SPACES AUG 2017

Vol 13 N o. 03 

AUGUST 2017 

ART 

ARCHITECTURE 

INTERIOR 

CITRUSTREE VILLA 

MANGOSTEEN 

NO ORDINARY 

ROOM 

BFA 

Graduation 

Shows 

FUTURE BECKONS HERE 

MADE WITH 

MUD 

NRS. 100/- 

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EVENT NEPAL / HERITAGE / 2017 

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AUGUST 2017 SPACES / 3

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New RIPL


Contents 

Volume 13 N O. 03 | AUGUST 

S P A C E S N E P A L . C O M 

24 ARCHITECTURE 

Preserving Nepal in Lumbini 

50 INTERIOR 

No Ordinary ROOM 


Made with MUD 

54 INTERIOR 

Combination of 

Light and Color 

74 ART 


Citrustree Villa 

MANGOSTEEN 

64 ART 

BFA Graduation Shows 

76 FROM THE SHELF 

Buddhas of the Celestial Gallery 

78 ARTSCAPE 


E-Mail: info@bathnroom.com

Volume 13 N O. 03 | AUGUST 

Contributors 

CEO 

Ashesh Rajbansh 

Editor-in-Chief 

Ar. Sarosh Pradhan 

Director- Products and Materials 

Ar. Pravita Shrestha 

Contributing Art Editor 

Madan Chitrakar 

Kasthamandap Art Studio 

Junior Editor 

Shreya Amatya 

Sristi Pradhan 

Pratap Jung Khadka 

Advisor 

Ar. Pawan Kumar Shrestha 

Subscription and Administrative Officer 

Riki Shrestha 

Contributing Editor 

President - Society of Nepalese Architects 

Ar. Jinisha Jain (Delhi) 

Ar. Chetan Raj Shrestha (Sikkim) 

Barun Roy (Darjeeling Hills) 

Photographers 

Pradip Ratna Tuladhar 

Intl. Correspondent 

Bansri Panday 

Samir Dahal 

Intern 

Soyana Nyachhon 

Director- Operation & Public Relation 

Anu Rajbansh 

SR. Business Development Officer 

Debbie Rana Dangol 

Marketing Officer 

Ruby Shrestha 

Legal Advisor 

Yogendra Bhattarai 

Financial Advisor 

Kiran Rajbhandary 

Published by 

IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd. 

Kopundole, Lalitpur, 

GPO Box No. 7048, Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Phone: 5181125, 5180132 

info@spacesnepal.com 

Design/Layout & Processed at DigiScan Pre-press 

Printed at Wordscape The Printer, 9851037750 

Distribution 

Kasthamandap Distributors, Ph: 4247241 

Advertising and Subscriptions 

IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd. 

Ph: 5181125, 5180132, market@spacesnepal.com 

Madan Chitrakar 

Ashmina Ranjit 

Regd. No 30657/061-62 CDO No. 41 

Sangeeta Singh 

Usha Sharma 

Asha Dangol 

Chhavi Vashist 

The author, Madan Chitrakar is a senior artist and an art- writer based in Kathmandu. As a leading art writer 

of the country, on many occasions he has taken Nepali Art beyond the borders - through his writings in many 

prestigious publications abroad - notably in Japan, India and Bangladesh. Two well acclaimed books Tej Bahadur 

Chitrakar - Icon of a Transition’ 2004 and ‘Nepali Art: Issues Miscellany’ - 2012 remain to his credit, in addition 

to the numerous writings on Art and Culture in English and Nepali. Presently, he is associated with Tribhuvan 

University, Central Department of Fine Arts and Kathmandu University, Center for Art & Design as a member 

of the respective Subject Committee. 

Sangeeta Singh is an Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture and Urban planning at the 

Institute of Engineering and has been teaching there since almost 20 years. She holds a master’s degree in 

infrastructure planning from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and is currently undertaking PhD research 

at the department where she teaches. She is also a practicing engineer/ planner and has a keen interest 

in research. Her research interest includes urban ecological planning, sustainable development, eco cities, 

housing among others and she has published her research articles in national and internal journals. 

