5. September - October 2010

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2010 

ART - ARCHITECTURE - DESIGN 

www.spacesnepal.com 

CONTEMPORARY NORWEGIAN 

ARCHITECTURE 

LUMBINI - ITS CHALLENGES 

NOW AND THEN 

THE ARCHITECTURE OF FOREIGN 

ARCHITECTS IN NEPAL 

Shanghai 

World Expo 2010 

September-October 2010 

1 www.spacesnepal.com 

Price NRs. 100/- IRs. 65/-

www.spacesnepal.com 2 

September-October 2010


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11 

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CONTENTS 

Cover Photo 

© Implementing Experts Group 

33 36 

ART 

ARCHITECTURE 

When Art becomes Therapy 

by Ar. Swati Pujari 

Philip Holmes, a Dental Officer who earlier served 

in the British Army, established The Esther 

Benjamins Trust (EBT) in 1999 in the memory of 

his late wife, Ester Benjamins. The Trust, besides 

rehabilitating victimized and vulnerable children 

of Nepal, provides creative vocational trainings 

like ‘Himalayan Mosaics’, preparing them for a 

sustainable career. 

Carl Pruscha 

by Ar. Bansri Pandey 

In the early 1970s, UNDP funded a planning 

office in Nepal, for which the Austrian architect 

Carl Pruscha was selected to lead it. Besides 

his involvement in the development of the 

Master Plan of the Kathmandu valley, Pursha’s 

continuous experimentation with bricks proved 

that it is possible to fuse traditional as well as 

contemporary thoughts and build styles. 

40 ARCHITECTURE 

A Dialogue between Form and Function 

by Ar.Swati Pujari 

The Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital 

at Butwal is the only building listed under 

Nepal in ‘The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary 

World Architecture’. The building, bearing the 

architectural style of the world famous Japanese 

architect, Tadao Ando, is a debate of whether form 

follows function or vice versa. 



45 ARCHITECTURE 

Shanghai World Expo 2010, 

....the world is a stage 

by Ar. Sarosh Pradhan 

World Expos have long served as an experimental 

platform for architectural and urban innovation. 

At the exhaustive Shanghai World Expo 2010, 

organized around the relevant theme of Better 

City, Better Life - urban futurism stands at centrestage.

© Schmidhuber + Kaindl GmbH, Munich 

50 INTERNATIONAL 

Contemporary Norwegian Architecture 

2000-2005 

by The National Museum of Art, Architecture and 

Design, Norway 

‘Contemporary Norwegian Architecture – 2000- 

2005’, a touring exhibition put together by the 

National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design 

of Norway, was brought to Nepal on the 19th May 

2010, which showcased in five categories, fifty 

contemporary examples of Norwegian architecture. 

67 ANALYSIS 

The Architecture of Foreign Architects 

in Nepal 

by Ar. Biresh Shah 

After the shift in power from the Rana regime, Nepal 

opened up to the outside world only after 1950. 

This brought in modern developments into the 

country, and due to the lack of technical expertise 

to match these developments, brought along with 

it foreign thoughts, ideas and influences. 

83 89 92 

SOLUTIONS 

OPINION 

62 INTERIOR 

From a Hilltop 

by Sanjog Rai 

Constructing one’s house in Kathmandu, that too 

for a novice, is a once in a life time’s experience. 

The interwoven complexities of the owners vision, 

the design, the designer, the building contractor, 

the choice of available building materials 

compounded by the restriction of a limited budget 

can leave one relieved..... or cheated. 

SPACES CONNECTS 

75 HERITAGE 

Lumbini - its challenges now and then 

by Rupesh Shrestha 

Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Gautama Buddha, 

carries a history of more than 1500 years. 

Following the development of the Master Plan of 

this World Heritage Site by the Japanese architect 

Kenzo Tange in 1978, Lumbini has seen a flurry 

of debatable building activities, marring the true 

essence of the Master Plan. 


15 

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Regd. No 30657/061-62 

CDO No. 41 

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 6 


DISTRIBUTION 

Kathmandu 

East Nepal 

R.B. Newspaper Traders, Kathmandu 

Ph: 4232784 / 4215652 / 4216658 

Skypass Cargo (P) Ltd., Kathmandu. Ph: 4701293 

Parbati Shrestha 

Naya Bazar, Dharan - 05 

Ph: 025-5-21164/025-525118, Cell: 9842054110 

Managing Editor / Editor Uday Sunder Shrestha, B.E, B.Sc. 

Photography / Production Control Ashesh Rajbansh 

Consultant-Marketing & Sales Krishna Shrestha 

Assistant-Marketing & Sales Anish Shrestha, Bina Bhattarai 

Public Relations Prakash Bahadur Amatya 

Editorial Assistant Swati Pujari, B. Arch. 

Contributing Art Editor - Madan Chitrakar 

- Kasthamandap Art Studio 

Contributing Editor - Darjeeling Hills Barun Roy 

- Delhi Ar. Jinisha Jain 

- Sikkim Ar. Chetan Raj Shrestha 

Accounts / Admin 

International Correspondents 

Correspondents 

Design / Colour Separation 

Printed at 

Published by 

Rajesh Dali 

Ar. Sarosh Pradhan 

Ar. Bansri Pandey 

Kalpana Bhandari 

Rupesh Shrestha 

Digiscan Pre-Press 

Naxal, Kathmandu. Phone: 4436817 

Format Printing Press 

Hadigaon, Kathmandu, Phone: 4010160 

IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd. 

Kupondole, Lalitpur 

Post Box No. 227, DPO Lalitpur 

Phone: 5544606, 5526040 

Mid & West Nepal Allied Newspaper Distributor Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu 

Ph: 4261948 / 4419466 

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ADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTIONS 

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email: market@spacesnepal.com 

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Biratnagar Ph: 025-5-21164/025-525118, Cell: 9842054110 

SPACES is published six times a year at the address 

above. All rights are reserved in respect of articles, 

illustrations, photographs, etc. published in 

SPACES. The contents of this publication may 

not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form 

without the written consent of the publisher. 

The opinions expressed by contributors are 

not necessarily those of the publisher and the 

publisher cannot accept responsiblility for any 

errors or omissions. 

Those submitting manuscripts, photographs, 

artwork or other materials to SPACES for 

consideration should not send originals unless 

specifically requested to do so by SPACES in 

writing. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and 

other submitted material must be accompanied 

by a self addressed return envelope, postage 

prepaid. However, SPACES is not responsible for 

unsolicited submissions. All editorial inquiries 

and submissions to SPACES must be addressed to 

editor@spacesnepal.com or sent to the address 

mentioned above. 

LETTERS 

Inquiry 

I had booked a flat in Ambe Residency at 

Chabahil, Kathmandu. The number of the 

flat is E-3. It has been some time now and 

we are unaware as to when the project 

will be completed and when we be able to 

receive the flat. Is it possible for SPACES to 

find out about its progress ? 

Ranjana Sharraf 

(amitsharraf@gmail.com) 

Need PDF version 

At your earliest convenience, I would like 

to request a PDF version of the "Museums: 

Monuments for Masses" article from the 

May-June 2010 issue. 

Hope Stockton, VernerJohnson l MUSEUM 

ARCHITECTS & PLANNERS (hstockton@ 

vernerjohnson.com) 

Subscriptions 

Himalaya College of Engineering 

(HCOE), affiliated to Tribhuvan 

University (TU), was established 

in June 2000 AD with an aim 

to provide quality education 

in engineering and produce 

qualified engineering graduates. 

The College has been conducting 

BE programmes of Institute of 

Engineering (IOE) and now that 

Bachelor of Architecture has 

also been launched, the college 

and students are interested 

to subscribe to your popular 

magazine. Could you kindly provide 

us the procedural details. 

Sagar Devkota, Himalaya College 

of Engineering (sagardevkota@ 

hotmail.com) 

For SUBSCRIPTIONS 

Call Pratima or Anish at: 01-5544606 / 01-5526040 

Email: market@spacesnepal.com 

Kupondole, Lalitpur 




17 

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EDITORIAL 

“SOCIETY OF 

NEPALESE 

ARCHITECTS 

COLLABORATES 

WITH SPACES.” 

This September / October 2010 

Issue concludes the sixth year of 

SPACES. And what a way to end 

this sixth volume! We are proud 

to announce that the Society 

of Nepalese Architects (SONA) 

has officially collaborated with 

SPACES for a common objective 

– promotion of architecture and 

its allies! SPACES considers this 

collaboration to be a landmark in its history and a recognition 

of its relentless efforts to promote, inform and educate all 

those involved with ‘Art, Architecture & Design’. Henceforth, 

SONA and SPACES will draw on each other’s strengths 

towards this common objective, which we believe will benefit 

not only the fraternity but the society as a whole. 

With this common objective in perspective, we felt that the 

first step would be to create a forum where we could gather 

on a regular basis and talk. Consequently, the program 

‘Meet the Architect’ was formulated and with support from 

the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, the first 

gathering was held at the seminar hall of its Architecture 

Block on 27 August 2010. The full house said it all, indicating 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Ar. Biresh Shah, a 

post graduate in 

Architecture Studies 

from Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology, 

is the Exe. Director of 

the architectural firm, 

Archiplan in Kathmandu. 

In the past 17 years, 

besides teaching at the 

Tribhuwan University, he 

has worked in New Delhi, 

Bombay, Boston, and 

Kathmandu, undertaking 

a wide range of projects 

in architecture, urban 

design, conservation and 

urban planning. 

(biresh.shah@gmail.com) 

Sanjog Rai is the chief 

designer at Abstract 

Studios. A gravely 

misguided autodidact, 

he's dabbled in many 

things, including music 

and photography, and 

previously even worked 

as a columnist and film 

critic for The Kathmandu 

Post. His taste is gonzo, 

sometimes mirroring 

the films of the great 

surrealist directors, like 

Luis Buñuel, who sought 

to paint this subjective 

world as they saw fit. 

(barefootshepherd@ 

gmail.com) 

that we were on the right track. Hence from now on, we 

will be holding interactions on a regular basis. If you are 

concerned on any relevant issue, or know of architects/ 

academicians/designers/ artists, who you think could 

share his/ her knowledge with us, then please do email 

(spacesnepal@gmail.com) or call (01-5544606), as this 

forum is for you and for your society. 

Another major announcement! We have collaborated with 

INSITE (www.insiteindia.in), the official publication of the 

Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID). Henceforth, 

SPACES and INSITE will be exchanging information and 

articles which are relevant to their readers, and which we 

hope will be a major link in the field of architecture and 

design between our two countries. 

Coming to the focus of this issue - within the last half 

century, Nepal has been exposed to a variety works by 

foreign architects. The fact that Nepal opened up to the 

outside world only after 1950 compelled the country to be 

dependent on the expertise of other developed countries, 

having practically no authority on major decisions. However, 

Nepal has come a long way since then, and as architect 

Biresh Shah writes in his analytical article, ‘The Architecture 

of Foreign Architects in Nepal’, it is definitely necessary to 

analyze these past works, not only to analyze where we 

stand, but also to focus on where we should head towards. 

The cover article is a dream project for any architect – The 

World Expo. The official website of Shanghai World Expo lists 

the first expo to have been held in London in 1851. That is 

more than 150 years ago! In terms of Nepal’s participation, 

the current one at Shanghai is its third, while the first was at 

Hanover, Germany (2000) and the second at Aichi, Japan 

(2005). Nepal no doubt has learnt the ropes from the two 

earlier participations since this third one seems bigger and 

better. Unfortunately, the importance of the participation, at 

least in the perspective of design, has been brought down to 

a mere money making venture. The Nepal Pavilion, a matter 

of such national importance and pride, was initiated through 

a tender bid from the government, when it should have been 

more of a national design competition. Objecting to this 

process, SONA, under the executive board led by its then 

President, Ar. Bibhuti Man Singh, made a few attempts to 

bring the matter to the authorities notice, but to no avail. The 

project went to the highest bidder........ 

Until the next issue.. 


19 

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SOCIETY OF NEPALESE ARCHITECTS 

2047 

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 

between 

Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA) 

and 

Impressions Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 

August, 2010 

The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is to 

establish and defi ne a collaborative relationship between Society of 

Nepalese Architects (SONA) and Impressions Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 

publisher of SPACES magazine as under: 

1. Objective of the MOU: 

• To promote architecture and its allies. 

2. On the part of Impressions Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 

a. Provide a wide spectrum of information in the fi eld of 

Architecture and its related design fi elds (Interior/Engineering) 

and products (Materials /products) in its magazine SPACES. 

b. Assist / Organize programs which will fulfi ll the Objective of 

this MOU. 

3. On the part of SONA 

a. Assist through all possible means to steer SPACES to meet 

the Objectives of this MOU, without being irresponsible nor 

unethical towards its own society, SONA. 

Signatories: 

MESSAGE 

FROM SONA 


ART - ARCHITECTURE - DESIGN 

SONA is pleased to inform all its members that 

SONA and SPACES have made a collaborative 

relationship for the common goal of both SONA 

and SPACES. I do believe that this collaboration will 

inspire the whole Architectural Fraternity to dedicate 

themselves in the common endeavour of creating 

Art and Science in Architecture for better and notable 

works of architecture through this unique platform 

of SPACES. 

The SONA-SPACES collaboration relationship 

may provide support to both Architects and 

SPACES in several ways, while staying in mutual 

understanding. While SONA will assist to collect 

design and write-up materials regarding the 

profession for publishing, the collaborative 

relationship would also work for conducting 

presentations and talk programs on contemporary 

Architectural practice as well as any other useful 

topic related to modern architecture and modern 

construction technology. 

The true advantage of this collaboration would 

be to provide a consolidated platform, where the 

architectural fraternity can share and exchange 

their views on architectural practice and modern 

construction technology. I am very much hopeful 

that we will be successful in achieving this common 

goal. 

SONA would like to specially thank Er. Uday Sunder 

Shrestha, Editor of SPACES and his Team for their 

continuous support to bring the creations of 

Architects into the public platform through the 

magazine. Besides this, SPACES has also been trying 

to research and document the hidden architectural 

treasure of the old ‘Malla’ era, as well as other ethnic 

design and imported European Architecture of the 

Rana regime. Actually SPACES has been playing a 

vital role in the architectural field by documenting 

such the creation of Architects and also giving value 

to the traditional architecture of Nepal. 

On behalf of the Society of Nepalese Architects 

(SONA), I wish a very grand success to this SONA & 

SPACES Collabration. 

Ar. Swarup G. Koney 

Er. Uday Sunder 

Shrestha 

President, 

Editor / Publisher 

Society of Nepalese ese 

e Architects 

ts SPACES / Impressions Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 

Kathmandu, Nepal 

Lalitpur, Nepal 

Ar. Swarup G. Koney 

(President) 

SOCIETY OF NEPALESE ARCHITECTS (SONA) 

Thapathali, Kathmandu 


21 

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23 

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NEWS AND 

HAPPENINGS 

Kala-Punja II 

Kathmandu, 8 July 2010 

After their first exhibition 

in 2008, members of the 

Society of Modern Art (SOMA) 

collectively presented their 

art works at the Nepal Art 

Council in Kathmandu. The 

exhibition, inaugurated by the 

Minister of Information and 

Communication, Mr. Shankar 

Pokharel, had an added flavour 

this time - two senior artists, Kali 

Das Shrestha and Dil Bahadur 

Chitrakar were felicitated with 

the Bangdel Memorial Award. 

The award carrying a token 

money of Nrs. 10,000 each, 

besides a letter of appreciation 

is instituted by Kuntala Maskey, 

wife of the President of SOMA, 

Karna Maskey, as a mark of 

respect to his revered teacher, 

Lain Singh Bandel. 

The paintings at the exhibition 

among other members, included 

those by Lain Singh Bangdel, 

Karna Maskey, Govind Lal 

Singh Dangol, Shanker Raj 

Singh Suwal, Rama Raj Maskey, 

Chini kazi Tamrakar, Shankar 

Nath Rimal and Syam Lal 

Shrestha, SOMA is a society 

formed by artists who, at one 

time or the other, had been 

under the tutelage of Bangdel. 

Berger launches 

Rangoli Easy Clean 


On July 16 2010, a Press Meet was 

organized at Hotel de la’ Annapurna by 

Berger Jenson and Nicholson(Nepal) Pvt. 

Ltd, in interest of bringing a new resistant 

shade to interiors of Nepali homes. With 

this aim, ‘Berger Rangoli Easy Clean’ 

emulsion paint was launched at Hyatt 

Regency on July 11 2010, and a Press 

Meet was organized thereafter. 

It was only 3 months prior that they 

launched the Weather Coat All Guard, a 

premium exterior emulsion, and now it 

was the turn of a premium quality interior 

emulsion with a strong USP relevant 

to the dormant need of all consumers, 

the Berger Rangoli Easy Clean Paints. 

The launch of both these products has 

provided an in-and-out sheen to walls. 

‘Berger Rangoli Easy Clean’ is a product 

which is formulated with cross-linking 

polymers (CLIP technology) and 

micro-fined pigments. The essence of 

these ingredients ensures smooth flow, 

dispersion, anti-fungal and anti- fading 

properties with minimum porosity. These 

properties also exhibit 

high wash-ability and 

ease in maintenance. 

Berger Rangoli Easy 

Clean also promises 

unmatched luxurious 

velvet sheen and fresh 

look for years, as the 

stains on walls can be 

readily removed. It avails 

more than 5000 shades, 

or any other shade that 

their consumers can 

think of. 

According to Mr. Manoj 

Mishra, Marketing 


Manager of the company, ‘Berger Rangoli 

Easy Clean’ would be 10 percent cheaper 

than other high quality emulsions 

produced by the company. 

With a sprawl of its products in the 

Nepali market in the last ten years, 

Berger Jenson and Nicholson is the 

second largest paint manufacturer in 

Nepal, with two factories in Bhaktapur 

and Hetauda. The company has nine 

major headquarters, four inside and 

five outside Kathmandu valley, and a 

number of dealers in each city to reach its 

consumers. 

Shortly after introduction of 

Berger Rangoli Easy Clean, 

the company launched a 

new promotional scheme to 

its consumers on Aug 22nd 

, ‘Rangey Haat Offer’, which 

is valid from August 23rd 

until November 16 th , 2010. 

Earlier, Berger had celebrated 

schemes like Bhagya 

Rangaaun, Dhan-tanaatan 

and Rung-Fu in previous 

years. 

25 

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NEWS and HAPPENINGS 

Engineers Day 

19 July 2010, Kathmandu 

Presided by the President of NEA, Er. Hari Om Srivastav, the third 

‘Engineers Day 2010’ was celebrated on 19 July, 2010, with a 

series of programs, ending with a dinner at the Nepal Academy 

Hall in Kathmandu. 

Accordingly in the first half of the program, and to specially mark 

the event, four engineers who had contributed significantly 

to this field were honoured in four different categories: Youth 

Professional Engineer Award, Best Entrepreneur Engineer Award, 

Martyr Nawaraj Bista Award, and Life Time Achievement Award. 

The engineers honoured in the four categories were Anil Shakya, 

Lek Bahdur Gurung, Badri Prasad Dhungel and Ishwor Raj Onta 

respectively. 

In the second half of the program, technical sessions were 

conducted under which some of the major ongoing engineering 

projects in the country were presented and discussed upon. The 

papers presented were: ‘Status and Problems of Melamchi Project’ 

by Melamchi Project, ‘Local Infrastructure Development Initiatives 

and Challenges’ by DoLiDar, ‘Achievement and Sustainability of 

Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project’ by Small 

Town, ‘In Road Network Development’ by Department of Roads, 

‘Targeted Intervention and Pro-poor Infrastructure Development’ 

by Poverty Alleviation Fund, and Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower 

Project. 

