Spaces_is 9
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ex<strong>is</strong>ting legal policies and the different<br />
building codes to promote best practice<br />
conservation and safe-building techniques.<br />
Simultaneously they are working with a<br />
team of UNESCO consultants to develop<br />
an Integrated Management Plan for the<br />
whole site. Th<strong>is</strong> ambitious project has<br />
recently redefined the core and buffer zone<br />
boundaries of all Monument Zones, and<br />
<strong>is</strong> designing management mechan<strong>is</strong>ms to<br />
adequately conserve the remaining value<br />
of the property in the long-term.<br />
However, the hard work <strong>is</strong> far from over.<br />
The next step on the agenda <strong>is</strong> a thorough<br />
overhaul of ex<strong>is</strong>ting bylaws and the<br />
development of a clear mechan<strong>is</strong>m for<br />
their enforcement. Until th<strong>is</strong> time there<br />
have been few examples of illegal<br />
construction being stopped, those<br />
responsible are rarely penalized and<br />
ultimately a penalty system may be<br />
required. These advances will only<br />
prolong the ex<strong>is</strong>tence of the site’s value if<br />
forces working against them re-evaluate<br />
their approach. Perhaps the hardest people<br />
to convince about the need for a<br />
responsible attitude to cultural/<br />
architectural heritage are those<br />
professionals within the building and<br />
reconstruction field. The trend for outof-proportion,<br />
indecorous reinforced<br />
concrete structures clad with dachi-apa<br />
AFTER THE 1934 EARTHQUAKE, NEW ROAD WAS FULLY RE-<br />
BUILT IN RANA STYLE, THE MOST FASHIONABLE AT THE TIME,<br />
WHILST THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS HAD BEEN MALLA STYLE.<br />
prevails in the monument zones, ranging<br />
from Patan to Swyambhunath. Instances<br />
of unsafe concrete towers dwarfing the<br />
human scale of traditional vernacular<br />
structures can be seen in every zone.<br />
Architects, and in many cases Engineers,<br />
who are responsible for such creations<br />
should think twice about what it <strong>is</strong> they<br />
are trying to pract<strong>is</strong>e, and the debt they<br />
owe to the original. The key to th<strong>is</strong> may<br />
be introducing a more heritage aware<br />
conservation component into the<br />
curriculum of key institutions, as has been<br />
the case at Kwopha Engineering College.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> will certainly be a major undertaking,<br />
but the wheels are already turning, and the<br />
continued dedication of those involved<br />
will greatly help the cause. S<br />
The current Awareness Ra<strong>is</strong>ing Campaign <strong>is</strong><br />
generously sponsored by NFUAJ (National<br />
Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan).<br />
SPACES MAR-APR 2006 73