Asha Dangol is a contemporary Nepali visual artist. He is co-founder of the Kasthamandap Art Studio 

and E-Arts Nepal. He holds Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Tribhuvan University, and has been creating 

and exhibiting his art since 1992. He has 10 solo art exhibitions to his credit. Dangol has participated in 

numerous group shows in Nepal and his work has been exhibited in different countries outside Nepal. The 

artist experiments with painting, mixed media, ceramics, installation, performance and video. 

Ashmina Ranjit is a Kathmandu-based conceptual artist with a strong interest in gender politics. A large 

body of her works operates from a feminist framework challenging binary oppositions; exploring, exposing 

and challenging pre-existing power structures. She believes in the potential of art to provoke and invite 

dialogue around society’s most pressing issues. As director and co-founder of LASANAA, a collaborative 

community arts centre, she actively works to develop a grassroots ‘artivism’ (art+activism) network in Nepal. 

She also runs NexUs Culture Nepal, a self-sustainable art cafe and gallery. 

Usha Sharma completed her Diploma in Interior Design from IEC, School of Art and Fashion in 2007. Since 

then, she has designed a number of showrooms, offices, residential spaces and other related structures. Her 

other areas of interests include fine arts and photography. 

Chhavi Vashist is a Delhi- based Architect. She enjoys reading blogs & posts at blogger, WordPress, and 

some social networking sites too, which inspires her to write blogs. In past she had worked for a website: 

www.ebuild.in as an Interior Designing - content writer. She is also skilled in blogging, photography, travelling, 

event coordination, drafting, rendering, art & craft and model making. 

SPACES is published twelve 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. 



Editorial 

We were taken aback to hear about Dina Bangdel’s untimely demise earlier this month. She was a truly scholarly 

gem who contributed in myriad ways to Nepali as well as the international art community. Art historians and 

scholars play an important role in enhancing, encouraging and documenting the arts, and her demise is 

a huge loss to the community. 

However, things are looking good for the furniture and furnishing industry in Nepal. SPACES has featured past 

FURNEX expos organized by the Furniture and Furnishing Association (FFA) and is also the magazine partner 

for the annual exhibition this year as well. While chatting with the major stakeholders of the industry at the expo, 

everyone is optimistic about the future. Indeed, Nepali middle and upper class living standard is improving 

and the furniture and furnishing business is growing steadily. 

It is also very impressive that architecture and art exhibitions are being organized and attended in lots of different 

colleges these days. Exhibitions provide a platform for budding artists and also tends to bridge the gap with 

the non-artistic community. Himalayan College of Engineeniring and Kathmandu University both organized 

successful art and architecture exhibitions, and I am grateful for the students for their exemplary effort. 

For the sustainability and green technology enthusiasts, Pratap’s coverage of Matoghar, an eco-friendly mud 

house in Budhanilkantha, should be an interesting and informative read. The house uses the ancient rammed 

earth technique to build thick walls, and employs a passive solar architectural design system to regulate 

temperature inside the house. Alternative building practices should be encouraged in Nepal, especially because 

earthquakes will continue to be a source of nuisance and fatalities in the future.. Matoghar is almost completely 

earthquake resistant and it is imperative that such alternative designs gain more acceptance in 

the Nepali community. A sustainable mindset is a must also, since rising global temperatures and climate change 

is negatively affecting our lives. 

Our interior designing sections features some very fascinating pieces on the effects of 

light and color to beautify the spaces. Soyana’s No Ordinary Room goes into fascinating and lovely combination 

of desire and reality that one should imagine. BFA Graduation show realizes that we have promising young 

generation getting ready to surface gentle flamboyance. 

Happy reading.. 

