SUDHA KATTEL
SELECTED WORKS 2020-2023
1. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS
2. HIGH COURT
3. CONSERVATION WORKS
4. SERENITY
5. TRITAL BHOJPUR FARMHOUSE
Selected artworks from 2015-2023
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sanjaya Uprety suprety@ioe.edu.np
Museums in Nepal are often historical monuments or buildings that are repurposed. While traditional art galleries are only visited by art enthusiasts, artists, or art students, there is little public interest in such exhibitions. As a result, many contemporary artists have turned to more public forms of art. To address this issue, a new approach to human engagement with art is proposed - an innovative and compelling center of contemporary art where the public can experience the work of living artists and understand the historical, social, and cultural context of our time’s art.
It is essential to create an intimate setting that provides a different experience for each individual while exploring natural and artificial light, circulation paths, sounds, and textures. The museum’s suggested design caters to all social groups while making the experience of viewing art more convenient. It encourages a tangle of interactions among art, the general public, and the artists. The museum proposes to serve as a place for art conservation, negotiation, and debate, as well as a serious and open discussion of the implications of modern culture and society. Creating a place for cultural consumption is dependent on the establishment of a ‘view’, ‘a destination’ and ‘an event’. The function carried out by the proposal foresees the potential inauguration of an event within the local context.
Left: Site location as captured from google earth
Right: Final rendering of the Museum of Contemporary Arts
Site Considerations
Emphasizing accessibility in terms of surroundings and other parameters the access for the museum proposed through the site to spark curiosity about what one wants to see in the site and from the site. The functional zoning in the site is based on the noise and crowd levels of the proximity.
Accessibility and zoning
Site is accessible via main road as well as a secondary road in the north and east.
Building Division
The subdivision of mass depicts the different organization elements
and traffic
Site and area
The site sits at Baneshwor, one of the busiest junctions of Kathmandu City.
Viewing angles
Rotating the blocks in order to frame the view from the building towards the urban life of the city.
Connecting bridges
Adjusting heights to the programs and adding juxtaposed bridges
CIRCULATION TUNNEL
CONNECTING FOOTBRIDGE
AMPITHEATER
PATHWAYS
The proposed museum cleverly integrates into its surroundings by gradually elevating its ground levels and leaving the ground floor open. Raised on columns, it welcomes visitors and seamlessly merges with the landscape. The central atrium acts as the heart of the building, connecting various spaces from the sunken amphitheater for events to underground galleries and lecture halls.
The building’s design focuses on intertwining paths for exhibition spaces, visitors, artists, and public areas, aiming to naturally engage visitors’ curiosity and draw them deeper into the museum experience. Additionally, strategic separation between the museum and administrative sections ensures smooth operations. An underground tunnel facilitates the movement of artworks while a footbridge connects the administrative block to the Art library, ensuring a functional yet aesthetic flow between different areas.
Semi-walled performance gallery
Interior of mezzanine gallery space
MASTER PLAN
View of entry from indoor ampitheater
Physical 3D model of the project 8.
PROVINCIAL HIGH COURT
COMPONENT OF PROVINCIAL CITY PLANNING
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Sudha Shrestha, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ajay Chandra Lal ioe.sudhashrestha@gmail.com , ajay@ioe.edu.np
Designed intricately, featuring components with diverse functions, needs, and levels of public access. The High Court operates under a stringent system of hierarchy and protocols due to its complexity. The design is guided by zoning and user flow within the building. Security protocols are vital, especially concerning judges’ entry and exit, ensuring safe access points. Advocates access from the North-East side. Ample seating in the landscape accommodates waiting areas for the public and staff.
Block positioning considers the solar path for optimal placement. Block planning revolves around internal circulation and user movement within the premises. It’s also structured to uphold privacy and security concerns. The court’s functionality aims for transparency while restricting public access to specific areas. The master plan delineates into four blocks: Judges Block, Public Block, Court Block, and Lawyers Block.
Left: Site location in proposed master-plan of Provincial City Design for Dang, Nepal
Right: Final rendering of the High Court Building
Staggered blocks according to zoning; public, semi-public and private
Introducing courtyards to play with light and ventilation
ATRIUM: Atriums are strategically utilized in each block to facilitate light and wind circulation, creating open spaces that spill out into the surroundings. This approach embodies the idea of a “Building in a garden,” imparting a calming influence throughout the space. Incorporation of biophilic features to reduce stress levels, enhance cognitive function, and foster positive attitudes and moods.
