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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

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