Ashesh Rajbansh / CEO 


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NEWS 

THE ECOCITY 

WORLD SUMMIT 

2017: MELBOURNE 

AUSTRALIA AND THE CONCEPT 

OF ECOCITY 

The ecocity world summit 2017 which 

took place in Melbourne, Australia 

from 11-14 July 2017, provided Ms. 

Sangeeta Singh, associate professor 

at the Department of Architecture 

and Urban Planning at the Institute 

of Engineering, a unique platform 

not only in presenting a paper on the 

“Challenges and opportunities in urban 

ecological planning in the context of 

Nepal” but also in understanding the 

world views on building sustainable 

cities.The Economist’s annual global 

liveability survey has declared 

Melbourne as the most liveable city in 

the world for the seventh year running. 

During the three days of the summit it 

was an overwhelming and a difficult 

task to choose from the 300 sessions 

from the three tracks on Urban 

Leadership, Academic Research, and 

City Practices which was participated 

by more than 900 delegates from 30 

countries.Although all the plenary 

sessions were interesting, the one 

that garnered a lot of attention was the 

plenary session where Al Gore was 

the keynote speaker. Discussing the 

dimensions of sustainable cities with 

Richard Register during the summit was 

indeed a totally enriching experience. 

Eco city as a concept for planning cities 

is seen to have been popularized by 

Richard Register with the establishment 

of non- profit organization Urban 

Ecology in 1975 and Eco city Builders 

in 1992 which urged discussions on 

ecological aspects in urban planning 

and also with the publication of a book 

Eco-city Berkeley (1987), the journal 

“urban ecologist” and later some other 

books on the subject matter. Register 

envisions rebuilding cities “in balance 

with nature”, and he stresses on “as we 

build, so shall we live”. He further raises 

concern on the impact of “peak oil” 

situation where practically everything 

from transportation, indoor climate, 

food, clothing, shelter depends on oil. 

“Given the crisis state of life systems 

on earth, the collapse of whole habitats 

and the increasing rates of extinction 

of species, it follows that cities need 

to be radically reshaped; they need 

to be reorganized and rebuilt upon 

ecological principles. “When we build 

the automobile sprawl infrastructure, 

we create a radically different social and 

ecological reality than if we build closely 

knit communities for pedestrians” . 

Richard Register has been tracking 

many of the dilemmas cities face and 

has written extensively on the ecocity 

building approach. Register’s 

organization the Urban ecology (later 

Eco city Builders) have organized 

eleven world eco city summits across 

the globe which has been effective 

in advocating the eco city principles, 

formulating the policies frameworks and 

standards and identifying the elements 

of eco city. The summit started in 1990 

Berkeley, USA and have ever since 

been held in various countries: 1992 

Adelaide, Australia, 1996 Yoff, Senegal, 

2000 Curitiba, Brazil, 2002 Shenzhen, 

China, 2006 Bangalore, India, 2008 San 

francisco, USA, 2009 Istanbul, Turkey, 

2011 Montreal, Canada, 2013 Nantes, 

France; 2015 Abu Dhabi, UAE; 2017 

Melbourne, Australia. 

Human settlements from the ancient 

times in history have emerged as a 

response of mankind to fulfilling its basic 

requirements and adapting to nature and 

its diversity. Starting from the Paleolithic 

(stone age) ages human beings have 

gradually advanced changing not only 

the surrounding in which they provided 

themselves with shelter and comfort but 

also in the livelihood and consumption 

patterns using the great potential of 

the human mind which differentiated 

them from the other species on earth. 

With the industrial development and 

technological advancement creating 


NEWS 

unlimited possibilities there has 

been a further shift in the livelihood 

and consumption pattern leading 

to societies largely depending on 

mechanized systems. In the process 

there has been a rapidly accelerating 

gap between the nature and man, and 

more and more exploitation of natural 

resources. The air and water pollution 

is increasing, waste assimilation 

is becoming more and more 

complex and burden some with the 

consumption pattern becoming more 

and more sophisticated and advanced. 