In quest of integration - A VOYAGE 

Kathmandu , 21 July 2010 

“Subtle variation of the 

natural phenomena and the 

ambiguous quality of nature 

attracts my inner soul,” says 

Sagar Manandhar, a Post 

Graduate gold medallist in 

Fine Art from Benares Hindu 

University, at his fi rst solo 

exhibition in Kathmandu. 

Sagar’s ‘Voyage, an endless 

journey’, canvassing his 

experiences via acrylic 

and mixed media were an 

inspiration of synchronization 

of colours, textural values 

and linear continuation. The 

paintings were illustrations 

of city landscape - the 

difference, the similarity 

and in-between of two cities 

- Kathmandu and Varanasi. 

Sagar also explain his 

emotions in his paintings. He 

visualizes different festivals, 

multicoloured cultural rituals, 

sounds and the architonic 

structure of the two cities. 

With a display of as many 

as 57 paintings, 25 of which 

were painted after returning 

back to Kathmandu, Sagar 

progresses from concrete 

and rigid overview in his 

initial works, to exploring 

the vibrant colours and 

their forms in his fi nal 

compositions. The paintings 

are aerial views of city 

landscapes, but however not 

confi ned to a frame - which 

best exemplifi es Sagar’s 

vision as the artist he aspires 

to become. 


27 

www.spacesnepal.com


Varsha 


With the onset of 

monsoon, Nepal Academy 

of Fine Arts (NAFA) 

organised a Women 

Art Exhibition entitled 

‘Varsha’ with 112 female 

painters and sculptors, 

who displayed their art 

from July 23 to August 

7, 2010. The event, 

as its title suggested, 

celebrated art combined 

with womanhood. The 

exhibition aimed on 

focusing folk art, and the 

participants were from 

different parts of the 

country exhibiting the 

essence of their folk art 

and culture. The major 

node of exhibition was 

the sample of ‘Punjya’, the Newari folk art, and Mithila art; which 

made the exhibition different from what is seen otherwise. Other 

important highlights of ‘Varsha’ were the famous ‘Paubha art’, and 

other contemporary realistic and abstract art and sculptures. 

Portrait Expression 

Kathmandu, 2 August 2010 

Pramila Bajracharaya Shakya, one of 

the members of the Kasthamandap Art 

Studio, held her 8 th solo exhibition at the 

Srijana Contemporary Art Gallery on the 

2nd August 2010. Although her earlier 

exhibition ‘My Collection’ were more 

of landscape abstracts, the exhibition 

this time focused on women feelings 

in both joy and sorrow. Pramila is a 

quiet, soft spoken girl and her paintings 

reflect the softness as she experiments 

with expressions of a single slit eyed 

women, colour, cows and cacti – to 

bring out her moods and feelings of joy 

or sorrow of the moment; the sorrow 

probably reflecting the recent loss of 

her father. 

SONA Goes Green 


Society of Nepalese Architects 

(SONA) organized a conference 

on Green Leed Certification 

and other related issues on 

Tuesday, 10 th of August 2010. 

The conference which was 

attended by many leading 

architects of Nepal saw a 

presentation by Mr. Pramod 

Pandey, from Mahaphant 

Group, Thailand, which focused 

on green and environment 

friendly construction 

technology. Mr. Pandey also 

presented related research on 

the production/ installation/ 

maintenance and 

waste management 

of materials and 

technology, all 

important aspects for 

the assessment of any 

product as ‘green’. 

In the same note, the 

program highlighted 

SHERA boards, an 

environment friendly product 

of Mahaphant Group. These 

fibre-cement boards, which 

can be used for cladding as well 

as partitions are, claims to be 

weatherproof, fire and termite 

resistant, flexible and durable. 

The program also included 

a presentation by Mr. Binod 

Shankar Pandey on rain water 

along with remarks from Mr. 

Niruman Shakya, Ambassador 

of Green, SONA. 

Also at the program, a 

collaboration between Society 

of Nepalese Architects (SONA) 

and SPACES for the promotion 

of architecture was officially 

announced by Ar. Debesh 

Bhattarai, General Secretary of 

SONA. 




Kathmandu Valley 

Down The Ages 


Art lovers of the post 

modern era were fortuitous 

to have seen a collection of 

58 paintings exhibited by 

artist Hari Prasad Sharma 

in Nepal Art Council, from 

August 6 th to August 28 th 

2010, titled ‘Kathmandu 

Valley Down The Ages’, 

which was jointly organized 

by Aarohan-Gurukul and 

Nepal Heritage Society. 

Hari Prasad Sharma, a 

74-year-old artist, born to 

a Brahmin family amidst 

a Newar community 

witnessed the traditional 

setup of Kathmandu 

Valley before it entered 

the modern era of art and 

architecture. The artist 

had deep impressions 

of the pictures of his 

community, knowledge 

of its history and culture, 

which he canvassed in 

oil and water colours. The 

artist portrayed ancient 

and medieval Kathmandu, 

the Golden Era of culture, 

history, architecture and 

lifestyle, in his paintings; 

as a documentation for 

present as well as future 

of art and architecture in 

Nepal.The exhibition of 

the realistic paintings, 

categorized under 

History, Culture and 

Religion section, housed a 

heritage walk to the newer 

generations of artists who 

knew the words but did not 

have the picture; who knew 

the Valley and now knew 

its poem. 


29 

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Architect In Focus: Sachin Baral, MUD 

Architecture is: Space Matrix – 

Context – Volumetric Expressions 

Designing is: Thinking with the User 

IOE, SONA & SPACES Collaborates for ‘Meet The Architect-1’ 

Lalitpur, 27 August 2010 

The Architecture Department 

of the Institute of Engineering 

(IOE), Society of Nepalese 

Architects (SONA) and SPACES 

recently collaborated to create 

a forum to meet on a regular 

basis to conduct presentations, 

talks, or whatsoever that 

would be of interest to the 

architectural fraternity and 

thereby promote architecture 

and its allies. 

architect practices his 

architectural ethics with Axis 

Design Consultants (P) Ltd, 

Kupondole as Project Architect, 

and at the same time shares 

his academician passion with 

students of architecture as 

open for interaction with the 

architect. “Most of the times, 

and as designs evolve from the 

site itself, a name clicks when 

I initiate my design and this 

often becomes my inspiration,’ 

explains Sachin on the specific 

quotes. Incorporating and 

around Baisdhara at Balaju, the 

project design was initiated in 

2005, but is still in the proposal 

stage as it is yet to obtain 

the required official approval. 

Architect Baral obtained his 

bachelor’s degree from Shivaji 

University, Maharashtra, India 

and his Masters in Urban 

Design from University of Hong 

Kong. With such an academic 

background, it is but natural 

Accordingly, on Friday, 

August 27th 2010, the first 

of output of this collaboration 

was an informal interaction 

under the theme, ‘Meet the 

Architect’, at the seminar hall 

of the Architecture Block, 

IOE, Pulchowk Campus. The 

participants were professors 

of IOE, members of SONA, 

professional architects, 

students of architecture and 

few other interested people. 

This program, also being the 

official declaration of the 

collaboration between IOE, 

SONA and SPACES, had the 

young architect, Sachin Baral, 

presenting his works. 

Architect Sachin Baral, besides 

being an academician, is a 

38-year-old enthusiast of 

architecture having a diverse 

experience in architectural 

practice. This contextual 

thesis supervisor in Kathmandu 

Engineering College. 

After the welcome address by 

Ar. Swarup G. Koney, President 

of SONA, the program started 

with a thirty minute overview 

of Ar. Baral’s design works 

consisting of residences, 

institutions, retail architecture, 

and commercial buildings, both 

in Nepal as well as Australia, 

after which the floor was 

names given to his designs. The 

names, Cave, Glass Box, Tube, 

Rotato, Cubist, Jewel, concisely 

summarizes his design concept 

(the Cave Glassier was featured 

earlier featured in SPACES – 

Jan/Feb 2008) 

Another interesting project 

that drew the attention was 

the Balaju Water Park - an 

‘ambitious project,’ as Baral 

that his designs reflect the 

modern contemporary style, 

although initially he did 

foray into introducing Nepali 

traditional elements into the 

design, “Its still a long way to 

go, and I would want to learn 

other prospects of architecture. 

It would be really interesting.” 

(Ar. Sachin Baral can be reached 

at: 9849375980; sachinbaral@ 

hotmail.com) 


31 

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ART 

When Art Becomes Therapy 

Text: Ar. Swati Pujari 

IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE CREATIVITY TACKLES ALL TROUBLES. IMAGINE A WORLD 

WHERE DEDICATION TOWARDS AN ART FORM CAN NOT ONLY PROVIDE AN OUTLET AND 

HELP YOU DEAL WITH YOUR PAST BUT CAN ALSO PAVE A WAY FOR YOUR FUTURE. 

This is precisely the kind of world Esther Benjamins Trust is trying 

to create for the three hundred or so Nepali girls and boys rescued 

from circuses and juvenile homes across India, along with street 

children and vulnerable siblings of the trafficked victims. 

Esther Benjamins Trust (EBT) was established in 1999 by Philip 

Holmes, shortly after his wife, Esther Benjamins took her own 

life (citing childlessness as the reason in her dying note). Esther 

Benjamins Trust was established in her memory, especially in an 

attempt to keep her dream alive – that of helping innocent children. 

EBT focuses on the vulnerable and victimized children of Nepal, a 

country both Esther and Philip had never visited, but were fond of 

as they lived and worked amongst Gurkha families, during Philip’s 

career as a Dental Officer in the British Army. 

The Story of the Rescued 

Philip initially moved to Bhairahawa, a city near the Indian border, 

and rescued trafficked Nepali children from Indian circuses. Children 

from many deprived villages of Nepal, especially along the border, 

slaved in circuses across India, where poor families often send their 

children, binding them in signed contracts. Once they reach the 

circus their entire life takes a dramatic turn; any education they 

received back home is replaced by rigorous training and dangerous 

performances. 

Later the Trust focused on the lost children of Nepal, who were either 

wandering into the other side of the border and without any identity, 

or locked up in one of the juvenile detention camps of India. Today, 

EBT has rescued more than 300 children, mostly from India. But the 

children living in the juvenile correction centres in Nepal, along with 

their convicted parents were the next to be rescued. Other groups 

that the trust focuses on are the street children in Nepal and the 

hearing impaired school leavers from the ‘School for the Deaf’ at 

Bhairahawa. 

Moving Ahead – The Rehabilitation 

The Esther Benjamins 

Trust maintains two 

refuges, one at Godawari 

and the other at 

Bhairahawa. But when 

the children from India 

are rescued they reach 

a ‘Half-Way House’ at 

Hetauda, where they are 

provided with primary 

training and education, a 

preliminary preparation 

for re-entering society. 


Philip Holmes with rescued children 

33 

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ART 

The younger children and siblings of the trafficked victims, re-enter 

school through the efforts of Esther Benjamins Trust. Growing up, 

these children continue with their education, and Esther Benjamins 

Trust continues to support them. 

But for some children, who are much older when they return, the 

story is completely different. Many of them miss their education 

for years and are hence not comfortable rejoining schools. For 

many of them, their only hope for independency is through the 

vocational trainings provided by EBT. According to Ms. Kamana 

K.C. Shah, Promotions Officer at EBT, the older children were given 

many trainings, from tailoring to making beaded jewellery, but the 

most sustainable career that they were able to create, was through 

‘Himalayan Mosaics’. 

Making a Mosaic 

‘Himalayan Mosaics’ is fast becoming a commonly heard 

phenomenon across Kathmandu. These mosaics, made by the 

rescued victim turned artists of EBT, are created using cut ceramic 

tiles arranged in different artistic patterns. Most of the patterns 

are nature inspired and that of religious symbols. The most popular 

patterns amongst these are that of animals and birds, especially 

with foreign tourists, whereas the local crowd seems to be more 

attracted to religious symbols like ‘Om’, ‘Buddha Eyes’, Ganesha’, 

etc. The Buddha Eyes or The Eyes of the Swayambhu is a popular 

piece amongst the visitors as well. The counterpart of Himalayan 

Mosaics in the Terai, Bhairahawa Mosaics, creates more local 

designs like ‘The Rickshaw Man’, which is one of the most popular 

patterns from Bhairahawa. Recent designs from Himalayan 

Mosaics are the ‘Animal Eyes’ and the eight auspicious signs or the 

‘Astamangala’. 

The process of making a mosaic begins with ply boards, which are 

cut into required sizes and delivered at the workshops. Here the 

boards are selected according to the design, which is traced or 

stamped onto them. Then comes the meticulous job of cutting the 

ceramic tiles into required shapes, which are then ground for an 

immaculate finish before pasting on the ply boards. All instruments 

used are simple hand tools, like cutters, filers, sand paper, etc. 

Once the design is completed, it is left to dry, following which the 

near ready mosaic is grouted using grey or white cement paste. 

This grout not only covers any gaps that were created during 

the process, but also firmly secures the tiles. Finally the piece is 

cleaned and hangers are added in the ply board, making the mosaic 

ready to go on a wall. 

The products of Himalayan Mosaics are available in a variety of 

sizes; the most popular amongst them are 15cm X 15cm and 32cm 

X 32cm. Most of these mosaics are purchased as souvenirs or as 

decorative art, and are more appealing in smaller sizes, especially 

with the tourists. The normal price for a popular souvenir sized 

mosaic ranges from Rs. 1200 to Rs. 5000. Another popular mosaic 

is the commissioned name plate; the normal size of this piece is 

7cm X 22cm (subject to change depending on the length of the 

name) and costs between Rs. 1400 – Rs. 1500. The cost for raw 

material for these mosaics normally accounts for 50% of the selling 

price and the other 50% is remunerated to the artist. 

Some of the more elaborate works from EBT and the Himalayan 

Mosaics are the 3m X 2m commissioned mosaics of ‘Jungle Scene’ 

and ‘Wedding’ which can be seen on the walls of Courtyard Hotel, 

Thamel, and Kittney School, Taukhel, Godawari respectively. 

Himalayn Mosaics products are available at: 

Melange Home Incentives, Durbar Marg; 

Courtyard Hotel, Thamel; 

Tibet Guest House, Chhetrapati, Thamel; 

Maruni Sanctury Lodge, Chitwan; 

Bakery Café, Pulchowk and 

Kathmandu Contemporary Art Center, Jhamsikhel, Pulchowk. 

Stamping the pattern on to the board 

Artist at the Himalayan Mosaic makes 

the eye of the tiger 

Half way through making the 

mosaic 

An Artist demonstrates the process of 

Grouting 

Artists at the Godawari Workshop with their art displayed on the wall 

Tools and materials used in making a mosaic 




35 

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ARCHITECTURE 

“THE HORROR VISION IN THE CENTRAL DIAGRAM OF 

A LAND CONSUMING CENTRAL OCTOPUS DESTROYING 

THE VALUABLE AGRICULTURAL LANDS HAS MEANWHILE 

AS I UNDERSTAND BECOME ALMOST A REALITY.” 

-Carl Pruscha reflecting on his 

research of Kathmandu Valley in the early 1970's 

credit: Franz Hubmann 

Past Situation: The towns and 

settlements in harmony with 

environment 

Present Trend: Fingers of a central 

urban octopus growing to endanger 

agricultural land and historic 

settlements 

Future alternative: Multi-nucleated 

growth pattern. Historic settlements 

and proposed new settlements in 

harmony with natural environment 

Carl Pruscha 

Text: Ar. Bansri Pandey 

Images: Carl Pruscha 

It was in the 1660s when 

the first Austrian visitor 

‘Johannes Grueber’ came to 

Nepal. His reports in Europe 

are believed to be the first 

eyewitness accounts of our country. His gift to 

King Pratap Malla is said to have been a telescope 

which probably was the first piece of western 

technology in Nepal. It was a very important 

beginning for Nepal to look beyond its boundaries 

and search for new developments, new exposure 

and new technologies existing in the other parts 

of the world. 

In 1962, Harvard University Professor ‘Eduard 

Sekler’ was travelling through India studying 

urban areas and the rapid changes brought 

upon them by modernization. With an advice 

of a friend, he came to Nepal during his visit to 

explore the country’s unique and naturally divine 

land. Recognizing the qualities of an intact urban 

form, he realized a great need for a planned 

development and preservation of the historic 

essence of the place. He took many memories 

with him back to Europe which inspired him to 

promote what he saw in Nepal and what was 

possible for its future. 

The Master Plan of Kathmandu Valley 

In the early 1970s, the United Nations 

Development Programme (UNDP) funded a 

planning office in Nepal and the Austrian architect 

Carl Pruscha, a former student of Sekler, was 

selected to lead it. And this way, after about 300 

years of Grueber’s visit, once again, Nepal and 

Austria began a new relationship that is still fresh 

in history. 

Carl Pruscha, a physical planner and an architect 

in the services of UNDP, engaged himself 

in physical regional planning of Nepal on a 

nationwide scale. His primary involvement was for 

the development of the master plan of Kathmandu 

valley and to help Nepal in preparing a detailed 

inventory of the valley’s monuments and cultural 

sites. When the several years of survey was 

completed, the inventory had about 888 number 

of sacred places identified. Upon completion of 

research and gathering the material, Pruscha 

requested assistance from UNESCO, the Rockfeller 

Foundation and the Austrian Government to have 

it published in two volumes to become the basis 

for UNESCOs declaration of Kathmandu Valley as a 

World heritage site. This two-volume government 

publication was then entitled ‘Kathmandu Valley: 

Preservation of the Physical Environment and 

Cultural Heritage, a Protective Inventory’. 

While preparing this master inventory, he 

consulted his scholarly friend and mentor, 

Professor Sekler, who had visited Nepal frequently 

and had cultivated a deep sense of attachment 

with Kathmandu valley culture. Sekler eventually 

became associated with UNESCO to prepare the 

Master Plan for the implementation of the project, 

which was called ‘Conservation Master Plan of 

the Cultural Heritage in the Kathmandu Valley’. 



ARCHITECTURE 

Published in 1977, this basic document is still the 

blueprint for the government’s efforts in heritage 

conservation. 

This Master Plan has helped to nominate seven 

historical sites of the Kathmandu Valley to 

UNESCO’s World Heritage List. 

Kathmandu Valley – the capital region of Nepal, 

covering about 15 square miles – is the area 

where for the first time an attempt had been made 

to develop a comprehensive development under 

the co-ordinated concept of Regional Physical 

Planning. 

After his analysis of the valley, Pruscha, believed 

that the problems of the valley are physical 

rather than social and should be relatively easy 

to solve with sufficient financial and technical 

assistance. Thus, in order to establish a sound 

framework and direction for the future growth of 

the Valley, various plans were considered and the 

proposals for a Multi-Nucleated Development were 

decided on as most appropriate. Urbanization 

and population distribution, transportation 

and infrastructure, preservation of physical 

environment and cultural heritage, are the three 

main pillars of his recommended development 

policy for the valley. 

In his concept, he recommended the urban 

complex of Kathmandu-Patan to be guided in its 

growth to absorb new population in acceptable 

standards of density. He suggested revitalizing 

the Bhadgaon area through planned development 

and settlement expansion to the south and southwest. 

He envisioned the settlements as eventually 

circling the entire valley along the slopes of the 

emerging foothills. Considering that transport 

arteries are often the carriers of unwanted urban 

sprawl in the form of ribbon development, he also 

recommended a combined action of the proposed 

Land use and Transportation policy so that it is 

possible to utilize these arteries in a directed 

manner to guide the urban growth. 