Proposal of elongated geometry with setbacks
Division of blocks for zoning
CONSERVATION OF TILAURAKOT
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sanjaya Uprety, Asst. Prof. Dr. Inu Pradhan suprety@ioe.edu.np, inupradhan@ioe.edu.np
Tilaurakot is considered as the historical – archeological site. It is the ancient capital city of kapilvastu where Siddhartha Gautam spent his first 29 years of life. It is also apart of Greater Lumbini Area (GLA) as designated by Lumbini Development Trust.
Division of Conservation Site
The primary concept involves creating spaces for religious and cultural practices while enabling people to interact with the river. This includes designing a three-tiered ghat that remains accessible even when the water level rises. Additionally, incorporating various elements like water features, resting areas (chautaras), adaptable structures, and different types of platforms. The design includes space for a range of activities such as accessing the water, conducting daily rituals on smaller platforms, and hosting larger events on expansive performance stages.
Connection with Archeological Sites
Prone Area
The soft landscape, featuring curvilinear forms mirroring water flow and a network of water retention ponds and purification wetlands, not only resists flooding but also facilitates future water supply, adapts to fluctuating water levels, minimizes urban flooding, increases base flow, and promotes native vegetation.
Risk Map pf Tilaurakot
Flood
Conceptual sketch of the Riverfront landscape
SERENITY
RESIDENCE
Supervisors: Abhishek Hang Rai, Grishma Koirala tessellate.designstudios@gmail.com
Serenity is a three-story building with a site area of 130 m.sq. that accommodates a single nuclear family. The site is in a natural slope terrain with a single road connected to the north.
The project adheres to five distinct characteristics; contemporary, serene, minimal, monochrome, and sleek. The design concept revolves around making the most of the limited space by utilizing natural light through skylights and big openings, incorporating double-height, open floor plan, and employing a thoughtful color palette, resulting in a home that feels larger and more inviting than its actual size.
Hands-on: I was part of this project in 2022, after graduating from university, where I was responsible for conceptualization and design development, as well as supervising its execution on the site. I assisted in creating visual and technical drawings and worked closely with the head designer to learn how to carry out site analysis through simulation using Ladybug in Grasshopper within Rhinoceros 6. This helped guide my conceptualization process. Additionally, during the project, I had the opportunity to explore different materials while designing the interior.
Materials: The house exudes elegance through a mix of materials. White marble for its spaciousness-enhancing properties and natural light reflection, rosewood to add warmth and contrast to the mainly white space, and brushed brass accents to highlight specific interior elements.
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SECTION AT X-X
SUN-PATH ANALYSIS Master bed-room interior visualization View of skylight from the living room foyer
Trital Bhagat Farmhouse
Supervisors: Abhishek Hang Rai, Grishma Koirala tessellate.designstudios@gmail.com
With respect to the ancestral home at a beautiful village in Chinamakhu, a primarily Rai community, T.B. Farmhouse is designed to share the same “aangan” (central communal space usually to the front of a building) with the ancestral home that is almost a century old.
The farmhouse is designed to be in levels, according to the natural landscape. Towards the east, the farmhouse gazes at a panoramic view of the hills of Bhojpur while the northern face glances at snow-covered peaks. From the south, it frames the existing ancestral home structure with a vision of a deconstructed and displaced gabled roofing system.
Hands-on: The project brief demanded a design deeply rooted in local essence, researching Bhojpur’s materials, Rai community, and culture was an enlightening experience. Integrating these elements wasn’t just architectural; it was about honoring heritage, celebrating community, and harmonizing with nature. The design, shaped by indigenous materials and cultural insights, embraced the presence of these trees, weaving their story into the very fabric of the project.
Culture: The main hall of the farmhouse consists of sunken stepped seating space around a fireplace to preserve the practices of communal dining around the sacred hearth, as is traditional among the Rai community of Nepal. The hearth carrying immense cultural significance is treated as a family heritage.
Community: The sunken dining also serves as a space for musical gatherings and performances. Since, the Rai community loves to sing, dance, and perform in gatherings, an open floor plan enabled such activities.
1. View of the ancestral house from site
2. View of the eastern deck
3. Shared space connecting two houses
4. Storage below the deck
Structure: The structure is constructed using stone masonry propped up by wooden columns, beams, and joists. Held together by compressed mud, the farmhouse mimics the traditional construction methods used by the forefathers in order to rest itself naturally amongst the other village homes.
“Uttis” or alder tree wood is a common construction material found in the hills. It is treated for months in the forests before being used. Although it is susceptible to termite attacks, the grease from indoor fires and kitchens adheres to the wooden roof, repelling bugs, and making it more durable, protecting it from termites permanently.
3D Structure