With the increasing population, the 

land is increasingly being occupied 

by the human species, expanding in 

all directions of the globe, driving all 

the other species to extinction in the 

process of exploiting the forests and 

agricultural land and disturbing the 

other natural ecosystems of the earth 

creating increasing number of urban 

ecosystems instead. 

With increasing globalization through 

improved technology, the impact of 

development on ecological systems 

have shifted from local to regional to 

global level threatening the survival of 

human beings. With growing realization 

of this increasing impact on a global 

scale there has been yet another 

paradigm shift in the recent years, in 

planning sustainable settlements and 

various approaches like the eco city, 

low carbon city, green city, smart city 

have been gaining global significance. 

It is obvious that urbanization cannot 

be curbed and cities are bound to 

grow in numbers and sizes. How we 

plan our cities and how we manage 

our urban ecosystems in relation to 

other natural ecosystems of the world 

will largely determine the survival or 

extinction of the human species. 

During 19 th century, the city planning 

principles have been guided by 

abundant use of nonrenewable 

energy (fossil fuel) combined with new 

technologies leading to improvement 

in the quality of life. Access to clean 

water, centralized sewage treatment, 

vehicular oriented streets promoting 

higher and higher speed, increased 

comfort levels with lighting and 

heating technologies and increased 

consumerism, and improved 

communication technology have been 

achieved as the society made speedy 

progress to modernism. The societies 

became developed leading to the 

so called developed nations and the 

developing nations aspiring to become 

developed nations. However the 19th 

century models of city planning have 

in retrospect been very unsustainable 

models, with over exploitation of 

natural resources and this realization 

have brought forward the paradigm 

shifts in the planning principles in the 

twentieth and the twenty first centuries 

focusing more on sustainability issues. 

“Sustainable development” has 

become the new paradigm in global 

efforts towards economic development 

since the Brundtland commission 

published a report “our common 

future” in 1987 which defined it as 

“development that meets the needs of 

the present, without compromising the 

ability of future generations to meet 

their own needs”. The United Nations 

conference on human development 

in 1972 leading to the Stockholm 

declaration on human environment 

was the first major international 

gathering that discussed on 

sustainability issues on a global scale. 

Since then there has been a number 

of efforts on a global scale focusing 

on sustainability and climate change 

and there has been more concerns on 

considering the ecological approaches 

in human settlement planning. 

The Melbourne Principles for 

Sustainable Cities is one of the product 

of the United Nations Environmental 

Programme International Workshop 

on Building Urban Ecosystems held in 

Melbourne in 2002 which were adopted 

at the Local Government Session of the 

Earth Summit 2002 in Johannesburg, 

and known as Local Action 21 or 

the Johannesburg Call. The vision 

promoted by the ten Melbourne 

Principles is to create environmentally 

healthy, vibrant and sustainable cities 

where people respect one another and 

nature, to the benefit of all. Resolution 

on Sustainable Development Goals 

adopted by the General Assembly on 

25 September 2015 includes 17 goals 

which has included all the key elements 

of sustainable development including 

fostering inclusive, safe, resilient and 

sustainable human settlements ( goal 

11: Sustainable cities and communities). 

Since the earth summit sustainable 

development has gained recognition 

and been adopted by many prominent 

international organizations like the 

world bank, monetary fund, world trade 

organisation including the private sectors. 

The private sector has adopted it in the 

form of corporate social responsibility 

and several voluntary initiatives have 

been directed towards sustainable 

development including World Business 

Council on Sustainable Development 

(WBCSD), Global Compact, Equator 

Principles, Global Reporting Initiatives, 

and Extractive Transparency Initiative 

including international NGOs like WWF, 

Oxfam International and Friends of Earth. 