The CEDA Building 

His design for the CEDA building was an attempt to blend physical, 

cultural and spiritual landscape of the valley while maintaining its 

contemporary expression. Using the existing terrace landscape, he 

created an eight story building which merged with the site so well 

that it looks like a continuation of man-made nature into man-made 

building. 

His choice for the building material 

narrowed down to bricks as it was a 

predominant building material since 

many centuries, giving Kathmandu 

valley its unique position among all 

Asian towns. Structural Engineer 

Mr. Zenon Zielinsky who was then 

working for Ford Foundation in 

Calcutta, contributed by designing 

a special prefabrication system for 

concrete panels that replaced the 

use of wood for ceilings and floors. 

“More difficult to me as a 

foreigner was the design’s 

integration into the spiritual 

network of Nepal’s culture,” 

explains Pruscha. 

Taking an inspiration from the geometry of the Mandala with its 

circle and its square, Pruscha designed the floor plan to indicate its 

abstract symbol. The administrative part is designed as a square 

while the circle was reserved for the conference space. Since this is 

not a pure spiritual building, the circle is designed as an open one. It 

is placed axially in direction to Swayambhu from where its spiritual 

connection may be established. The third complex of the building 

was given a triangular form as a mediator between square and circle. 

Its function was to provide the living quarters for the invitees. 

As a first achievement in attracting local leaders 

to express themselves with their problems in 

front of the national panchayat, Pruscha and his 

team had proposed to invite them to the valley 

and provide basic instruction courses, seminars 

and workshops. Therefore, he had requested the 

Ford Foundation for aid to construct a suitable 

building to conduct such activities. Later, when 

the Chairman of the National Planning Commission 

asked Pruscha to prepare designs for this building, 

he selected a site on the foothills of Kirtipur at 

the edge of the rice-fields. Today, we know this 

building as CEDA building located inside Tribhuvan 

University. 


37 

www.spacesnepal.com

ARCHITECTURE 

The Tara Gaon Hostel 

During 1971, the chairwoman of 

Nepal Women’s Organization was 

planning to build a small village with 

little bungalows for foreign visitors, 

preferably young researchers or 

artists who were staying several 

weeks or months in the valley for 

professional reasons. Carl Pruscha 

convinced her to choose a special 

house type for temporary usage 

which became the standard unit 

for the Taragaon Hostel in Boudha, 

Kathamndu. 

As a result, a central small plaza was 

created with the cluster of 16 small 

units grouped around a communal 

building, for which the brick vault 

commonly used for pilgrims’ lodging was selected instead of the 

pitched roofs commonly found in the valley. The building was 

constructed outside of the large stupa of Boudha, one of the most 

important centres of the northern Lamaism. 

Be it Taragaon hostel or CEDA, in most of the buildings he designed 

during his stay in Nepal, Pruscha was continuously experimenting 

to evolve a new form of architecture using bricks. Gradually, he was 

successful to prove that it was truly possible to build traditional and 

modern both at the same time. 

All these projects, for which he did not charge any fees as an 

architect, were actually not part of his obligations to the United 

Nations. But for him, they were important examples to demonstrate 

practically what he was to talk and propose as the adviser in 

physical planning. 

Later, he was also asked by the Government to 

prepare a plan for the development of Lumbini. 

But after visiting Lumbini, he realized that it 

was still an untouched site almost unchanged 

since the days of Buddha. It was a place of 

such sacredness that he felt overburdened to 

touch it. Thus, he requested UNESCO to ask the 

architect Kenzo Tange, whom he knew from his 

studies at Harvard to serve as their consultant. 

Tange visited the site and invited him to join his 

planning team in Tokyo, where both of them 

collaborated for several months. Unfortunately 

none of the proposals became implemented. 

Thanks to Pruscha, apart from his own 

contributions to Nepal he also proposed many 

personalities of outstanding reputation like 

Sekler, Tange, Kahn, Zielinsky, who otherwise 

would not have been put in the position to 

contribute in Nepal. 

Beyond Himalayan Vernacular 

After spending about ten years in Nepal, Carl went 

back to Vienna where he served his following 

ten years teaching architecture at the Academy 

of fine arts. Another twelve years he served 

as the Rector of the University of Arts. Upon 

retirement, he was invited by the Getty Institute 

in Los Angeles as a head of Studio for Habitat, 

Environment and Conservation research scholar 

to spend six months there. The outcome of this 

research was the publication titled as ‘Himalayan 

Vernacular’. He is also an honorary member of the 

Senate of the Academy of fine arts, an honorary 

professor of the Technical University, Vienna and 

the chairman of the Austrian committee of the 

arts. 

“More than any of the other arts, Architecture 

is place-specific. This is why Nepal has been so 

crucial in the development of Carl Pruscha...Like 

birds that migrate every winter from Siberia to 

North India, and then back again, some instinct 

brought him out to Kathmandu. There he came 

to life. Perhaps it was because he was young and 

full of creative energy, but somehow his work 

in Nepal is truly extraordinary, producing in his 

architecture a sequence of brooding monumental 

images, as mythic and enigmatic as the 

Himalayan ranges that lie all around.” mentions 

Charles Correa in the book ‘Himalayan Vernacular’. 

Pruscha’s contributions in Nepal were more like 

the telescope of Greuber. They gave Nepal, a new 

vision to see beyond its existing boundaries. 

It was a fresh new beginning for the country 

to understand and appreciate what a planned 

regional development can do for a nation. 

Tara Gaon Hostel Master Plan 



ARCHITECTURE 


39 

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ARCHITECTURE 

Tadao Ando's Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital at Butwal 

A Dialogue between 

Form and Function 

Text: Ar. Swati Pujari 

One of the most commonly known phrases 

in architectural vocabulary is 'Form and 

Function.' Coined by Architect Louis 

Sullivan, this dictum was associated with modern 

architecture, especially in case of industrial 

design. Through time, the expression itself has 

become debatable, with newer architectural 

expressions such as ‘De-Constructivism’, creating 

blends between form and function which, to say 

the very least, are completely non-industrial. Such 

notions certainly challenge the prevailing dictum 

and although these non-industrial expressions are 

gaining momentum, it is note-worthy how many 

prominent modernists still remain true to formal 

geometry, a key element in function oriented 

industrial designs. One such architect is Tadao 

Ando, a Japanese Architect and the winner of the 

1995 Pritzker Architecture Prize. 

Ando’s first building in Nepal was initiated shortly 

after he won the Pritzker Prize. The Siddhartha 

Children and Women Hospital at Butwal was 

designed and constructed with support from 

a popular Japanese newspaper ‘Mainichi’. It is 

said that the newspaper initiated this support 

after being impressed by the efforts of Nepalese 

doctors in the rescue operation of 1995 Kobe 

Earthquake, a cause to which Ando had donated 

his prize money from Pritzker. 

Project Initiation 

The hospital can be considered to be the brain 

child of Dr. Rameshwor Pokharel, Pediatric Surgeon 

and the former President of Association of Medical 

Doctors of Asia (AMDA) – Nepal. During his tenure 

as president, collaboration between AMDA–Nepal 

and AMDA–International (based at Okayama, 

Japan) developed to form the Siddhartha Children 

and Women Hospital, Butwal. When asked about 

the initiation of the project, Dr. Pokharel states that 

in 1995 (when the project was conceptualized), 

there were more 45,000 deaths per year in 

children below five years of age, besides 130 

neonatal deaths (within 28 days of birth) per 

1000 births. As a paediatric surgeon these were 

not the kind of statistics he was comfortable with. 

With a notion to help change these statistics, 

Dr. Pokharel prepared a proposal for a children’s 

hospital in Nepal, and the collaboration with 

AMDA-International provided an opportunity for its 

materialization. 

This opportunity also presented itself with another 

prospect. The collaboration was initiated at a 

program organized by Mainichi newspaper in 

honour of AMDA; the newspaper eventually funded 

the project on behalf of its readers. 

When the initial ideas were settled, Tadao Ando 

was approached for the design. He was interested 

in the proposal as this would be his first hospital 

building and also his first building in Nepal; he 

worked pro bono for the project. The hospital 

project initiated in 1995 was inaugurated on 2nd 

November 1998. 



ARCHITECTURE 

Form and Function 

The hospital complex is a 10 bigha forest land 

(67725 sq m) and the main building is located 

to the right – off the main entry axis. The project 

is constructed in three phases; the first phase – 

Out Patient Department (OPD), was exclusively 

designed by Tadao Ando. The initial sketch 

prepared by Ando defined the volume of the two 

storied OPD and the second phase of the project, 

a single storied Paediatric Ward. Details of the 

buildings including the interior arrangements were 

developed by the local consultant, Architect Kishor 

Thapa, along with the associate architects at 

Tadao Ando Architects and Associates. The second 

phase was designed by Kishor Thapa and was 

approved by Ando before the commencement of 

construction; currently the third instalment – the 

Maternity Ward, designed by Kishor Thapa and 

Mira Gyawali, is currently waiting for concurrence 

from Tadao Ando. 

Functionally the building remains dependent on 

artificial light and forced ventilation, both of which 

are not proper, and with the lack of natural light 

and ventilation the environment only degrades. 

A surprising revelation in the process of designing 

this building comes as the fact that Tadao Ando 

never visited the site before or during the design 

process, which in fact explains a lot. The built form, 

balanced and pure as it may be, is completely 

isolated from the rest of the environment, and yet 

most of Tadao Ando’s works have an interesting 

interplay with the outside, especially considering 

the daylight. 

The built volume is an hierarchical interplay 

between multiple cuboids, both solid and voids 

bound by surfaces. A prominent cubical volume, 

consisting of the ramps, intersects the main body 

at a sharp angle, creating an emphasis on the 

master-plan. The vertical dominance, on the other 

hand, is created at the back facade of the building 

with a towering cuboid, flanked by two pseudo 

cuboids of the main block on either side. 

Unlike most of Ando’s previous works, the 

Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital is not 

constructed in exposed concrete but rather 

exposed brick, which is more typical in the local 

environment. The prominent faces of the building 

are blank and un-interrupted, appealing to the 

viewer with its purity in form, by its clear lines and 

sharp edges. Windows are clearly a rarity in these 

facades. 

Yet as one moves into the interiors of the 

hospital, the clarity and balance of the outside is 

comfortably ignored. It is perhaps expected for a 

hospital to have a certain sense of chaos, but the 

chaos should clearly be a matter of occupation 

rather than that of arrangement. Much of the 

spaces are re-arranged according to the growing 

requirements and these spaces now portray the 

sense of a make-shift arrangement during some 

calamity. This sense is further highlighted by the 

dim lighting and the lack of ventilation, owing to 

the scarcity of windows and ventilations in the 

built form. 

The built volume is an hierarchical interplay between 

multiple cuboids, both solid and voids bound by surfaces. 

Ideologically a modern building would be equipped 

with all fundamental modern amenities, which 

give these modern buildings the luxury to create 

isolation. Unfortunately for the Siddhartha Children 

and Women Hospital, modernism comes only 

in the form and not so much in the function. 


41 

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ARCHITECTURE 

Ar. Kishore Thapa with Ar. Tadao Ando 

The shape of the hospital building is based on an 

extremely simple, rectangular form. In respect of 

construction method or materials, our possibilities were 

limited due to difficulties of cost issues and availability 

of local technology. For this reason, the Siddhartha 

Children and Women Hospital (SCWH) became a 

facility that has a slightly different expression from the 

buildings I have completed so far. The exterior walls 

are made of locally manufactured red brick; the interior 

is covered with mortar and finished with white paint 

that gives bright and clean impression to the space. A 

colonnade is designed on the west façade. Windows 

behind this colonnade provide shelter from the strong 

sunshine and create a comfortable inner environment 

for the patients and visitors. All spaces that are for 

children (lobby, medical examination rooms, inpatients 

and outpatients hospital wing) are consecutive and 

organized along the colonnade. Realizing openness 

and brightness that is appropriate for the local climate, 

was one of the main themes of the design. The entire 

building process - placing the concrete, piling the brick, 

plastering and painting the walls - was carried out by 

the unified power of local residents. 

- Tadao Ando Architects and Associates 

Tadao Ando, a self educated architect and one of the 

most renowned Japanese architects of all times, 

established his firm, Tadao Ando and Associates in 

1969. A few of his representative works are the Rokko 

Housing I (1983), II (1993), III (1999) Kobe, Hyogo; 

Church of the Light (1989), Ibaraki, Osaka, Pulitzer 

Foundation for the Arts (2001), St. Louis, U.S.A., Modern 

Art Museum of Fort Worth (2002), U.S.A. 

Key Players in the Design/ Construction of Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital, Butwal: 

Architect: Tadao Ando Architects and Associates, www.tadao-ando.com 

Local Consultant, including detailing and interiors: 

Architect Kishor Thapa, k_thapa413655@yahoo.com 

Architectural Assistance: Architect Mira Gyawali Structural Consult: Engineer Saroj Karki 

Electrical Consult: Engineer Arjun Dhungana Sanitary Consult: Engineer Shyan Amatya 

Construction: CE Constructions 

Credits: 

Interview with Architect Kishor Thapa, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation 

Interview with Dr. Binod Parajuli, Director, Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital 

Telephonic Interview with Dr. Rameshwor Pokharel, Paediatric Surgeon, Teaching Hospital, 

Co-ordinator, AMDA Mechi Hospital, and former President, AMDA- NEPAL 

Drawings and Mr. Tadao Ando’s Statement provided by – Ar. Mira Gyawali, 

Department of Urban Development and Building Construction 

However in the extreme climatic 

conditions of Butwal, the 

presence of daylight as well 

as natural ventilation have not 

been given due importance. 

These climatic problems are 

further stressed by Architect 

Kishor Thapa, as he explains the 

complexity in pouring concrete 

during peak summer months, 

when the reinforcement would 

heat up to such an extent that 

they had to stop the pouring of 

concrete. 

It is noteworthy here that 

though the local context was 

prioritized in the perspective of 

using exposed brick instead of 

concrete, the local counterparts 

in the project failed to emphasize 

and give due importance to the 

local climatic conditions. 

The problem also lies in the 

fact that much of the original 

purpose of different spaces 

have been distorted to fix the 

growing needs. Yet the hospital 

infrastructure has not been 

able to grow at the same pace 

as their requirements. Many 

arrangements have been made 

that not only disturb the building 

but also the built environment. 

Essential lobby and waiting 

spaces, which could serve as a 

breathing space in such a heavily 

chaotic environment, are now 

reused for patient observation 

and partitions have been added 

to create more divisions in 

space, perhaps for multiple use. 

When asked about these 

changes, Dr. Binod Parajuli, 

Director, Siddhartha Children 

and Women Hospital, explains 

that these changes are made 

due to the needs, yet he does 

not believe that any of these 

changes are in fact drastic. 

The hospital management has 

been advised not to make any 

changes in the outside of the 

building but they are permitted 

to change the interior as per 

their need. He also comments 

that as a user, he does not feel 

the building is user friendly. 

This issue is also stressed by 

Dr. Pokharel, when he explains 

how his comments on the 

feasibility of the design were not 

very well received initially. Yet 

he clarified himself saying that 

a hospital needs to be doctor 

based and nurse based, where 

the doctors and nurses should 

be able to reach every part of the 

hospital within three minutes as 

human life can be saved within 

three minutes, and not more. 

It was then that they received 

permission to change the 

interiors, if required. 

Design and Reality 

The Siddhartha Children and 

Women Hospital is an example of 

segregation between form and 

function, and between design 

and reality. Much of what was 

designed in the initial stages, 

especially in terms of internal 

planning, was eventually not 

used on location. In addition, the 

built form clashes with the use, 

the lack of required amenities 

only contribute to this chaos. 

But one thing is certain, at the 

Siddhartha Children and Women 

Hospital, one cannot be clear 

whether the form follows the 

function or if it is the other way 

around, and perhaps the dictum 

shall always be put to debate. 

Unfortunately for the hospital 

though, the form and the function 

do not contribute to the most 

fundamental of all architectural 

dictums – that of complimenting 

each other. 




43 

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ARCHITECTURE 

WORLD EXPO 2010 

SHANGHAI CHINA, SAID 

TO BE THE BIGGEST 

GLOBAL EXPO THAT 

HAS EVER BEEN 

STAGED, RUNS FROM 

MAY 1 St TILL OCT. 31 St , 

COSTING AN ESTIMATED 

$45 BILLION WITH A 

PARTICIPATION OF 

OVER 242 COUNTRIES. 

Shanghai 

World Expo 2010 

.....the world is a stage 

Text: Ar. Sarosh Pradhan 

Images: SP & MP 

The detailed scale model of 

Shanghai city at Shanghai's 

Urban Planning Museum. 


45 

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ARCHITECTURE 

China had been on my mind for a long 

time. There is constant chatter of 

India and China as being the world’s 

economic equations. However after visiting 

Beijing, Shanghai and few other smaller 

places – one needs to see it to believe the 

change of this communist country. If China 

started on the communistic ideology and 

footsteps of Mao, today it is in competition 

with the capitalist. Shanghai would give New 

York city a run in terms of the infrastructure 

and the vibrancy of the city. The spirit of 

competition and China’s arrival as the world’s 

economic engine could not be a better time 

to couple it with the staging of the World Expo 

2010 in Shanghai. 

Better City, Better Life 

The expo’s theme ‘Better City, Better Life’ 

resonates louder as one scans through 

Shanghai’s Urban Planning Museum - a must 

see museum in the city, even before entering 

the Expo. If America’s thinking was ‘Xtra-large 

size’ of the West, China seems to mix a similar 

thinking with the cultural undertone of the 

east. The Huangpo river-side development, 

zoning and traffic management and the 

world class airport are the tip of the iceberg 

that unearths a city trying to come to terms 

with the high energy it possesses. It also 

spells out the infrastructural background 

that is necessary to attract an international 

event. The sight of a detailed scaled model 

of Shanghai city gives you an insight into the 

city – sparking the thought of the Chinese 

mind delving into the mechanics and 

evolutionary vision of the city. 

Expo 2010 is staged in an area between 

Nanpu Bridge and Lupu Bridge along both 

sides of the Huangpu River in downtown 

Shanghai covering an area of 5.28 sq.km. If 

one googles and checks the transformation 

from 1994 to 2010, the spot satellites 

interestingly reveals Shanghai’s urban 

transformation into a futuristic city as the 

financial hub of the country. Factories, 

docks and shipyards have given way 

to innovative and experimental-iconic 

architectural creations that seems to 

stress the arrival of China. A rapid growth of 

a city that today generates 20% of China’s 

industrial production and has become the 

world’s number one port, also contrasts in 

the disappearance of farming belts within a 

period of 15years. 

Zoning 

The Expo 2010 is divided into five zones with 

three in Pudong side and two in Puxi Area. Zone A 

and B comprises of the Pavilions of Asian nations 

along with the Urbanism pavilion, Pavilion of city 

being and Pavilions of international organizations. 

Zone C has the Pavilions of European American 

and African nations whereas Zone D comprises of 

Pavilions of Footprint and Pavilions of Enterprises. 

Zone E has Pavilions of Future and Pavilions of 

Enterprises. 

When one enters the Expo area, the complexity 

of the exhibition area slowly unravels as different 

country pavilions sparks their voice in different 

rhythms. If there was conservation, beauty and 

cultural highlights in some of the Asian pavilions 

– there seems to be more experimentation or 

breaking away from the craft of the past, to free 

flow - free form structures of the developed 

nations. The initial Disneyland wonder slowly 

fades as you begin to savour the Country Pavilions. 

