House Pashupati Books Educational Book House Samjhana Books Perfect Books Point Kupondole Parijat Stationery White Lotus Book Shop Pilgrims Pulchowk Radiant Dept. Store Lazimpat Namastey Supermarket Blue Bird D.K. Stationary Departmental Store Saraswoti Book Store Asmita Stationary Pradhan Chamling Stationary Ekta Edu. Palace Gemini Grocer Bhat Bhateni Saleways Dept. Store Bhat Bhateni Dept.

Patan Maharajgunj Joshi Stationary Baba Gyan Book House Shakti Poudel Stationary M.S.Stationary Patan Dhoka Books Namastey Supermarket R.C. Stationary Baburam Machhindra Stationery Prabhat Stationary New Baneswor Janapriya Stationary Acharya Siddhi Matidevi Manjushree Saugat Books Rabim Stationary Khanal Books Naxal Shrestha Dept. Store Old Baneswor Sailungeshwor Babarmahal Everest Book Stall Thamel Barga books Tahachal Pilgrims Metro Mall Barnes & Nobel Academic Koteshwor Thamel Books Narayan Poudel Book Land Depot Earth Books Khasi Bazaar Walden Book House Suman Book Store Shangrila Book House Horizon Kritipur Dexo House Kipu Book Store Nepal Book Depot Glory Book Shop Nayabazaar Madhav Books Swoniga Book Store

A

lso available at selected bookstores in Pokhara & Birgunj.

Bookstores in Kathmandu and other cities are requested to contact Marketing Department for availability.

RECOMMENDS CONTRACTORS Civil Works Gyan K. Shrestha Ph: 9851030312 Sanitary & Plumbing Narayan Dangol Ph: 5-543978 Painting & POP Naresh Khadka Ph: 9851079260 Marble & Tile Works Moti Ph: 4-429154 Electrical Works Bhupendra Singh Ph: 9851066243 Wooden Doors/Windows/Furniture Amar Shakya Ph: 5-528912 Grills/Trusses/Metal Works Umesh Mulmi Ph: 9851056634 Parquet Pashupati Dhamala Ph: 9851044062 MATERIAL SUPPLY Aggregate & Sand Mohan Lama Ph: 9851038031 Local Bricks Shyam Maharjan Ph: 9851039055 Inter-lock concrete tiles Karma Maharjan Ph: 9851033394

If you wish to get listed in this column please contact: Marketing Department IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd., Kupondole, Lalitpur, P.B. 227, DPO Lalitpur Ph: 5544606. 5526040 market@spacesnepal.com

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96 MAY - JUNE 2005 SPACES