NEWS 

Since Register several others have 

propagated the concept of Eco city, 

David Engwicht being one of them 

who published Towards an Eco-City 

(1992), (later as Reclaiming our cites 

and towns, 1993) in which he talks 

about how building more roads, 

shopping malls, gutting communities 

and increasing dense traffic, the city 

planners and engineers have greatly 

reduced effective human interaction. 

A city is “an invention for maximising 

exchange and minimising travel”. He 

advocates ‘eco-cities’ where people 

can move via foot, bicycles and mass 

transit and interact freely without fear 

of traffic and toxins . The five principles 

of an eco city according to Prof. 

Sudarshan Raj Tiwari are a) green city, 

b) wet city, c) cool city, d) disposability 

and e) living with other beings. 

“Greening a city is about maintaining 

harmony with nature and its air, water 

and land cycles while at the same 

time using materials and methods 

that respect and work with nature. The 

other indicators of a green city are cool 

and processes that keep things moist, 

cool and green are natural ways to 

deal with present urban state which is 

dry, hot and grey. Thus humans can 

live in harmony with other life forms.” 

Several new paradigms in city planning 

have been propagated in achieving 

sustainable development on a global 

scale all of which having similar 

objectives such as eco cities, sustainable 

cities, healthy cities, safer cities, cities 

without slums, smart cities, energy 

conscious cities, clean cities, and green 

cities, healthy communities, appropriate 

technology, community economic 

development, social ecology, the green 

movement, bioregionalism, native world 

views, low carbon city, zero carbon city, 

zero energy city, zero net energy city 

green capitalism, slim city, compact 

city, solar city etc. With commitments 

on global agenda on sustainability like 

the SDG goals, Habitat III agenda etc. 

the government of Nepal has shown a 

keen interest in the issues of sustainable 

development which is commendable. In 

the recent years planning initiatives in 

the context of Nepal is also seen to be 

guided to some extent by the principles 

of sustainability and concepts like food 

green cities and smart cities have been 

propagated. However there is a need to 

formulate proper guidelines as to how 

these concepts are implemented in the 

years to come. 



JOURNEY WITH FURNEX 

Nepal Furniture & Furnishing 

Association (NFFA) is an umbrella 

organization of furniture and furnishing 

manufacturers, product importers, 

distributors, dealers and professionals, 

that seeks to lobby the government to 

implement industry friendly policies, 

and receive protection from unfair 

government treatment. 

FURNEX (Furniture/Furnishing 

Exhibition) is an annual exhibition 

of NFFA related to Furniture and 

Furnishing products. The main 

objective of the expo is to promote 

locally made and imported furniture 

and furnishing products as well as to 

provide information about available 

materials and services and to judge 

the quality of product that is being 

produced or imported in Nepal. 

SPACES Magazine has jointly 

collaborated with Nepal Furniture & 

Furnishing Association (NFFA) from the 

beginning. SPACES magazine has not 

only been the official magazine partner 

for the event, but also a publication 

partner for “Souvenir”, a magazine 

published solely for the expo and daily 

newsletters which are published during 

the exhibition catering daily activities of 

the event. 

The first FURNEX Nepal 2012, 

coordinated by Mr. Surendra Sharada, 

was organized from 27th September to 

1st October 2012 at Bhrikutimandap 

Exhibition Hall, with 67 stalls 

showcasing furniture and furnishing 

products and services. The event 

was inaugurated by the then Chief 

Secretary of the Government of Nepal 

Mr. Leela Mani Poudyal. The directory 

was published with the collaboration 

of SPACES magazine, the official 

magazine partner, was unveiled by the 

chief guest on that occasion. It was 

the first attempt of NFFA to conduct 

such a huge exhibition of Furniture 

and Furnishing. The event was a 

grand success that encouraged the 

association to take it further. 

After the grand success of first 

exhibition, the second Furniture and 

Furnishing Exhibition , coordinated by 

Mr. Rupesh Pradhan, was scheduled 

from 25 th to 29 th September, 2013. 

FURNEX Nepal 2013 was formally 

inaugurated by Mr. Shankar Prasad 

Koirala (former Minister of Finance). 