Nepal 

Pavilion 

© Google 

© Google 



ARCHITECTURE 

CANADA 

HOLLAND 

DENMARK 

JAPAN 

AUSTRALIA 

KOREA 

ISRAEL 

SAUDI ARABIA 

FINLAND 

ROMANIA 

RUSSIA 

ENGLAND 

PORTUGAL 

INDIA 

AXIS STRUCTURE 

SWITZERLAND 

USA 

CHILE 

SWEDEN 

LUXEMBURG 

PAKISTAN 

FRANCE 

CHINA 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

POLAND 

Dots, lines, curves 

TAIWAN 

What truly amazes at the Expo - is the ‘variety’ in the built form that 

mankind today has learnt to express themselves. They say variety is the 

spice of life – and the expo seems to do that rather boldly, spearheaded 

by a nation with surging ambition, where a mighty building boom has 

rattled the earth for a quarter-century. China has truly come a long way 

from its Maoist days of red and gray and isolation from the world or the 

Cultural Revolution. There is hardly a product in our homes today not 

manufactured in China; hardly a category of building or infrastructure 

that has not been superseded, in scale, length or cost somewhere in the 

People’s Republic. Two years ago - Beijing staged the most extravagant 

Olympic Games in history, with an opening ceremony that awed a world 

still used to thinking of China as an undeveloped nation. In part, the World 

Expo 2010 clearly seems to be Shanghai’s voice to outshine Beijing. 

© Google 

It seems that the Expo has connected the dots of the Nations of the World 

and brought it into some sort of line or free form that truly amazes and 

educates the visitor. 


47 

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ARCHITECTURE 

Nepal, Spain, Germany... 

Most pavilions represent their country’s cultural 

history and progressive urban ideas in an effort 

to convey a clear sense of national values and 

identity. The Nepalese Pavilion is no less, if 

not striking and popular with the expo visitors. 

Ranked in the top 10 ten pavilions, the Stupa 

and the feeling of Nepal is evident in one 's 

experience. Themed as Tales of the Kathmandu 

City and Seeking the Soul of a City Exploration 

and Speculation, the pavilion’s highlights are the 

Araniko Centre and the works of 2 years of the 

350 Nepalese families and craftsmen. Artists, 

musicians, dancers and performances from 

Nepal are also regular features of the exposition. 

The highlight perhaps was the recent Nepal Day 

celebration on the 3 rd of September with "eternal 

flame of peace" reaching Shanghai from Nepal. 

We do wish for political stability and peace be with 

Nepal – although it appears to be only a distant 

shine for the moment. 

Few of the other interesting pavilions not to be 

missed are that of Germany, Spain, Japan and 

Switzerland. I am sure there are many others not 

to be missed – but one requires the time and the 

patience to go through an hour or two long lines 

in some of the popular ones. To get a glimpse of 

the pavilions is like seeing the respective country 

through a small window. 

Nepal 

Spain 

Germany 

The German pavilion is interesting in the way it sits 

in an origami-like pavilion that says more about its 

time than its place. 



ARCHITECTURE 

The pavilion stretches the mind on what the 

international style of 2010 might be. Conceptualized 

as ‘Balancity’ it appears to describe the form of the 

building with four visually out-of-balance volumes 

that combine to create a single, unified composition. 

Balance could just as easily refer to as the compromised 

solutions that this pavilion and many others offer 

in representing their official cultures. An impossibly 

balanced 6,000-square-meter building may draw 

architecture buffs, but most visitors to the German 

pavilion perhaps want to see castles and a taste of 

Germany. Walking through the twisting inner portion 

of the building, visitors stroll past views of picturesque 

city views and do take pictures of castles with a live 

princess. After completing this nostalgic circuit, one 

makes their way inside, through an exhibition collection 

with the latest German innovations, from urban design 

to shoe design. One hopes they take away some new 

ideas of German design prowess. But more likely they 

will take away a beer insignia from the gift shop. 

With the Spainish Pavilion, architect Benedetta 

Tagliabue of EMBT (an architect who has been to and 

loves Nepal) has created pure drama in the architectural 

form. From a first glimpse of the building’s snakelike, 

basket-covered form to the climactic view of a 

6.5-meter-tall animated sculpture of a baby, are few of 

the theatrical events for visitors. The façade made out 

of over 8,000 wicker panels is woven by craftsmen in 

Shandong Province and explores the experimentation 

with organic materials to dress the surface. It is said 

that the workers stripped and treated willow stems 

to produce a range of panel colors, and arranged the 

colours to form Chinese characters, which bring a 

tiger-skin pattern to an already fierce façade. A circular 

plaza marks the entrance to the building and splits it 

into a wing of exhibition space and a wing with offices 

and a tapas restaurant. From the plaza, visitors funnel 

in, making the entrance not only dramatic but also a 

bit scary with so many people crowded together. They 

arrive at a long cave-like tunnel, whose rounded, rough 

walls are used as giant projection screens. Here, bones 

hang from the ceiling and a flamenco dancer jumps to 

life from a supposed slumber on the floor stage. Then 

visitors move into a high-ceilinged room sliced by five 

long, thin video screens and enclosed by dark walls 

finished with what appears to be a cross between lace 

and lava. Finally the route opens into a bright, open 

space dominated by the giant baby perhaps signifying 

the curiosity and simplicity of a child to the world around 

and more wicker panels. 

Free form – Free thinking 

World Expos have long served as an experimental 

platform for architectural and urban innovation. 

At the exhaustive Shanghai World Expo 2010, 

organized around the relevant theme of Better 

City, Better Life - urban futurism stands at centrestage. 

The Expo is recorded as the world's largest 

and costliest fair ever held, and only time will 

reveal its ultimate impact on how we make and 

manage cities. 

After three decades of spectacular growth, China 

passed Japan in the second quarter this year 

to become the world’s second-largest economy 

behind the United States paving its way into the 

free market. The recognition comes for China this 

year with the staging of the World Expo, when 

Tokyo said that Japan’s economy was valued at 

about $1.28 trillion in the second quarter, slightly 

below China’s $1.33 trillion. 

The competition in the free world market also 

seems to have opened the minds of the Chinese 

into some free form and international events such 

as the staging of the World Expo 2010. Just when 

we Nepalese are grappling with political blindness 

and power cuts, it surely comes as a contrast to 

have neighbours – from whom we could well learn 

from, and worth a visit to attend this once in a 

lifetime event. 

Perhaps the ending message could be that - if one 

clings on to the past – you don’t live the present, 

and if one only dreams of the future – you may 

miss the present. China seems to be doing it all 

this century. 

GERMAN CREDITS 

Overall responsibility: German Federal Ministry of Economics and 

Technology 

Organisation and Operation: Koelnmesse International GmbH 

Architecture: Schmidhuber + Kaindl GmbH, Munich 

Exhibition: Milla und Partner GmbH, Stuttgart 

Execution: Nüssli (Deutschland) GmbH, Roth 

Photo Copyright : © Architecture Schmidhuber + Kaindl / Exhibition 

Milla + Partner / Photo: Andreas Keller 


49 

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INTERNATIONAL 

Contemporary Norwegian 

Architecture 2000-2005 

Text: Nasjonalmuseet for Kunst, Arkitektur og Design (The National Museum of Art, 

Architecture and Design) 

TRANSFORMATION 

In a society of continuous and rapid change, buildings have a limited life span. The 

decline of industry and the reorganisation of industrial production have left behind a 

mass of built fabric that can give room for new functions. Such recirculation poses a 

number of challenges, but it also presents the possibility to give the building a unique 

identity through the interplay of old and new. 

‘Contemporary Norwegian 

Architecture – 2000-2005’, 

a touring exhibition which 

was brought to Nepal on the 

19th May 2010 showcased 

fifty contemporary examples 

of Norwegian architecture. 

The building themes were 

represented according to 

five different elements of 

architectural theory and 

practice viz: Transformation, 

Form and Function, Symbol 

and Identity, Materials 

and Construction, and, 

Contrast and Proximity. The 

exhibition was put together 

by Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, 

arkitektur og design (The 

National Museum of Art, 

Architecture and Design), 

Oslo, and was on a world tour 

from 2005. 

Opinions will always differ as to what characterises a successful and meaningful 

transformation of an older building. How has the architect dealt with the gap between 

user demands and commercial interests on the one hand, and conservation issues on 

the other? Should the original identity of the built fabric be allowed to dominate, whilst 

the new elements are subordinate? Or do the equal balance of the history and the 

present give the building its unique qualities? 

The projects in this category are examples of the meeting between old and new. 

The starting point and the conditions for each project may vary, but they share the 

transformation they have undergone to allow for new functions and extend their life 

span. The results show different approaches to the concept of transformation. 

“ARCHITECTURE WOULD NOT SURVIVE FOR 

GENERATIONS IF IT DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY 

TO ADAPT TO CHANGING FUNCTIONS AND OTHER 

MEANINGFUL TRANSFORMATIONS.” 

– FRIEDERICH ACHLEITNER, ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN 

In the following pages are 

presented ten selected 

projects from the exhibition, 

two of each category, in 

an attempt to focus on 

the contemporary trend of 

architecture – architecture 

without borders. 



Terrasse 

Møterom 

Kontor 

kaldt loft 

Ventilasjonsrom 

Hall 

Bad 

Lager 

Tekjøkken 

Arbeidsplasser 

Arkiv 

kaldt loft 

Kontor 

Bibliotek 

Baktrapp 

INTERNATIONAL 

Credits/ Photos: Jiri Havran 

Loft refurbishment, Oslo 

Askim / Lantto Arkitekter MNAL AS 

This loft refurbishment in an old townhouse 

exposes the original loft, visually integrating the 

existing timber structure and brickwork into the 

new spaces. The loft areas have been opened up 

with extensive use of glass, and the new rooms 

form a free-standing installation in the centre 

of the old loft, physically separated from the 

surrounding cold spaces. The glass partitions 

ensure adequate daylight despite the small roof 

openings. 

Kopi 


51 

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INTERNATIONAL 

Credits/ Photos: Nils Petter Dale 

Oslo School of Architecture, Oslo 

Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Arkitekter MNAL 

The new Oslo school of architecture is based in an existing building from 1938, located 

by the Akerselva River in the eastern part of central Oslo. The exterior of the existing 

building has conservation status. The architects have kept the block open towards the 

river, and combined the new programme with the logic of the existing building in a set 

of transformative steps, weaving the building together with the surroundings in one 

spatial sequence: 

• An access court has been cut out of the existing 1st floor slab, marking the 

entrance and bringing daylight in to the ground floor foyer. 

• A strip has been cut out of the existing slab along the inside of the existing 

building, bringing daylight to surrounding functions. 

• A simple, U-shaped circulation zone is established along the strip. 

• A new string of teaching rooms completes the U and forms a bridge across the 

entrance area. 



INTERNATIONAL 

FORM AND FUNCTION 

Is it the form that enables you to recognise the 

thing, the product, the building? 

Architecture moves in time with social, economic 

and cultural conditions. New patterns of working 

and living mean that traditional functions can 

be reconceived, resulting in new interpretations 

of space. The modernist credo “form follows 

function” has lost some of its legitimacy. The 

single-cell offices and the hierarchical structure 

that we find in many modernist office blocks 

can hardly be regarded as successful solutions 

to the challenges of today. Our time requires a 

greater openness, where architectonic space 

is formed by the activities and movements 

of the inhabitants to a much greater extent. 

The modernist insistence that function is the 

deciding factor in determining the form of a 

building today triggers a host of questions 

concerning the validity of established typologies. 

Should a school building, that houses new 

pedagogical activities and needs a great deal of 

flexibility, still have the attributes we associate 

with a traditional schoolhouse? Are we ready 

for a freer, more sculptural language of form, 

requiring a different approach? 

”IT IS THROUGH FORM THAT ARCHITECTURE 

EXPRESSES ITSELF, THIS IS HOW IT IS SEEN 

AND UNDERSTOOD.” 

– NIKOLAUS PEVSNER 

Dwellings for the 

Homeless, Moss 

Code: Arkitektur AS 

This group of dwellings is based 

on an architectural competition 

from 2001 for a total of 24 

units, spread over different 

six sites. One of the aims 

was to encourage the users’ 

sense of ownership. All units 

have individual entrances and 

sheltered outdoor spaces, and 

the relationship between inside 

and outside has been designed 

to give the best possible 

overview and visual control of 

the transition zones between 

public and private. 

The basic dwelling element is an 

insulated two-storey box with 

one unit on each level, and an 

external secondary structure 

of stairs, screens, terraces and 

sheds. Careful simplification 

of plan and construction has 

allowed the area for each unit 

to be increased from 30 to 43 

square metres. 

Credits/ Photos: Alexander Tufte, 

Hans Petter Smedby, the architect. 


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INTERNATIONAL 

Credits/ Photos: Espen Grønli 

Grelland Motorway 

Service Station - By 

the Way Motorway 

Restaurant, Holmestrand 

Lund & Slaatto Arkitekter AS 

The building, based on the 

winning entry in a competition 

in 1997, is a cafeteria spanning 

the motorway, a part of a 

service stop with petrol stations 

on either side. The design 

is a conscious break with 

the conventional Norwegian 

roadside restaurants. 

Placing the restaurant across 

the road gives easy access from 

both sides. A concrete structure 

spans the road on one middleand 

two end supports. On this 

bridge, six columns support two 

long girders, with a series of 

transverse beams giving the roof 

its curved shape. The functional 

volumes are placed on this 

bridge as separated volumes, 

emphasising the sculptural 

qualities of the floor plate and the 

roof. The facades are full height 

glass, with an automatic exterior 

sunscreen shielding the building 

and preventing glare for passing 

motorists. 

SYMBOL AND IDENTITY 

Architecture presents and 

represents. 

A project can have a symbolic 

value already before it is 

realised. A building can signal 

a political message, create a 

regional identity and give a 

sense of belonging. 

The design of buildings of this 

character presents several 

challenges and forces certain 

conscious considerations. An 

obvious formal language and 

superficial symbolism can run 

counter to the development of a 

unified, meaningful content. 

The American architect Philip 

Johnson held Frank Gehry’s 

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao 

to be the most significant 

building of the 20th century. 

When asked how he rated the 

building as a place to exhibit art, 

he said: “When a building is as 

good as this, fuck the art”. 

Is it right to let symbolism take 

precedence over functionality? 

How obvious does the 

symbolism need to be, and who 

can actually read it? Should 

architecture also be capable 

of reinforcing the identities of 

people with a different historical 

or cultural background? 

The buildings in this 

category represent different 

interpretations and solutions in 

response to these challenges. 



INTERNATIONAL 

Credits/ Photos: The architect, 

Jiri Havran 

Mortensrud Church, Oslo 

Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor AS 

The church complex is located on a small wooded 

hill and consists of two buildings, the parish 

centre and the church itself, set on a common 

sloping concrete floor. Some of the pine trees 

have been retained within the complex, and the 

bedrock protrudes up through the church floor. 

The tension between these disturbing elements 

and the desire for a ‘quiet’, self-referential internal 

space is a conscious choice. The main structure is 

a composite of steel profiles and drywall slate. The 

weight of the stone gives bracing support to the 

external glass walls. 


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INTERNATIONAL 

Credits/ Photos: Nils Petter Dale and 

Gerhard Zugmann 

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria 

Snøhetta AS 

The task was to build one of the biggest libraries in the world, and 

to revitalise the idea of the ancient library of Alexandria. The project 

emphasises a simple geometry inspired by the philosophers of 

antiquity. The main building, the library, has a circular plan. The 

external wall is clad in carved stone. The roof plane cuts a circular 

section through the elliptical volume, the cut inclined in relation to 

the horizon. The library complex also includes cultural facilities, a 

small school and a planetarium located on the main plaza. 



INTERNATIONAL 

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION 

The materiality or construction of a building can 

be emphasised or played down, and materiality or 

construction can support and add new layers to the 

architectonic concept. Creative use of materials and 

structure is usually not an aim in itself, but rather it 

is a tool in the realisation of a building that works on 

all levels, which gives the building an identity. 

The material of a façade or a structure can have a 

strong presence; it can reinforce the architectonic 

expression and make the building easily 

recognisable. The light reflecting off a dark surface 

of brick creates a shifting, fleeting expression, a 

textile can give maritime associations, and the 

slender pedestrian bridge becomes a landmark. 

A changing society requires new forms of living and a new 

flexibility for new patterns and situations of life that change 

according to the life cycle of the population. A school building 

needs new structures with the necessary openness for future 

pedagogical activities, and environmental concerns and new 

spatial constellations provide new conditions for housing. 

Through innovative use of materials and construction methods, 

new and unconventional spatial arrangements appear flexible 

structures and elements that do not limit, but provide room for 

personal freedom. 

Glaxo Smith Kline 

Innovation Centre, Oslo 

Arcasa Arkitekter AS 

Credits/ Photos: Terje Agnalt 

This research office complex has 

an urban side and a park-related 

side. It is divided into several 

parts, with the conference 

centre and other communal 

functions set in a sculptural 

volume elevated on columns. 

The materials are light. The 

conference rooms are clad inside 

and out with light grey metallic 

panels, ash is used for floors and 

built-in furniture and limestone 

in stairs and entrance areas. 

Vertical timber strips round off 

the internal corners. 


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INTERNATIONAL 

Warehouse at 

Kneppeskjær, Oslo 

Niels Torp Arkitekter AS 

This temporary warehouse forms 

a connection between road-borne 

and water-borne goods traffic. 

It is a fabric-covered modulated 

steel structure on a concrete base, 

each module measuring 16 x 48 

metres, with a 1.8 metre roof light 

strip between each module. The 

building is 100% recyclable. The 

cold storage part is un-insulated, 

and the translucent fabric lets in 

a minimum of 10% of the available 

daylight. To each gable is added an 

11 x 40 metre awning to provide a 

partially protected storage area. 

Credits/ Photos: Jiri Havran, 

Hallmaker AS 

CONTRAST AND 

PROXIMITY 

Adapting to one’s surroundings is 

to communicate with the existing 

man-made or natural environment. 

This communication does not 

strive to copy or repeat, but rather, 

it tries to create a dialogue and a 

relation between the original and 

the new. 

How active can a new element 

entering an existing context be 

allowed to be? 

Through its design, a building 

can reinforce the experience of 

the character and singularity 

of an existing environment by 

simultaneously making use 

of both contrast and careful 

adaptation. Not by declaring itself 

as the dominant opposite, but 

rather by appearing as a natural 

contemporary expression, taking 

its self-conscious and effortless 

place within an existing context. 

In this kind of charged interaction 

between old and new, a richer 

and more complex message is 

communicated. 

This category shows projects 

that bridge between history and 

present, the interplay between 

nature and new construction; 

contrast and proximity, emphasis 

and adaptation in both urban 

situations and in the cultural 

landscape. 



INTERNATIONAL 

Nordvegen Historical 

Centre, Karmøy 

Telje-Torp-Aasen 

arkitektkontor AS 

Credits/ Photos: Kay Erik Rosted and Hans Einar Johannessen 

The site is part of a larger cultural 

heritage site at Avaldsnes on 

Karmøy on the West coast of 

Norway, with the 13th century 

Olav church as the main focus, 

in addition to several burial 

mounds. The centre houses 

an experience exhibition that 

communicates the particular 

place this location holds in 

the history of Norway, and 

it documents the ongoing 

archaeological excavations in 

the area, both on land and in the 

sea. To retain the significance 

of the old church on the site, the 

new centre has been set into the 

ground. Access is via a common 

approach and a path leading 

down to the grass-laid roof deck. 


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INTERNATIONAL 

Credits/ Photos: Espen Grønli 

Summer House at Hvasser, 

Tjøme 

Lund Hagem Arkitekter AS 

This summer house is organised as a 

wind screen around an external atrium. 

The spaces open out on this sheltered 

court, which faces the view and the 

ocean. The structural elements are 

in laminated timber, the cladding is 

untreated pine that over time will turn a 

silvery grey. 



INTERNATIONAL 


61 

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INTERIOR 

FROM A HILLTOP 

Against the odds of surviving a nosebleed 

Text: Sanjog Rai 

The glassed “wall” reflects the variegated moods of the day. 

THOUGH THE 

LAND WAS 

SMALL, THERE 

WAS STILL 

SERENITY—A 

CERTAIN JE NE 

SAIS QUOI—IN 

BEING ABLE TO 

SEE AS FAR AS 

POSSIBLE... 


Deliberating one’s first house in Kathmandu 

is tricky, even with the luxury of a few page 

spreads. After all, how does one ramble on 

about the experience without going knee-deep 

into the intrinsic philosophy of the design and 

injecting some context of its environment and 

background; or, equally as important, without 

scribing about the industry people you stumble 

over? That’s a year’s worth of experience and 

residual thoughts to condense. And if you, like me, 

have had to slave through a fairly modest budget, 

it’s tempting to sum it up as feeling relieved and 

cheated at the end—one way or the other. 

My definition of being cheated is like dining at a 

restaurant with tasteless, commonplace food 

and rude waiters, whilst being overcharged for 

a bottle of carbonated drink. (Yes, thank you, 

your breathtakingly skillful execution of pouring 

a cheaply available drink into a glass certainly 

justifies paying several times its price.) Just as 

I overpaid my engineer, whose lack of thorough 

input and imagination made my job much more 

difficult; or the contractor, who had a poor grasp 


of intricate concepts, like a straight line, and 

whose general idea of curing (a process where you 

hydrate cement with water from 14 to 28 days) 

was possibly waiting for the monsoon. He also ran 

several different sites, none too well—I fired him 

eventually. I guess most days it’s like working with 

an eclectic crew of artists, inspired to peculiarly 

reinterpret your every instruction. 

I’m not an architect by profession (or expertise). 

I work at a company (Abstract Studios) I started 

with a friend, dealing with design and film in 

general. Though distantly related, many in the 

construction field would rightfully consider me 

a layman (I much prefer “autodidact”). But I also 

know I’m not singular here. Over the year, I’ve met 

many who designed their own house as a move 

fueled by frustration, rather than desperation. 

Be it of the scores of houses that are derivative, 

inflexible with budgets, or just onanistic on the 

overzealous architects’ part, unmatched by a 

similar level of aesthetic or structural clarity. Just 

as there are good architects in the whiskey glass, 

the other half is filled by ....never mind.

INTERIOR 

1 

3 

2 

4 

1. A simple frame structure requires little to set itself apart. 

2. Wood-printed tiles and a bougainvillea plant unassumingly greet visitors at the doorway. 

3. The underlying idea is to partially emulate the open flow of a studio apartment. 

4. Cornices are absent to accentuate clean lines and wide, empty spaces. 

My own construction started at the conclusion of several months 

of search for a location with an uncommonly open hilltop plot, 

where the road went no farther, visible effortlessly from several 

miles around it. I knew almost immediately what had to be built 

there. It made perfect sense—as an ardent admirer of Japanese 

architecture, especially of the Zen philosophy to get rid of the 

unnecessary (i.e. minimalistic)—that any house which would 

stand there had to be a composite of simple forms, understated 

to allow its elevated environment to flourish. And it had to be 

done with basic, readily available materials from the ground up; if 

only because, in any medium, form should transcend the limited 

materials and budget one works with. We palpably don’t need 

expensive Italian marbles in the bathroom or triple-glazed glass 

in the windows (albeit the latter would have been nice) to live 

comfortably. 

Though the land was small, there was still serenity—a certain je 

ne sais quoi—in being able to see as far as possible, even if that 

view was still confined within our dust-blanketed Kathmandu. It felt 

very much like one could breathe more deeply, something I’d found 

impossible (a condition more psychological than geographical, 

I suspect) in lands several times its size. But all that would have 

been diminished had it been just a cliff, instead of its gradual slope 

that helped preserve a delicate connection to the lower grounds, 

bequeathing a grand illusion of size to the location that would have 

been otherwise lost in crammed neighborhoods. It further reassured 

me in what I wanted when I realized its viewpoint would stay 

unspoiled, even to the distant future. 

My design revolved around using large, wide glasses (dark tinted) 

with minimal frames in between. As with a view this spectacular, I 

felt any intervention would have been inelegant and unnecessary. 

On the ground floor, however, the view was purposefully blocked 

by tall compound walls to maintain a sense of privacy for the living 

area, whilst working dialectically with the floor just above, where the 

large glasses resided. To further exploit the untamed vista, a rooftop 

garden was also built, with glass-clad railings, a pond full of lilies 

and a few planted corn crops (just for laughs). Little details weren’t 

forgotten, like the wooden terrace staircase (from the cheapest of 

old woods I could find for a bona fide feel), whereas the local canon 

seemed to be the terribly vanilla, circular staircase. It was a little 

piece of memory—my own, awkward homage to my grandfather’s 

decades-old (and long demolished) wooden home in Dharan, which 

had a similar, wide wooden staircase of local aesthetics greeting 

visitors. 


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INTERIOR 

The kitchen becomes apparent to visitors only halfway inside the living room. The 

separation isn’t physical, but superficial to maintain a sense of transition in space. 

In a way, the decisions that need to be made 

about the everyday minutiae is quite the 

tightrope act of balancing an elephant on a 

unicycle without a safety net—what with the 

multitudes of unseen (and some days, tedious) 

decisions that could easily flip the tone of one’s 

house. I found immense pleasure in some, like 

the bathroom doors. Simple flush doors, like 

all my other doors, with one little difference: a 

thin, vertical (ordinary) mirror glass on the side 

that functioned uneventfully to point out the 

bathroom. It was this spirit of subtlety that I 

frequently found deeply lacking in local designs, 

where the louder (or flashier) is perceived more 

effective. Or the PVC parquet floor in the kitchen 

in response to finding many local kitchens with 

clinical, glossy tiles in the absence of the soft 

touch of wooden texture (what is the kitchen, if 

not the most intimate of settings). 

But my interests in homes weren’t necessarily 

architectural always; many times it was 

anthropological. The way with which a group of 

people came to live together over a passage of 

time was something that endlessly intrigued— 

The bedrooms have an ever-changing backdrop. 



INTERIOR 

and troubled—me to the last day. Just as you 

never find families living under a roof the same 

way, as some built enormous houses only to 

lament later of how it isolated them from their 

kids; others, through the indelible years of 

living together, found spaciousness in almost 

deliberately small, rented apartments. It was 

this intangible notion of flow and harmony that 

captured my imagination most in architecture. 

Greeneries and plants provide a texture far better than any man-made materials. 

When it was finally over, I could only let out a 

sigh of relief. There is obviously an enormous 

learning curve, and even now I find myself 

rediscovering and finding new perspectives 

through which I feel could have made the house 

so much more than it is now. Alas, that list would 

go on till doomsday, too. But I am sure of one 

thing more than ever: a good design ought to be 

unpredictable, a surprise, even in its use of the 

idiomatic, time-tested blueprint, and sometimes 

a risk (though not literally, of course). In its 

simplicity or nutty imperspicuity, it ought to 

challenge and refine our very notion of what is 

possible, especially with limitations. Otherwise, 

it is reduced to nothing more than a shtick. 

The evening sun’s effluence over the rooftop garden. 


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ANALYSIS 

The Architecture of 

FOREIGN 

ARCHITECTS 

in Nepal 

Text: Ar. Biresh Shah 

IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE ROLE 

OF THE MODERN ARCHITECT IS 

BEING ACKNOWLEDGED ONLY 

NOW, THE EXPOSURE TO THE 

VARIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL 

PRODUCTION REALIZED BY 

THESE FOREIGN ARCHITECTS 

OFFERS SIGNIFICANT LEARNING 

FOR THE NEW ARCHITECTS IN 

NEPAL. 

Nepal opened up for modern development only after 1950. Thereafter 

and as the experience of constructing modern building types was 

rather limited in Nepal, a wide range of foreign architects have worked 

and contributed to the architectural design of the country. Their involvement 

with projects in Nepal within the last fifty years has followed diverse streams 

and the production of architecture by these foreign architects, therefore, 

corresponds to the nature/characteristics of these streams, established 

by the scale, complexities, funding and intent of the projects. Together, 

this body of work illustrates a rich and diverse range of architectural ideas 

and responses in Nepal, as the requirement for modern building types has 

transformed with the pace and nature of modern development. 

The work of foreign architects can be categorized in the following four broad 

streams. 

Robert Weise’s designs, like the Hotel 

Yellow Pagoda, re-introduced local 

architectural scale and forms. 

© Kai Weise 

The 1st Stream: Foreign Practitioners in 

Kathmandu 

As the Valley opened up for modern development 

in the 1950’s, and after the end of the Rana 

regime, a number of technical assistance projects 

arrived from various countries and international 

institutions. For the early architects like Robert 

Weise, who came with Swiss assisted projects, 

the Valley must have been a great sight to behold 

- the ancient cities of the Valley set between 

large expanses of lush green paddy terraces, 

meandering rivers, and the surreal baroque 

garden palace compounds built at the turn of the 

last century. Weise was among the first of these 

foreign architects who made Kathmandu their 

home and set up their practices for extended 

periods. 

Along with Weise, the other major architects who 

stayed to make significant contributions were Carl 

Pruscha, David Dobereiner, Gotz Haagmueller and 

John Sanday. Besides them, many other foreign 

architects have worked towards the design and 

construction of numerous community-based 

projects throughout Nepal, like schools and 

hospitals/health centers, which were funded by 

sources outside the country. And we need to learn 

more about this specific body of work. 

Their architecture evolved from their personal 

experiences of the Valley, as they put to use their 

training in the western universities in realizing 

their specific architectural ideas. Charmed by 

the rich traditions here, they developed design 

ideas rooted in the context rather than promoting 

stereotypes from their countries of origin. 

Weise designed residences, hotels and office 

buildings. He is credited with the re-introduction 

of local architectural scale and the sloping roof 

forms, evoking two very significant characteristics 

of the traditional architecture of the Valley. His 

office also was one of the earliest private practices 


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ANALYSIS 

to hire Nepalese architects returning to Nepal after 

completing their education abroad. 

Weise designed several prominent architectural 

landmarks like the Annapurna Hotel, The Yellow 

Pagoda Hotel, the Nepal Army Headquarters, 

besides a large number of single residences and 

projects in the Tribhuwan Unversity Campus in 

Kirtipur. 

Pruscha came to the Valley on a UNDP assignment 

to produce the first urban development plan for 

the Valley in the late 60’s. During the time he 

spent here, he also supervised the preparation 

of the first inventory of cultural monuments of 

the Valley. His significant contribution was in the 

design and construction of the Tara Gaon Hotel 

and the Institutional building CEDA for Tribhuwan 

University. 

The Taragaon Hotel was designed to provide 

lodgings for foreign consultants coming to the 

Valley on extensive stay. The complex constructed 

almost entirely in exposed brick with wooden 

windows evokes the spirit of the small traditional 

town form, using an entirely new architectural 

form, the exposed brick vaults. The resulting 

built-form is modern, yet feels so much part of the 

tradition of the Valley. Recently this building has 

become part of a huge hotel complex. The building 

has recently been subject to some temporary 

modifications which totally disregard its original 

architectural quality. The author initiated the 

documentation of this building with the help of 

the students of the Tribhuwan University, since 

the original drawings had been lost. This was 

possibly the first instance of a modern building 

being documented in the Valley for research and 

restoration purposes. 

The Family Planning Centre, 

designed by Louis I. Kahn, 

remains the most famous and 

controversial projects in the 

country after it was covered by 

a metal roof in 1995. 

and Kathmandu. His important projects are the 

Patan Museum, the Keshar Mahal Gardens and his 

own house in a traditional courtyard in Bhaktapur. 

These projects demonstrate the wide range of 

contemporary design possibilities in restoring old 

buildings for contemporary use. 

The 2nd Stream: Work of Internationally 

known Architects 

The second stream belongs to the works of 

internationally renowned architects, who were 

contracted by international aid agencies or 

organizations to design specific buildings or 

complexes in Nepal. Most of these were single 

project involvement within a limited timeframe, 

and rarely demonstrates innovative efforts by the 

architects in a new challenging context. 

Kenzo Tange prepared the Master Plan of Lumbini, 

Buddha’s Birthplace. He also designed the most 

important buildings in the Master Plan. After the 

Second World War and as South Asia embarked 

on a process of modernisation, Tange's Lumbini 

Project is the only project in modern Nepal by an 

internationally renowned architect which offers a 

comparison in terms of scale and scope of other 

Prestige Projects by prestigious foreign architects 

in South Asia, like the Capital Complex of Dacca 

and other large important complexes. However, 

being located in an obscure southern region of 

the country, the project failed to generate the 

The Center for Economic Development and 

Administration (The CEDA building), an 

independent center of the Tribhuwan University, 

was designed by Pruscha in the 70’s. The building, 

again in exposed brick, is set into the terraced 

agricultural landscape as a series of geometrical 

forms which offer a complex composition to create 

strong public spaces. In this building the architect 

has again pursued a fresh architectural idea 

through the design of a modern composition of 

forms set in a primordial landscape, which evokes 

his deep understanding of the Valley. 

Gotz Haagmueller, an Austrian Architect, came 

to Kathmandu to work with the GTZ-supported 

Bhaktapur Development Project in the 70's 

and has made Bhaktapur his home since then. 

Although most of his work has been in the 

area of restoring several heritage buildings of 

significance, he has used his long experience 

and knowledge of traditional architecture of the 

Valley to establish design innovations in adaptive 

re-use of historic buildings in Patan, Bhaktapur 


69 


© Biresh Shah

ANALYSIS 

The Trauma Centre, recently 

built through technical 

assistance and funding 

from India, occupies a very 

prominent urban site on the 

Tundikhel, but its gesture to 

the city as a large architectural 

addition is feeble. 

The Narayanhiti 

Palace designed by 

American architect, 

Benjamin Polk. 

The architecture of 

the Chinese project 

grants, the Birendra 

International 

Convention Centre 

and the new Civil 

Hospital, although 

occupying important 

and visible sites, are 

indifferent to making 

any connection to 

the city. 

the Ministry of Health, decided to 

put a metal roof over the terraces to 

create more floor space. The local 

architecture community protested 

by taking out public protests. A 

media campaign was launched, 

and simultaneously a legal case 

was filed in the apex court by the 

Society of Nepalese Architects. 

However, the bureaucrats of the 

ministry prevailed, since rules to 

protect contemporary building as 

cultural assets were feeble. 

Tadao Ando, the renowned 

Japanese architect, designed a 

Women’s and Children’s hospital 

in Butwal, which was supported by 

a Japanese Charity Organisation 

(AMDA) in the 90's. Benjamin Polk, 

the American architect, designed 

the new Narayanhiti Royal Palace. 

Some of the leading Indian 

architects also made their mark. 

Achyut Kanvinde designed the 

Rampur Agricultural Campus and 

Habib Rahman designed buildings 

in the TU Campus. 

Barring Polk’s Narayanhiti Palace, 

which sits almost in the middle 

of the City restructuring that took 

place under King Mahendra, none 

of the other projects really captured 

the imagination of either the public 

nor the architects. In the design 

of the new Royal Palace building 

at the top of a newly created 

boulevard, Polk achieved a rare 

resolution of the issue of cultural 

identity and monumentality in a 

modern project without being very 

extravagant or resorting to kitsch. 

enthusiasm that it perhaps deserved. It also took a long time to 

get off the ground. Subsequently when it did pick up momentum, it 

fell prey to speculative development, both within the Master Plan 

area and outside it. Its contribution to contemporary architecture 

thinking has been very limited too. 

Among the most famous and controversial projects in the country 

is the Family Planning Centre (funded by the USAID), designed by 

Louis I. Kahn. This project, among Kahn’s last projects, was designed 

in a largely governmental institutional area. Kahn even prepared 

a Master Plan of the entire area, which was followed only partially. 

Kahn designed a symmetrical composition of exposed brick piers 

interspersed by vertical strips of wooden windows. The building 

was topped off by a one-store high exposed brick parapet with 

deep punctures enclosing large roof terraces (possibly meant to be 

‘courtyards in the sky’). In 1995, the current resident of the building, 

The 3rd. Stream: Works of Foreign Design ‘Invisible’ 

Consortiums in Public Projects 

The third stream of work by foreign architects relates to the 

construction of large and programmatically complex building 

complexes, which were built as technical assistance projects. The 

bilateral agencies which executed these projects brought their own 

consortium of architects/consultants to ensure a certain standard 

in design and construction. 

Most of these projects required the design and construction of 

building types which had no precedence in the Valley. Therefore 

functional design, ease of maintenance, limitations of construction 

technology in a developing country and minimizing use of energy, 

were the principal design considerations in these projects. 

Generally, architectural scale and materials which fit in easily 



ANALYSIS 

Among the works of 

'Invisible' Consortium 

Architects, the 

International Terminal 

Building is perhaps an 

exception in terms of 

its sensitivity towards 

the city. 

The architecture of 

foreign missions, 

like the Norwegian 

and US (below) 

Embassy, 

significantly 

demonstrate the 

country’s cultural 

identity. 

60’s and early seventies, 

dedicated to the development 

of institutions related to 

modern communication. 

Designed by the architects 

of various Departments of 

the Indian Government, they 

demonstrate the modern 

architect’s preoccupation of 

translating modern functions 

into new architectural expression. 

Although it would be difficult to 

establish these projects of having 

any exceptional architectural 

merit, they demonstrate a certain 

rigor of design and detailing as 

well as an acknowledgement of 

the civic context. The new Trauma 

Centre, which occupies a very 

prominent urban site on the 

Tundikhel, is the latest addition in 

this category of buildings. While 

no one doubts its resolution of 

a rather complex programme, 

its gesture to the city as a large 

architectural addition is at best 

feeble. 

The Chinese Government on 

the other hand brought in its 

own government architects to 

design the Birendra International 

Convention Centre and the 

new Civil Employees' Hospital. 

Both these projects were grant 

projects from the Government 

of China; their design and 

construction being undertaken 

by Chinese consortiums. While 

both projects occupy very 

important and visible sites, their 

architecture is quite indifferent 

to making any connection with 

the City. 

in the landscape were considered, besides which, setting a new 

quality of construction standards was also an important objective. 

At the behest of JICA, consortiums of Japanese architects were 

brought in to design the Teaching Hospital Campus, the Sano 

Thimi Tuberculosis Centre and the Disaster Mitigation Centre 

among others. The Japanese projects achieved a high standard 

of programmatic and technical resolution as well as construction 

quality, while remaining largely indifferent projects architecturally. 

The government architects from India executed a number of 

buildings in the city like the General Post Office building, the 

telecommunications buildings, and hospital projects like the Bir 

Hospital, the BP Koirala Institute of Medical Sciences in Dharan, 

and more recently, the New Trauma Centre in the Bir Hospital. 

The General Post Office and Telephone Exchange Building were 

among the very first buildings constructed between the mid- 

Exception perhaps is the International Terminal Building of the 

Tribhuwan Airport, which was an international loan project with 

international consultants and constructed by international 

contractors. The linear building, which is sited at the top of a 

sloping topography, is seen as an extension of the series of 

terraces in the foreground landscape. The use of exposed brick 

as the major façade material further integrates this rather large 

building with the city. 

A similar design attitude can also be observed in the design and 

construction of Foreign Embassy compounds in the city. These 

include the US Embassy compound, the Japanese Embassy 

and the Ambassador’s Residence, the German Embassy, the 

Chinese Embassy, the Russian Embassy, the Danish Embassy, 

the Norwegian Embassy and the new Indian Embassy (now under 

construction). 


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The Taragaon Hyatt 

Regency, designed 

by a group of 

Japanese and Indian 

architects, claims to 

have integrated the 

essential and formal 

characteristics of 

the traditional built 

environment but in fact 

is quite far from this 

claim. 

Internationally, the architecture of Embassy buildings are 

a significant opportunity for the country to demonstrate its 

cultural identity. The architecture of foreign mission also offer an 

opportunity to contribute to the landscape of a city by inserting 

a fresh architectural vision to an established architectural 

context. Most of the embassy buildings in Kathmandu, designed 

by architects from their respective countries, do not seem to be 

very successful in this regard. Perhaps the concern for security, 

functionality and specific national norms/standards were a greater 

design concern for the designers. 

However, the design and construction of the Norwegian Embassy 

is an exception. While the architectural concept was developed by 

Norwegian Architect, Kristin Jarmund, the design development of 

the project leading towards construction took place in Kathmandu 

in collaboration with Nepalese consultants. The project was 

constructed by a Nepalese contractor as well. The design idea 

consciously seeks to fit and contribute to the city fabric, while 

offering us a glimpse of modern Scandinavian aesthetics. 

The 4th Stream: Architecture For Private Sector 

Commercial Projects 

The last stream of works by foreign architects relates to large 

construction projects requiring master planning and advanced 

technical/design services in large-scaled commercially driven 

projects promoted by the Private Sector. For reasons of economy, 

as well as working practicality, a majority of the architects have 

been large architecture offices from India. Initially these architects 

were employed in large hotel projects like Soaltee, Taragaon Hyatt 

Regency, Radisson, Yak and Yeti and the Fulbari Resort. However 

several high-end resorts outside the Valley have also been designed 

by non-Indian architects as well. 

The Taragaon Hyatt Regency Hotel, which opened its door only a 

couple of years ago, is arguably the most important new hotel in 

Kathmandu today. Designed by a group of Japanese and Indian 

architects, it claims to have integrated the essential spatial and 

formal characteristics of the traditional built environment. What has 

been achieved seems to be quite far from this claim. The two most 

important parts - the traditional built form and the scale and spatial 

composition, have been ill considered in this design. The hotel has 

been planned along two very strong axes perpendicular to each 

other (reminder of a baroque plan), thus preventing shifting vistas, 

a significant aspect of the traditional space. The other aspect is the 

massive scale generated by a sloping tiled roof of almost twentyfive 

feet high pitch. 

In the last five years, as investment intensified due to booming 

property markets in the construction of multi-storied residential 

apartments and modern shopping centres, the influx of large 

architecture firms from India has intensified. The superior 

experience and capacities of these foreign architecture consortiums 

makes them the natural choice of private sector investors for 

undertaking large complex building types, which have to be 

completed within limited time frames. In this category of work, the 

foreign architects have worked for Clients based in Nepal, financed 

by Nepalese Banks, constructed by mainly Nepalese contractors 

and approved by Nepalese authorities. Therefore, the level of 

interaction with local stakeholders has been much greater in these 

projects than in previous technical assistance/grant projects. But 

this also pits the national architecture professional community in 

direct competition with this category of foreign architects, which is 

an issue that needs debate. 

Conclusion 

Foreign architects, in the past fifty years, have realized their 

architectural intentions and visions in Nepal through a variety 

of channels. In a country where the role of the modern architect 

is being acknowledged only now, the exposure to the variety of 

architectural production realized by these foreign architects offers 

significant learning for the new architects in Nepal . Arguably these 

architects come from a background of modern architectural training 

and practice much older than ours. But we need to document and 

attempt to understand their work and contributions within our 

developmental context. This can be of significant value to us to 

establish firmly our own pursuits and directions in architectural 

design, as well building capacity to undertake architectural 

challenges in the future. 




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HERITAGE 

Lumbini 

Text :- Rupesh Shrestha 

its challenges now and then 

Introduction 

Lumbini, where Gautama Buddha was born presents mysticism 

and symbolism due to the elemental nature of thought present in 

this sacred place. The name Lumbini is said to have been derived 

from that of the queen of Koli (Devadaha), whose daughter was 

Mahamaya, the mother of Gautama Buddha. It is also assumed that 

the name Lumbini is a colloquial derivation of the word Rummindei 

(the queen of King Anjana of Devdaha). Later Rummindei was 

pronounced as Lummindei, and still later, as Lumbini. The name 

Rummin is identical with Lumbini of Lummini, the form written in 

the inscription in the Pali Language, in which the middle or initial “R” 

of Sanskrit is always replaced by “L”. This site is still locally called 

Rummindei. 

The term Buddha means “Enlightened One”, and signifies that the 

person to whom it is applied has solved the riddle of existence, and 

discovered the doctrine for the cessation of misery. It was by his 

attainment of this supreme ‘Enlightenment’ or ‘Wisdom’ that the 

warrior prince, Siddhartha Gautama, became a Buddha. Siddhartha 

Gautama belonged to the Sakya clan. The word Sakya means 

‘Powerful’ and the families that bore the name had a reputation of 

pride and haughtiness. They were of the warrior caste (Khattiyajati), 

but cultivated peaceful arts of agriculture. Lord Buddha propounded 

Behold ye now this monk austere, 

His matted locks, his penance fierce; 

From the fair town called Kapila, 

His great retirement shall be made. 

The mother that shall bring him forth, 

Shall Mahamaya be by name; 

Suddhodana his father’s name, 

His own name shall be Gautama. 

[Extracted from Introduction to the Jataka or 

book of “Buddha’s Birth stories”] 


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HERITAGE 

we can assume that Lumbini presented an 

undulating landscape of considerable beauty. 

Hinayana, a simple religion in which he followed 

to a large extent. This was a direct and simple 

philosophy that appealed to the masses. 

In 1896, Gen. Khadga S. Rana of Nepal 

(Commanding General of Western Nepal) and 

archaeologist, Dr. Alois Fuhrer of Germany 

(Archaeological Surveyor, north-western Provinces 

and Oudh under Archaeological Survey of India), 

became the first pioneers in discovering the southwestern 

plain of Nepal - the Lumbini Garden. It lies 

in the Terai about 20 kms west of Siddharthanagar 

(Bhairahawa) in Rupandehi District of Lumbini 

Zone in the Republic of Nepal. Geographically, 

historically and politically, Nepal occupies a 

position in between two great empires of India and 

China and has drunk deeply from the two culturally 

rich springs, drawing inspirations from both its 

grand neighbours, as the political current ebbed 

or flowed - an influence clearly illustrated in the 

building styles of Nepal. In addition, there is the 

religious, cultural and philosophical effect of that 

great tide of Buddhism, which swept through the 

continent of Asia before and after the beginning of 

the Christian era, inspiring every people and every 

activity in its vicinity. 

History and its present development 

The descriptions of famous ancient Chinese 

pilgrims, Huian Tsang (who travelled through 

India between AD 629 & 645) and Fa Hein (who 

travelled between AD 400 & AD 414) indicate to 

this area, saying, “Lumbini, where the Lord was 

born, is a piece of heaven on earth where one 

could see the snowy mountains amidst a splendid 

garden embedded with stupas and monasteries.” 

Buddhist literature describes Lumbini as a 

pradimoksha – vana blessed with blooming 

sal-trees and masses of beautiful flowers, and a 

place where bees of five colours hum. The sweet 

warbling of various birds and other natural scenery 

in Lumbini was compared to the Chittalata (mind 

captivating) grove of Indra’s (Hindu rain god) 

paradise in heaven. From these descriptions, 



Geographically, historically and 

politically, Nepal occupies a position 

in between two great empires of India 

and China and has thus been greatly 

inspired and influenced by changes in 

their political and cultural history. 

The undercurrent of Buddhism which runs 

throughout the religious system of the country 

during the entire history originated at an early 

date. It is recorded that in the 3rd cent. BC., the 

Mauryan emperor of present day India, Ashoka, 

made a pilgrimage to Nepal and commemorated 

this event with the foundation of innumerable 

stupas and pillars as a token of his success in 

bringing the inhabitants into the Buddhist fold. 

Lumbini was lost in oblivion until it was discovered 

by the German Archaeologist, Dr. Fuhrer, 

wandering in the foothills of Churia (Siwalik) 

range, and the Ashokan pillar presented the first 

epigraphic evidence relating to the life history of 

Lord Buddha - the most visible landmark of the 

Sacred Garden. 

The historic importance of the pillar is evidenced 

by the inscription engraved in the pillar (in Brahmi 

script). Also, the Nativity Sculpture (found above 

the Marker stone) and Marker stone itself are 

important as it fixes the place of the Nativity of 

Buddha with deftness and precision and provides 

answers to the controversies regarding the 

birthplace of Lord Buddha. There are multiple facts 

that leads to a logical conclusion that Lumbini is 

the birthplace of Lord Buddha. From excavations it 

has been found that the Ashokan pillar stands on 

its original base of unburnt brick platform which 

concludes that the Pillar is at its original location. 

Furthermore the inscription in the pillar “si la vi 

ga da bhi cha” 1 (interpretations are varying, but 

translations is believed to mean “at the centre of 

marking stone slab”) pointed out there is a marker 

stone on a brick platform. Excavations done also 

have proved that the marker stone is on seven 

layers of brickwork which might have represented 

seven steps taken by Lord Buddha immediately 

after his birth 2 . On account of geological nature of 

the marker stone, it is has been clearly accepted 

among the scientific community that the stone is 

non-Ashokan 3 . Thus concluding that the marker 

stone is also at its original location. 

The Ashokan pillar, discovered by Gen. Khadga S. Rana 

and Dr. Alois Fuhrer in 1896, presented the first epigraphic 

evidence relating to the life history of Lord Buddha. From 

Dr. Fuhrer’s records, the Ashokan monolith was 22’-4” 

high, standing upon a masonry platform, and bore, about 

9’-8” from its base, a well preserved inscription of the 

Mauryan period in five lines. The pillar tapered slightly, as 

its circumference at the base was 8’-3”; near the inscribed 

portion 7’-5”; and at the top 6’-6”. There are stories that the 

pillar, burnished and polished to a unique mirror-like lustre, 

was surmounted with a horse-capital, which was afterwards 

sundered from it by the machinations of a wicked dragon . 

This can be agreed upon with the fact that an Ashokan pillar 

always comes with a capital as in case of Sarnath of India

HERITAGE 

According to Prof. Kenzo Tange, “The form of a 

circle enclosing a square is a mystical universal 

symbol of purity and simplicity. Architecturally 

no built structures are to be added to the 

garden except the essential forms like offices, 

meditation cells, utility blocks and restoration 

of Mayadevi Temple.” 

Prof. Dr. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, a noted architectural 

historian of Nepal, in his research article ’Mayadevi 

Temple’, presents mathematical evidences that 

the ‘multiple layers of remains extending upto 

various historical periods’ attests to the fact that 

the site has been of great importance throughout 

history starting from Lord Buddha’s birth. Through 

analytical geometry, he further elucidates that 

sequences of construction are found to be 

centrally above the pedestal of Nativity Sculpture, 

which has been a focus of worship and various 

stages of construction have been done taking 

this very centre. Thus he concludes from his 

research that the Mayadevi image and the temple 

are in their rightful place and the speculations 

that it came from elsewhere are entirely wrong. 

Furthermore his papers discusses on implications 

on history of building at Lumbini since a 

The Master Plan mainly consists of circle, square and lines, which are laid out in definite order, 

proportion and relationship to each other. It is focussed on 7.7 sq. km., centring on the Sacred Garden 

and the Ashokan Pillar, with an additional area of 64.5 sq. km. to be developed in its support. The 

Lumbini Development Area is 5 by 5 miles, while the central 3 X 1 mile strip is divided into three 1 X 1 

mile areas 5 . 

• Circle – The most predominant and basic form in the Master Plan representing the six aspects of 

Buddhism. 

• Square – Used along with the circle representing five aspects of Mahayana of Buddhism. 

• Line –The main axis of the Master Plan joining the centre of the Sacred Garden to the Lumbini 

Centre, seems to provide a sense of hierarchy to the Master Plan. The Lumbini Centre, 

accommodating materialistic aspects (hotels, schools, hospitals), is envisioned as a sort 

of impurity and is kept well away from the Sacred Garden. Similarly, the Cultural Centre is a 

transitional space, a form of a buffer zone, and the Monastic zone is for diversity of the Buddhist 

understanding of knowledge, accommodating libraries, research centres and monasteries. 

The true crux of the Master Plan, the Sacred Garden representing enlightenment, is then 

approached, which is accommodated at the extreme end. 

congregational religious structure was already 

built in 3rd Cent. BC pointing out that brick building 

started from Lumbini 4 . Beyond any dispute, 

Lumbini has been ascertained as the authentic 

birthplace of Lord Buddha. 

In 1967, United Nations Secretary General, U Thant 

(himself a Burmese Buddhist), visited Lumbini 

and made an appeal in front of the international 

community for assistance to maintain and 

improve the pitiable plight of this world famous 

pilgrimage site. Suggestions of development 

of Lumbini as an international pilgrimage and 

tourist centre then came into light. And since 

the implementation of the Master Plan for the 

development of Lumbini, prepared by Prof. Kenzo 

Tange in 1978, Lumbini has been a marked 

scene for development, both as an international 

pilgrimage as well as a tourist centre. The Lumbini 

Development Trust (LDT) was consequently 

formed in 1985 to co-ordinate the planned 

development works and activities. LDT can be 

considered as a result of amalgamation of two 

broad concepts: one is the direction of broad 

universalism and the other in the direction of 

contributing to the living standard of the people 

of the region - an appreciable approach for project 

sustainability. Lumbini was then enrolled in the 

World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1997 AD following 

compliance with its cultural criteria (iii) and (vi). 

The Master Plan 

The ultimate objective of the plan is to create an 

atmosphere of spirituality, peace and universal 

brotherhood and non-violence consistent with 

the time as well as to convey Buddha’s message 

to the world. Here, the Sacred Garden is seen as 

a crux for Lumbini as a Buddhist religious centre. 

The Master Plan, oriented north-south, envisages 

three main elements in the future development 

of Lumbini – the Lumbini village, the Monastic 

Enclave, and the Sacred Garden, surrounded 

by green areas. Each of the three elements 

comprises of 1 X 1 square mile totalling to 3 X 1 

square mile area. 


77 

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HERITAGE 

The Sacred Garden 

The Sacred Garden area, surrounded by a 

pond and a circular levee to protect against 

inundation, restricts new constructions so that 

its archaeological value may be preserved. 

Besides the Ashokan Pillar, another most famous 

monument is the Mayadevi temple. It has a stone 

relief having the Nativity scene of the Buddha, 

which is worshipped from the beginning of the 

Christian era. This nativity scene of Buddha 

was installed by the king Naga Malla of Western 

Nepal, who ruled over one of the two states which 

flourished from about 11th to 15th century 

in the Karnali zone of Nepal. It is pointed out 

by scholars that the temple of Mayadevi was 

constructed over the foundation of more than 

one earlier temple or stupa. 

At present the Mayadevi temple is the heart 

of all monuments of the holy site, bearing the 

testimony of several phases of construction 

over the centuries. It was reopened in 2003 on 

the 2547th auspicious birth anniversary of Lord 

Buddha and contains ruins of the earlier temple 

structure that date back to the 3rd to the 7th 

century B.C. However, this new construction 

and its design have not been spared of world 

criticism, brought about by the charge of it 

having negative impact on the archaeological 

remains, affecting the visual experience and 

understanding(both historic and spiritual) 

of such an important archaeological site 6 . In 

this context, Prof. Dr. Jiba Raj Pokharel, the 

chief architect of the new Mayadevi temple 

and former Dean of IOE, Pulchowk Campus, 

The new Mayadevi Temple, containing the ruins of 

the earlier 3rd to the 7th century B.C. structure, was 

reopened in 2003. This new construction however 

invited world criticism that it’s design affected the visual 

experience and understanding of such an important 

archaeological site . 

The entire development of the 

Master plan is tied together by 

the eternal flame and a central 

link comprising of a walkway and 

a canal, which establishes the 

solitude and sanctity of the Sacred 

Garden and offers pilgrims time and 

space to prepare as they approach 

the Sacred Garden. On either 

sides of the axis are the monastic 

enclaves, which are surrounded by 

a green forest. The 3 X 1 mile strips 

on both sides of the central strip 

were designated Restricted Areas. 

It was proposed that the concerned 

authorities should adapt zoning 

regulations for the additional 16 sq. 

miles area to act as a buffer zone 

that will assure the preservation of 

agricultural environment. This area 

would be developed for agricultural 

purposes and would provide food 

for local people and for the visitors, 

thus helping to raise the standard of 

living of the inhabitants. 

says that he had tried to maintain the form, 

texture and colour of the previous structure 

constructed by Keshar Shamsher (the then 

commanding officer for Lumbini). Moreover, 

Dr. Jiba Raj reiterates that recommendation of 

UNESCO regarding the need of paying attention 

to the non-intrusiveness, reversibility, shelter, 

visibility, focus, access, worship and authenticity 

has been given consideration to the extent 

possible in his design. Justifications for the 

construction were made emphasizing the living 

character of the site and religious sensitivity and 

inappropriate conditions back then. He further 

explains that the construction process of the 

The marker stone (and the Nativity sculpture) 

fixes the place of the Nativity of Buddha with 

deftness and precision and provides answers 

to the controversies regarding the birthplace of 

Lord Buddha. 

The Nativity sculpture inside 

the Mayadevi temple depicts 

Mayadevi with her right hand 

holding on to a branch of a 

sal-tree with a new born child 

standing upright on a lotus 

pedestal shedding an oval halo 

around his head, while two 

celestial figures pour water and 

lotuses from vessels of heaven 

as indicated by the delineation 

of clouds. 



HERITAGE 

Puskarni, on the south of the Mayadevi temple, is the famous 

sacred bath pool where it is believed that Mayadevi took a bath 

after giving birth to Lord Buddha. The structure, laid in fine brick 

masonry, is of a secular nature and has three projecting terraces 

in a descending order. During the course of renovations of this 

sacred pond, it was found at the bottom, two artesian wells one 

with Hot water and other with cold water. In Birth-Stories of Buddha 

it has been said after Mahamaya gave birth to Gautama Buddha he 

apparently fell to the ground and walked seven paces. Two-dragon 

kings appeared and washed his body with hot and cold water from 

wells in the vicinity. Keeping this fact also in mind we can ascertain 

Lumbini as birthplace of Lord Buddha. A pool of oily liquid also 

appeared to be used by the Queen for cleaning herself after the 

delivery. This memory of a river with oily character still exists and is 

called Tillar Nadi (oil river) which flows through south – east of the 

Ashokan pillar. 

new Mayadevi temple incorporates brickwork with 

lime surkhi mortar and that steel structures with 

nut and bolt joints have been used to support the 

archaeological ruins to facilitate easy dismantling 

when required. 

Monastic Zone 

© Anand Gupta 

While the Mahayana West Monastic Zone consists 

of 29 plots (21 being reserved for different 

countries), the Theravada East Zone consists 

of 13 plots (9 plots similarly reserved). Out of 

these 30 reserved plots, only 10 monasteries 

have been completed so far, while 12 plots are 

undergoing construction. The monasteries built 

have represented architectural style of their 

respective country but the desired population 

density has not been achieved as required by the 

Master Plan. In each of the two monastic zones 

there are two plots of land for the construction of 

meditation centres. In order to unify the various 

styles, landscaping is intended to be coordinated 

according to the Master Plan. A space known as 

a Monastic Plaza, made up of circular or semicircular 

steps, will be located in the centre of each 

monastic zone. Each plaza will be serving as a 

central gathering point and will have a symbolic 

sculpture placed at its centre. But the present 

development here have been widely criticised for 

damaging the essence of the Master plan as will 

be discussed later in this paper. 

New Lumbini Village & Cultural Centre 

China 

Korea 

Myanamar 

Germany 

Several cultural facilities having a strong 

international flavour and landscapes suitable 

to the functions are planned in the Cultural 

Centre. These include facilities for international 

conferences and seminars, museum, library, 

etc., for research on the Buddhist thought 

and philosophy. In addition, facilities of 

accommodation for pilgrims as lodging houses, 

hotels and facilities for daily requirements have 

also been accommodated in the Master plan. 

The Monastic Enclave, representing the two sects of the Mahayana and Theravada school of Buddhism, 

is situated in the north of the Sacred Garden and symbolizes the understanding of knowledge. Plots (29 

Mahayana & 13 Theravada, totalling 42) have been allocated to different countries in this enclave for 

constructing monasteries which provide an insight of the religion and life of the people of the respective 

country. At present, extravagant monasteries have been constructed by people of different countries 

following Buddhism, reflecting their interpretation and manifestation of Buddhism, thereby creating a 

fascinating map of Buddhist philosophy revered around the world. 


79 

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HERITAGE 

According to the Master Plan, the new 

Lumbini Village and the Cultural Centre 

are designated as the main entry points 

of the site. It is located at the extreme 

north of the Master Plan and on the 

intersection of Bhairahawa – Taulihawa 

Highway. As per the original Master Plan it 

is divided according to purpose, viz.: New 

Lumbini Centre, Cultural Centre, Pilgrims 

Accommodation Zone, High School, 

Roads and Landscaping. Besides these 

components, the Peace Stupa, Staff Colony 

and Crane & Bird Sanctuary are additions 

made to the original master plan. 

It is necessary for the Lumbini Village 

to be completed as soon as possible so 

that all activities which are detrimental to 

the sanctity of the Sacred Garden can be 

shifted here. 

Where the problem lies 

“Physical barriers and locks provide the most obvious controls on 

the use of spaces, but an individual behaviour is also constrained 

by what he thinks is appropriate, admissible or possible.” – 

Bourdieu, P. 1977 

According to the priorities as mentioned in the Master Plan, it 

was scheduled that all the major construction works would be 

completed by the year 1985. The total cost estimate then was 

US $ 55 million. But different circumstances led to the delay of 

the project execution resulting in a huge cost overrun, which 

according to a task force formed in 1999, would be 4.2 to 4.5 

times higher. The team also presented recommendations 

for speedy progress of the Master Plan, which were never 

implemented. 

As CK Lal in his article ‘The Prince of Peace’ writes in the Nepali 

Times, “The fascination of the Nepali power elite with the Buddha 

and his birthplace is on display in the excesses of the Lumbini 

Development Trust, where a new set of bosses takes over after 

every change of government at Singha Durbar ...Besides the 

usual accusations of cronyism and nepotism that continue to 

undermine the efficiency of the Trust, the rapid turnover of its 

key personnel in the last twelve years has also been a factor in its 

stagnation.” 

There is a discontent that has arisen due the manipulation of 

the Master Plan, resulting in its true essence being subdued 

by the present development carried out. The Master Plan was 

prepared to keep mundane activities outside the Sacred Garden 

and a sense of hierarchy to the plan was given for preserving 

the true essence of the Master Plan. A certain scale for future 

buildings to be constructed was also specified so that the works 

do not subdue the monumentalism of the Ashoka Pillar and the 

Sacred Garden. Contrarily, the Monastic Zone has now started to 

become a more dominating sector than the Sacred Garden or the 

Ashok Pillar. These architectural built forms, colour schemes and 

material usage at the monastic zone have failed to accentuate 

the plan originally conceived by Prof. Kenzo Tange, as many of the 

building controls, (like prohibition of construction within a 20m 


The Peace Stupa in the New Lumbini & Cultural Centre 


zone from the axis of the main pedestrian 

path of the Monastic Plaza and the 

entrance courts, and limiting the height 

of buildings to 3 storeys -not exceeding 

the average height of the surrounding 

trees), have not been followed. The 

boundary wall is physically an eyesore 

and philosophically, a barrier to the flow of 

vibrations as per the original Master Plan. 

The main entrance leads directly to the 

Sacred Garden, which is totally against the 

sanctity and purity of the site. The Master 

Plan also mentions that only a single plot 

be made available to each party. Inspite 

of this, more than one plot has been 

allocated for some countries and there 

is no demarcation between monasteries 

and their adjacent open spaces. At the 

same time, infrastructure development is 

lagging behind compared to monastery 

construction due to ineffective 

mobilization of funds by LDT for timely 

completion of site development. 

It must also be mentioned here that UNESCO too has published a 

report stating that there have been some activities which violate 

the basic essence of the Master Plan. For instance, the Peace Stupa 

in the Lumbini Center is built entirely against the Master Plan and 

violates its spiritual and technical aspects 7 . It is now seen as a 

counter point of the Ashok Pillar which in its absurdity has affected 

the monumentalism and spiritualism brought about by the Pillar. 

There has been a realisation of a lack of a comprehensive 

conservation and management vision of World Heritage Property. 

Thus an Integrated Management Plan is being opted to solve issues 

and conflicts regarding conservation and development of Lumbini. 

A growing discontent is also festering amongst the locals 

that development works are confined within the walls of the 

Master Plan, and that they have not received a share from the 

developments being undertaken, resulting in a lack of emotional 

attachment..There is no doubt that long term conservation of 

Lumbini and its sustainable development can be achieved only 

by considering the economic empowerment of the communities 

living in its immediate surroundings. Appropriate models for 

local development programs should be thought over with an 

integrated approach to meet all concerned stakeholders. These 

programs should address the existing socio-economic factors and 

community participation should be given top priority for the project 

to be sustainable. 

Other issues 

Lumbini has several opportunities for environmental tourism, which 

until now, has been under promoted, limiting it simply as a religious 

destination. Lumbini and its surrounding areas are endowed with a 

rich natural setting of fauna and a favourable agricultural environ. 

A further development of forests, grasslands, and wetlands would 

reflect nature as it is represented in Buddhism and the natural 

habitats of the Tarai. However, the problems of encroachment, 

unplanned urbanization and pollution are alarmingly on the rise 

and are taking its toll on tourism. Furthermore, experts are of the

HERITAGE 

opinion that the proposal to transform the 

existing domestic airport into an international 

one would have an adverse effect in an 

environmental perspective, and rather 

recommend Lumbini be declared a ‘no fly 

zone’. 

As we advocate international tourism and 

intra–regional tourism, that there has been 

a lesser exchange of tourists among the 

countries of South-Asia today is not due to 

the lack of travel urge but due to economic 

exigencies. Once the country has achieved 

a satisfactory level of development and 

economic capabilities, religious pilgrimage 

will generate a large volume of regional 

tourists. A pilgrimage route connecting the 

four great holy places of Buddhism – Lumbini, 

Bodh-Gaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar can 

further be developed transforming Lumbini 

into a nexus for regional tourism. 

Some noteworthy efforts have been made 

for Lumbini, such as the recent decision by 

the Ministry of Industries to limit industrial 

activities in an area of 15Km from the 

Northern, Eastern and Western boundaries of 

the Master plan, as well as stricter screening 

A CERTAIN SCALE FOR 

FUTURE BUILDINGS TO BE 

CONSTRUCTED WAS ALSO 

SPECIFIED SO THAT THE 

WORKS DO NOT SUBDUE 

THE MONUMENTALISM 

OF THE ASHOKA PILLAR 

AND THE SACRED 

GARDEN. CONTRARILY, 

THE MONASTIC ZONE 

HAS NOW STARTED 

TO BECOME A MORE 

DOMINATING SECTOR 

THAN THE SACRED 

GARDEN OR THE ASHOK 

PILLAR. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

Prof. Dr. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, Institute of Engineering, Lalitpur 

Prof Dr. Jiba Raj Pokharel, Institute of Engineering, Lalitpur 

Ar. Kai Weise, PAHAR Nepal, Planners’ Aliance for the Himalayan and Allied Regions 

Ar. Punya Sagar Marahatta, Lecturer, Institute of Engineering, Lalitpur 

measures for the operation of the existing 

industries. 

Conclusion 

The late King Birendra Shah had appropriately 

defined the importance of Lumbini in one of his 

speeches, “Although Gautama Buddha was born 

in Nepal, he belonged essentially to the whole 

world and to all times. He blazed a trail leading 

humanity to cast off parochialism and seek 

liberation and enlightenment. For us in Nepal, 

the way of life which Buddha practised and 

propagated has remained an inextricable part of 

our cultural heritage. Nepalese civilization has 

brought about a marriage between Hinduism and 

Buddhism making them inseparable.” 

In this world of wonders in which all things are 

inter-linked in a unique manner as a string 

of tapestry, it is but natural that we respect 

and conserve what is feasibly possible for the 

co-evolution of today and for the generation to 

come. Lumbini presents an enormous potential 

as a cultural, touristic and religious site, making 

it worthy of an effort towards preservation of its 

Outstanding Universal Value both in terms of its 

historical significance and spiritual meaning. The 

values being inter-related, enhancement made 

in one should not compromise the other. 

REFERENCES 

• Angela, A, Cueppers, C, Ghimire, H, Rai, R, Suwal, R, Bhuju, U, Weise, K, Jenkins, M, Selter, E, 2006, Lumbini: Present Status and Future Challenges, UNESCO 

Publication, Kathmandu. 

• Fuhrer, A. 1896, in H.R Joshi & I. Joshi (eds), Antiquities of Buddha Sakyamuni’s Birth-place in The Nepalese Tarai. The Nepal Studies : Past and Present, 1996 

• Tiwari, S.R. 1996. ‘ Maya Devi Temple. Recent discoveries and its implications on history of building at Lumbini’, Tribhuvan University Journal, XIX. 

• Pokharel, J. R., Reconstruction of Maya Devi Temple on the Birth Spot of Buddha( Unpublished). Kathmandu 

• UNESCO-ICOMOS 2005, Mission Report Reactive Monitoring Mission to Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha, Boccardi, G & Gupta, D, Nepal. 

• Lumbini Development Trust 2007, ‘ International Monastic Zone’, About Lumbini, viewed 21 June 2010, http://www.lumbinitrust.org/monasticzone.htm#1 

• Lal, C.K . 2002 , ‘ The Prince of Peace’, The Nepali Times, 24 May, viewed 16 June 2010, http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2002/05/24/ 

StateOfTheState/6399 

• Rakesh, Ram D. 1994, Cultural Heritage of Nepal Terai, Nirala Publications, Jaipur, India. 

• Shakya, Min B. 1986, A Short History of Buddhism in Nepal. Young Buddhist Publication, Lalitpur. 

• Bidari, B. , Greetings from the Birthplace of Lord Buddha Lumbini, Nepal, The World Heritage Site, Lumbini. 

END NOTES 

1 

de va na pi ye na pi ya da si na la ji na vi sa ti va sa bhi si te na; a ta na a ga cha ma hi yi te hi da bu dhe ja te sa kya mu ni ti; si la vi ga da bhi cha ka la pi ta si la tha 

bhe cha u sa pa pi te; hi dab ha ga vm ja te ti lu mi ni ga me u ba li ke ka te 

2 

Excavations were carried out in 1990’s by Japan Buddhist Federation (JBF) and Lumbini Development Trust (LDT). 

3 

Pillars for Ashokan stone are derived from hills south of Chunar railway station in Bihar, India. Whereas marker stone found in Lumbini is made from local stone. 

4 

See MAYADEVI TEMPLE – Recent discoveries and its Implications on history of Building at Lumbini by Prof. Dr. S.R. Tiwari. 

5,7 

See Lumbini: Present Status and Future Challenges by UNESCO, 2006 

6 

Mission Report, UNESCO – ICOMOS, Joint Mission to Lumbini, World Heritage Site – Nov. 2005 


81 

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SOLUTIONS 

HOME 

EXTERIOR PAINT 

If you have decided to give the exterior of your house a new coat of paint, don't rush 

it. Painting a house is not an easy task and will cost you a lot of money. Therefore any 

decision you make has to be well thought of as you will want it to last for at least 3 to 4 

years before it can be changed again. 

One of the best things you can do when looking for exterior house paint ideas is to try 

to blend with nature. Just take a look at your surroundings. Notice how the greenery in 

your garden blends so perfectly with the misty blue mountains in the background, or 

the vibrant colours of flowers that grow in your garden. Nature itself is such a beautiful 

palette and all you have to do is think of your house as the focal point and choose the 

colours that will look best in your particular environment. 

1. Surroundings and Style 

Conservative neighbourhoods 

sometimes frown if you use bold and 

vibrant colours on the exterior. Unless 

you want to be controversial, it would 

be better to stick to simple colours 

such as white, cream, beige and grey. 

2. Hiding flaws 

Most houses have some flaws as a 

result of inadequate design or due 

to unavoidable developments and 

requirements. These can be hidden by 

the use of colours in the correct way. 

3. Choosing the correct exterior 

paint 

Exterior paints were earlier limited 

to lime whitewash or cement 

based paints. These paints, though 

inexpensive, have a very limited 

resistance to atmospheric effects 

of sun and rain, resulting in a dull 

and drab exterior within a very short 

period of time. In some cases, walls 

with no slab projection cover will also 

invite water seepage into the room 

inside. However, paint companies now 

offer special exterior paints which not 

only retain the freshness of a new 

coat of paint for a longer period of 

time, but also help to prevent seepage 

of rain water into the interior of the 

building. 

However one important thing to 

remember here is that these paints 

are not a substitute for maintenance 

of the drain or piping system. 

Nonetheless, these paints give an 

added layer of protection to your 

exterior wall, and it prevents moisture 

from depositing. 

When choosing 

exterior paints you 

have to consider three 

essential things: the 

amount of paint needed 

for the job at hand, the 

recommended brand 

and price bracket you 

wish to stick to, and the 

guarantee offered. 

• The Amount: 

Usually when 

using these special 

exterior paints, 

you would not 

have to re-paint 

many times. So just 

purchase a small 

amount more than 

required for any 

retouching that 

may be needed in 

the future. 

• The Price: 

Remember that 

expensive exterior 

paints do not 

necessarily mean 

that it is the best. 

On the other hand, 

a very cheap price 

naturally indicates 

a lower quality in terms of life 

and water tightness. There are 

quite a few companies in the 

market producing such products. 

Hence don’t rush into buying, but 

evaluate your options. 

• The Brand: There are a lot of 

brands in the market, but it is 

always safe to go for well known 

brands, since usually they ensure 

the best product. 

Choice of colours can both highlight detials or hide 

or flaws 

• The Guarantee: Normally, the 

better the brand, the higher 

the guarantee of the product. 

If you want you can opt for a 

lesser known brand, but never 

choose one with a low guarantee 

proposition, because you will end 

up paying more in maintenance 

bills. 

The Home article will be a regular feature in this Solutions 

section. If you have any queries regarding your home, do write 

to us at: spacesnepal@gmail.com 


83 

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SOLUTIONS 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

COLOUR MANAGEMENT 

Text & Images: Ashesh Rajbansh 

TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE DISPLAYED 

CORRECTLY YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT COLOUR MANAGEMENT. 

YOU SHOULD START BY CALIBRATING YOUR COMPUTER 

MONITOR - AND IT’S NEVER TOO SOON. 


Without doubt, your favorite photos will 

eventually be displayed somewhere. Whether 

you print them yourself or use a lab, display them 

online or even submit them for publication, you 

want the colors in your images to be reproduced 

accurately. To view the colours as you intended, 

your computer monitor needs to be calibrated. 

This is why monitor calibration is soo important. 

Colour management is the process of making 

sure that the colors in your photos remain 

consistent throughout the digital workflow that 

starts with a calibrated monitor. 

There is little point in trying to figure out why 

the colours in your prints don’t match the colors 

on your monitor, for instance, if you haven’t 

calibrated it. 


Blue cast 

The problem arises because 

most monitors are not set up for 

photographic editing. When you 

buy a monitor, it is set by default 

to a white point of a temperature 

of around 9300k. The result is 

a strong blue cast, producing 

colours which are perfect for 

viewing games and graphics, but 

which bear little resemblance 

to reality. The cast is strong 

enough to ruin any attempt 

to accurately reproducing the 

colors in your photograph. 

The good news is that calibrating 

your monitor is simple to do. 

To do it accurately you need 

a special monitor calibration 

tool that measures the colors 

displayed on your monitor. 

Even the cheapest re accurate 

enough for the demand of most 

of the photographers. Big thing 

is that the cost is relatively 

small compared to your overall 

investment on cameras and 

computer equipment and failing 

to bring good result.

SOLUTIONS 

What is Colour 

Management 

The aim of colour management 

is to ensure that the colors in 

your photographs remain true 

all the way through your digital 

workflow. The colours captured 

by your digital camera should 

be precisely displayed on your 

monitor and reproduced as 

accurately as possible by your 

printer.Colour management 

can be perceived as advanced 

topic, but actually it’s quite 

simple and easy enough for any 

photographer to implement. 

There are two things you can do 

that will ensure colour accuracy 

for the beginners. They are : 

a. Calibrate your monitor with 

colorimetric device. 

b. Work in the sRGB color 

space 

Remember no two monitors 

reproduce color precisely the 

same way. 

How monitor 

calibration works 

A colorimetric device 

measures the monitor’s 

colour output with great 

precision and with much 

more accuracy than the 

human eye. The software 

supplied with the calibration 

tool displays preset colours 

on your monitor, which 

the device measures. The 

software then calculates 

what changes need to 

be made to the monitor’s 

display so that the colours 

are displayed as they should 

be. This information is then 

stored in a profile, which is 

saved on your hard drive. 

When you start up your 

computer the software loads 

the profile into your monitor 

driver. The calibration tool 

also measures the range of 

colours that your monitor is 

capable of displaying. This 

information is saved in the 

monitor’s colour profile. 

How to calibrate your monitor? 

You need a colorimetric device to start with, the 

process is simple. 

1. Turn your computer on and let the monitor warm 

up for around 30 minutes (for LCD) 

2. Turn off screen saver and any power 

management settings that you’ve applied 

before. 

3. Dim the lights or close the curtains to prevent 

any ambient light from shining directly onto the 

monitor. 

4. If you have used Adobe Gamma Loader or any 

other software to calibrate your monitor in the 

past, you should disable them or preferably 

uninstall them to prevent double colour 

management which will destroy all effort to bring 

accurate colour. 

5. Follow the instructions that come with the 

device to install the software on your computer. 

6. Once you have the software installed, go ahead 

and start the program. The procedure varies 

according to the device and/or manufacturer. 

But you need to give informations like the type 

of monitor you are using etc. 

7. Most calibration software has basic and advance 

options. The basic option is adequate for most 

photographers. The calibration software sets the 

luminance, white balance, gamma, black point 

and white point. 

After the calibration process is completed, any of 

the settings on monitor like brightness, contrast etc. 

must not be changed. Or the calibration is destroyed 

and needs to be done again. 

The colour performance of your monitor gradually 

drifts over time. Ideally CRT monitor should be 

calibrated every two weeks and LCD monitors every 

four weeks. This ensures that the colors of your 

photos are correctly reproduced as intended. 

The Photography article is a regular feature in this Solutions section. 

If you have any queries regarding photography, do write to us at: 

spacesnepal@gmail.com 


85 

www.spacesnepal.com

SOLUTIONS 

DESIGNING 

REVIT vs 

AUTOCAD 

Are you spending more time in 

DRAFTING rather than DESIGNING? 

3. Why should I spend my time, money & energy in migrating from 

AutoCAD to REVIT when AutoCAD can do all the work that I need in 

the office? 

Of course, AutoCAD is a powerful drafting software, which is why 

it has been used worldwide so intensively. But if going one step 

forward can double the productivity in your office with less overhead 

and infrastructure cost, than it surely needs a second thought. 

It is true that most firms assume that if they implement a BIM 

solution, they’ll experience productivity losses during the transition 

period. Indeed, a Revit implementation web survey conducted by 

Autodesk cited an average productivity loss of 25-50% during the 

initial training period on Revit. But the reality is that these initial 

productivity losses get quickly wiped away by productivity gains. 

For Example: Following is the table, comparing productivity between 

CAD tools and BIM tools during different stages of the design 

process. 

Let’s go back to 1990. 

About 90% of architectural and engineering firms in India used 

drafting boards for drafting and only 10% used CAD applications. 

Today in 2010, 

About 90% of architectural and engineering firms in India use CAD 

applications (like AutoCAD) and only 10% use BIM based applications 

(like REVIT). 

This indicates that a new revolution is on the way. Can REVIT really 

replace AUTOCAD? Many say “YES”, many say “NO”. 

Let’s ask these 5 questions before we form our own conclusions. 

Task CAD (hrs) BIM (hrs) Hours saved Time savings 

Schematic design 190 90 100 53% 

Design development 436 220 216 50% 

Construction documents 1023 815 208 20% 

Checking and coordination 175 16 159 91% 

Totals 1,824 1,141 683 

The above findings are based on experiment carried out by 

Lott+Barber architects from Georgia who compared the time spent 

on different stages of the design process for two projects of similar 

size and scope. 

4. Can we create good quality rendered 3D images and walkthrough 

in REVIT? 

Yes, Revit is very useful visualization software using Mental Ray 

engine for Rendering and Walk-through which is the same as 3ds 

Max. Although, for creating animated walk-through, REVIT 3D model 

can be exported to 3ds Max or similar rendering software for further 

development. 

1. What is so special about REVIT? 

REVIT uses a technology called “BIM – Building Information 

Modeling”. Due to this technology, the software is like a semiautomatic 

machine. While you draw a plan of a building, it makes 

elevations, sections, 3D views and schedules automatically; saving 

you time, money and energy. 

BIM software thinks the way you think of the design and this is what 

makes it different from CAD application, giving you more time to 

design rather than draft. 

2. Is it necessary to have CAD experience to use REVIT? 

NO, it is not necessary to have CAD experience to learn REVIT. 

REVIT is specifically designed as a tool for thinking intuitively about 

buildings and their behavior. As a result, the software is easier to 

understand and learn than other drafting software. But any previous 

knowledge of CAD or drafting will surely help in gaining confidence 

over REVIT. 

5. What are the disadvantages of REVIT? 

Revit is more powerful and advance than our current drafting 

software. But as it is a new software, it is continuously under 

development. There are still many tools which need to be 

incorporated and developed for better productivity. But with each 

new version launched in the market, we see new heights being 

achieved. 

SUMMARY 

This is the age where we need to give quality, economy and speed – all 

together. 

REVIT is the technology of tomorrow. Sooner or Later the equations will change 

and we will have more professionals and firms working with REVIT than CAD. 

Let’s pace up and be more productive with our drafting and designing tools. 

Written By: Ar. Bansri Pandey, Autodesk Authorized Author 

* AUTOCAD®, AUTODESK®, REVIT®, 3dsMax® are registered trademarks of Autodesk Inc. and/ 

or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other trademarks, 

brand names or product names belong to their respective holders. 


87 

www.spacesnepal.com

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OPINION 

CONTINUING WITH THE 

THEMATIC PRESENTATION OF 

SPACES, THIS ISSUE FOCUSES 

ON `INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTS 

WHO HAVE WORKED, OR ARE 

WORKING IN NEPAL AND THE 

IMPACT OF THEIR WORKS IN 

NEPAL'S ARCHITECTURE'. IN THIS 

REGARD, A SET OF QUESTIONS 

WERE FIELDED TO A NUMBER 

OF ARCHITECTS TO FIND OUT 

THEIR OPINION REGARDING 

THE IDEAS, WORK AND EFFECT 

OF THESE INTERNATIONAL 

ARCHITECTS. 

Do you feel that involvement of International Architects has 

enriched the architectural scene of Nepal? If yes, please mention 

any specific architect or their works that you feel is inspiring. 

NP: YES, Kenzo Tange and his 

Lumbini masterplan, Robert 

Weise in all his projects in Nepal 

and Sikkim, L.I.Khan in the 

Family Planning Building, Gotz 

Hagmuller in Garden of Dreams, 

Patan Museum and Bhaktapur, 

John Sanday in Hanuman Dhoka 

Palace Restoration. 

BMS: International Architects 

have certainly enriched the 

Nepali scene. To say otherwise 

would be blind or conceited. But 

we are capable of being both at 

the same time. 

Haven’t we all been wowed by 

Kenzo Tange’s brick monuments 

in Lumbini? 

Or with Carl Pruscha’s brooding 

spaces at the CEDA complex? 

Need we say more? C’mon folks, 

give your ego a rest. Give credit 

where it is due. 

KW: Various international 

architects such as Robert 

Weise, Carl Pruscha, Niels Axel 

and more recently architects 

such as Kristin Jarmund have 

enriched the architectural 

scene. However the contribution 

of the internationally acclaimed 

architects such as Louis Kahn, 

Kenzo Tange and Tadao Ando 

have not been given the respect 

or required understanding. 

Do you feel non-Nepali architects have done justice to architecture 

in Nepal? If not, how do you think their involvement should be 

regulated in order to ensure this justice? 

Ar. Narendra Pradhan, 

Narendra Pradhan & 

Associates. (npas@ 

wlink.com.np) (NP) 

Ar. Bibhuti Man Singh, 

Technical Interface. 

(tecinter@wlink.com. 

np) (BMS) 

NP: Yes definitely 

BMS: All international Architects 

that come to my mind appear to 

have dutifully and respectfully 

imbibed the local context, 

assimilated the ambient stimuli 

and responded superbly. This is 

more than can be said of all of us 

local bums who are still groping. 

Regulation? Perish the 

thought! And who will regulate 

the regulators, pray tell me? 

Haven’t we gone through that 

before, with a thousand pagodas 

blooming over every staircase or 

water tank? 

KW: I believe there are a lot of 

commercial buildings being 

designed by non-Nepali 

Architects who seem to have 

little understanding or interest in 

the Nepali context. However, this 

cannot be controlled until Nepali 

architects themselves do justice 

to architecture in Nepal. 

Have you ever worked with a Non-Nepali architect? Can you share 

you experience regarding the same? 

NP: Yes, I have had the 

opportunities to work with 

various non-Nepali architects 

in my professional and student 

careers. 

the Royal Palace of Nepal and 

Utkal University in Orissa, both of 

which I was also involved in. My 

two months training under them 

were very inspiring. 

Ar. Kai Weise, Nepali 

Architect of Swiss 

Origin. (paharnepal@ 

gmail.com) (KW) 

1968: during my practicum 

with M/S Chatterjee and Polk, 

Calcutta, the principals , 

Mr.Benjamin Polk and Mr.Binoy 

Chatterjee, were actively working 

on various projects including 

1971-74: With Robert Weise 

in WCAE. I was involved in the 

designs of Hotel Malla, Yellow 

Pagoda, SOS Childrens’ Village 

(Sano Thimi), Hotel Annapurna 

extension program ( Hilton chain 


89 

www.spacesnepal.com

OPINION 

were negotiating collaboration), 

Royal Nepal Army barracks in 

Chauni, Bhaktapur, Kharipati 

and the Head Quarters, 

Sikkim House in Delhi, all the 

Sikkim government projects 

during my stay as resident 

representative in Sikkim which 

included the new Secretariat 

( which was approved by the 

Chogyal but never constructed), 

Government of Sikkim Standard 

Housing Schemes for various 

calssifications of government 

employees, Sikkim Jewels, etc. 

Mr. Weise was like a true guru for 

me and he taught me all aspects 

of professional practice and 

ideology which I follow to this 

day. I am truly grateful. 

1976: BDA in collaboration 

with Mr. K.L.Shrestha and UDA 

( Ram Bahadur Shrestha) was 

awarded the prestigious USAID 

project, Institute of Agriculture 

and Animal Science ( IAAS) in 

Rampur. M/S Kanvinde and Rai 

were also appointed as advisors 

by USAID for the project. As the 

principal architect for the project, 

I had various interactions 

with Mr. Achyut Kanvinde, Mr. 

Shaukat Rai and Mr. Morad 

Chaudhuri and I got to know Mr. 

Kanvinde quite well. I also had 

the opportunity to understand 

the various processes of 

design formulation, land use 

and physical planning prior to 

finalisation of the master plan 

from him. During my subsequent 

visits to Delhi, I was invited 

to meet him in his office and 

join him for lunch at the Volga 

restaurant, his usual haunt. 

1985-87: During my masters 

program in USC, Los Angeles, 

I was employed by DMJM 

(Daniel Mann Johnson and 

Mendenhall), which was at 

that time, one of the largest 

technical consulting firms in 

USA. I was put in the Design 

department the head of which 

were Ceasar Pelli and Anthony 

Lumpsden (both worked with 

Eorro Sarranen earlier). Pelli 

left the office to start his own 

practice four months after I 

joined but I got to work with 

him (especially on weekends) 

on various projects such as 

Marriot Hotel in San Francisco, 

Mercy Hospital of Sacramento, 

Ojai Country Club in Ojai and 

San Bernardino International 

Airport. Although it was a very 

big office with thousands of 

staff, we, the design team, were 

encouraged to formulate our 

own ideas in the projects by both 

Pelli and Lumpsden. Both Pelli 

and Lumpsden are known as the 

“fathers of curtain wall” as they 

introduced this technology in 

many of their projects. 

1984-87: My thesis guide 

appointed by the department 

in USC ( University of Southern 

California) was Frank Gehry 

(also an alumni). Although 

he is known for his eccentric 

contemporary designs, he was 

very sympathetic and positively 

helpful in guiding me on my 

thesis program which was a 

traditional housing project in 

Kathmandu. He also defended 

and supported me vigorously 

during all my reviews and final 

presentation. We used to meet 

regularly in his studio and 

every weekend, at the Saturday 

Club, an exclusive architects’ 

gathering to which he and 

my sponsor, Kurt Meyer, had 

sponsored me as a temporary 

member. 

BMS: I have only interacted with 

them, never worked with, under 

or above them. 

KW: No, other than when I did my 

practical training in my father’s 

office. I presume this does not 

count. 

Do you feel that the society/ architectural society of Nepal, is 

sensitive towards the works and involvement of these International 

Architects? Please elaborate. 

NP: NO ! Unfortunately all 

professional societies and 

organisations have been very 

indifferent to the international 

architects and their works in 

Nepal. They have been viewed as 

encroachers into the exclusive 

profession within our country. 

Very few interactions have 

been made with them and they 

have not been given their dues 

for their contributions to our 

country. 

BMS: Society in general is 

indifferent to their presence, 

for they know not, bless them. 

Architectural society, however, 

are sensitive and rightly so, as it 

affects their dal and bhat. 

A little foreign input now and 

then is certainly healthy, but the 

presence of certain architectural 

fiefdoms, complete with globe 

trotting absentee architect-lords 

and local tillers doing the donkey 

work churning out dull stuff, 

is something we should all be 

concerned about. 

KW: International architects 

are seen as a threat and not as 

competition. There are very few 

architects who like competition. 

I remember even my father had 

problems after working here 

for 30 years since he was a 

foreigner. There are times when I 

myself feel the bad vibes, though 

no one can say anything directly 

since I am a Nepali citizen 

Have you identified any ideological differences between Nepali and 

international architects? What, in your opinion is the reason for 

these differences, if any? 

NP: Yes. There have been 

ideological differences. The 

fact remains that the expat 

architects have taken the pains 

to carry out thorough research 

and studies on all aspects of 

our traditional buildings and 

have successfully incorporated 

the same in their works here. 

They have also published their 

works as reference for our future 

professionals. They have not 

been given due credits and 

appreciations by our fraternity. 

BMS: Taking it down to ‘we’ and 

‘they’ in general: we are drifting 

towards them, and they are 

wandering around towards us, 

in terms of world views and 

perceived destinies. 

Witness the rush towards 

‘modern’ in our midst, and the 

preference for restoration/ 

renewal/ renaissance/ 

regionalism from those looking 

in. Excluded from this equation 

are the neighbours, none of 

whose local works have really 

inspired us. 

So between ‘we’ and ‘they’ there 

is mutual contempt most times. 

They tend to be patronizing and 

prescriptive, as if they possess 

the wisdom of the ages. Having 

been through a lot they well 

might, but we refuse to believe 

that one size can fit all and would 

prefer experiment/experience/ 

excitement, in keeping with the 

new found freedoms. 

Like deep, deep sea tides, suffice 

it to say that these trends exist. 

But there is a shared feeling of 

despair and disillusionment on 

both sides. I just found a perfect 

word for this mental state : 

‘huzun’, a Sufi word to describe a 

devotee’s despair at his distance 

from his ideals, or God if you lilke. 

KW: There are good architects 

and no-so-good architects. One 

should not categorize between 

whether they are Nepali or not. 




91 

www.spacesnepal.com

SPACES CONNECTS 

DESIGN 

Archiplan Pvt. Ltd, Kathmandu 

Architecture, Planning, Conservation, 

Preservation, Landscape, Interior, 

Construction Management 

Project: Kathmandu College of 

Management, Gwarko; Nepal Medical 

College, Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-4416118 

E:archiplan@wlink.com.np 

A-Not Architecture and Architects 

Architecture, Interior, Landscape, 

Planning, Conservation, Valuation, 

Construction management 

Project: National Planning 

Commission, Kathmandu; Nepal 

Midpoint Community Hospital, 

Nawalparasi 

T: 977-1-5526061 

E: anot_architects@hotmail.com 

Design Cell, Kathmandu 

Architecture,Engineering,Planning, 

Interior design 

Project: Krishna Tower, Kathmandu; 

Chitwan School of Medical Sciences, 

Bharatpur 

T: 977-1-4423165 

E: admin@dcell.wlink.com.np 

Innovative Createers 

Architecture, Interior, Sustainable/ 

green design 

Project: Tilganga Eye Hospital, 

Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-4249290 

E: createer@mail.com.np 

John Sanday Associates Pvt Ltd 

Architecture, Planning, Conservation, 

Preservation, Landscape, Interior 

Project: Upper Mustang Cultural 

Heritage Conservation Project; 

Mustang, HRDC( Hospital for 

rehabilitation of disabled children), 

Banepa. 

T: 977-1-4411671/4438935 

E: jsa@subisu.net.np 

KVPT (Kathmandu Vally 

PreservationTrust) 

Historic preservation 

Project: Radha Krishna temple, 

Patan; Kal Bhairv temple, Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-5546055 

E: info@kvptnepal.com 

Prajwal Hada and Associates 


Structure, Planning, Construction 

Management 

Project: Civil Mall, Kathmandu; Ashok 

Cinema Hall, Patan 

T: 977-1-4672747 

E: prajwalhada@yahoo.com 

Prabal S. Thapa 

Sustainable /green architecture 

Project: Tiger Mountain Lodge, 

Bardia; Amaghar Children’s Home, 

Godavari 

T: 977-1-4434628 

E:ptarch@infoclub.com.np 

Red Buddha Folk Art 

Traditional Nepali Designs adapted 

for Contemporary Living 

Project: Baudha Kitchen, Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-444-2512 

E: mikekraj@wlink.com.np 

Reverie Designs 



Project: Master design of Mahindra 

- Logan, Agni Inc., BID, Balaju; 

Siddhi Shaligram Briddhaashram, 

Bhaktapur 

T: 977-9851074127 

E: shaqueleo@hotmail.com 

Shah Consult International (P) 

Ltd 


Planning, Hydro Power, Structure 

Project: Agriculture Development 

Bank H.O. Extension, Kathmandu; 

Muni Bhairav Commercial Complex, 

Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-4468866 

E: shahcoint@wlink.com.np 

Sarosh Pradhan and Associates 

Architecture, Interior, Planning, 

Graphic design 

Project: The Bakery Café, Sundhara, 

Kathmandu; TEWA, Lalitpur 

T: 977-1-4270260 

E: sarosh.pradhan@gmail.com 

Siddharth Gopalan 

Architecture and Interior 

Project: The Factory, Thamel, 

Kathmandu; Valley Homes, Lalitpur 

T: 977-1-4104522/23 

E: info@emporiosnepal.com 

SLTD( Shelter and local 

technology development centre) 

Cost Effective Technology & 

Research 

Project: Pokhara Housing, Pokhara; 

Housing for Mushahars families, 

Siraha 

T: 977-1-4270696 

E: bhshrestha@wlink.com.np 

SPADECO 

(Spatial Design Company Pvt 

.Ltd) 

Architecture, Engineering, Interior, 


Project: Nepal Pavilion Expo 2005, 

Aichi, Japan; Kathmandu Medical 

College Extension, Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-5526040 

E: spadeco@hotmail.com 

Technical Interface 

Planning , Engineering, Architecture, 

Interior 

Project: Nepal Pavilion Expo 2000, 

Hanover, Germany; Sanchaya Kosh, 

Thamel, Kathmandu 

T: 977-1-4222408 

E: tecinter@wlink.com.np 

Vastukala Paramarsha 

Architecture, Interior 

Project: Comfort Housing, 

Kathmandu; Great Lotus Stupa, 

Lumbini 

T: 977-1-5542418 

E: vastun@enet.com.np 

SERVICES 

NEW TECHNICAL WATER PROOFING SERVICE 

& REHABILITATION PVT. LTD. 

Water Proofi ng 

T: 977-1-5545242 

E: ntwps@wlink.com.np 

PURPLE ENTERPRISES 

Termite Treatment, Water Proofi ng 

T: 977-1-4492285 

E: sk3p@wlink.com.np 

HIMALAYAN FLORA ENTERPRISES 

Landscaping, Ornamental plants, Cut 

Flowers, Foliage, Orchids 

T: 977-1-2220783 

E: himalfl ora@gmail.com 

IT WATER PURIFIERS 

Water Treatment 

T: 977-1-4275649 

E: tamrakar.pradeep@yahoo.com 

KALINTA TM 

Custom framing, Himalayan art, Gift items 

T: 977-1-4442437 

W: www.kalinta.com 

ART 

SIDDARTH ART GALLERY 

Contemporary Arts 

T: 977-1-4218048/4438979, E: siddharthaartgallery4@ 

gmail.com 

PARK GALLERY 

Contemporary Arts 

T: 977-1-5522307, E: parkgallery@wlink.com.np 

KASTHAMANDAP ART STUDIO 

Creativity and visual art 

T: 977-1-5011573, E: kasthamandapartstudio@gmail.com 

GALLERY 32 

Photography, Art, Poetry 

T: 977-1-4241942, E: info@dent-inn.com 






95 

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5. September - October 2010

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