The Furnex Nepal 2013 Souvenir 

which was published on the occasion 

with the collaboration with SPACES 

magazine, official magazine partner 

of the event, was unveiled by the chief 

guest. Overwhelming participation of 

the exhibition made that event a talk of 

the town at that time. 

After the tremendous success of 

the second Furnex, the third Furnex 

Nepal 2014, under the coordination 

of Mr. Dinesh Agrawal was held from 

26th to 30th August 2014. The event 

was inaugurated by the then Finance 

minister of Nepal, Mr. Ram Saran 

Mahat. Similar to the previous years 

Souvenir for Furnex Nepal 2014 was 

published on the occasion with the 

collaboration of SPACES magazine 

which was unveiled by the chief guest. 

Interior Design Competition (IDC 2014) 

was one of the major component 

of Furnex Nepal 2014, initiated by 

SPACES magazine and Nepal Furniture 

and Furnishing Association, and later 

supported by Pashupati Paints and Yeti 

Carpet. This event sought to interior 

designers working on this field as well 

as to promote the importance of interior 

designing. The final round of the IDC 

2014 took place in FURNEX 2014 

where the contestants were required to 

put up models of their designs, which 

were displayed at the stall of Pashupati 

Paints, title sponsor for IDC 2014, for 

public vote. The panel of judges had 75 

percent of the mark and the remaining 


25 percent were open to public votes. 

Coincidently, all of the winners were 

from IEC School of Art & Fashion. 

Although FURNEX was planned as a 

yearly event, it could not be organized 

in 2015 due to the unexpected national 

tragedy that occurred in April of that 

year. The blockade in the border was 

another reason that exhibitors were not 

ready to participate. But, the Interior 

Design competition did take place jointly 

collaboration with SPACES magazine. 

Aiming to provide a realistic scenario 

for the participants, the project theme 

for IDC 2015 was transitional restaurant 

design, with a theme fusing traditional 

elements and modern etiquettes, 

of BBQ Courtyard Restaurant and 

Bar, Jhamsikhel. The winners of 

the competition were declared and 

awarded at 17 th AGM of Nepal Furniture 

and Furnishing Association .Ms. Lasata 

Shrestha from IEC College of Art and 

Fashion won the first prize in IDC 

2015. Mr. Shrawan Thakuri and Mr. 

Pratik Lohani won second and third 

prizes from Kathmandu Engineering 

College respectively. The top three 

students received cash prizes along 

with certificates, silver trophies, dinner 

coupons of BBQ Courtyard Restaurant 

and Bar and gift hampers from 

Kathmandu Coffee. 

The fourth edition of FURNEX was 

organized by NFFA from 2nd to 6th 

December 2016, coordinated by Mr. 

Suzil Shrestha, was jointly inaugurated 

by Mr. Pashupati Murarka (President 

of Federation of Nepalese Chambers 

of Commerce and Industries/FNCCI) 

and Mr. Rajesh Kaji Shrestha (President 

of Nepal Chamber of commerce). 

Alike previous year, the Furnex Nepal 

2016 Souvenir was published on the 

occasion with the collaboration with 

SPACES magazine was also unveiled 

by the chief guests. This time, more than 

30 percent stalls displayed international 

products. People could feel the event 

as an international label event. 

Past events experience has incentivized 

NFFA to bring a brand-new version 

of FURNEX Nepal 2017 this August. 

Starting from the 19th of August, this 

expo will run for five days, showcasing 

more of the exquisite furniture from 

Nepal and abroad. The organizers 

claim that the visitors will have some 

really competitive prices to choose 

from and will be greeted with more 

beautifully designed stalls than those of 

previous years. This time also SPACES 

magazine is the publication partner for 

the Furnex Souvenir. • 


NEWS 

HEX 2017- 

‘YATRA SANGA 

SANGAI’ 

Himalaya College of Engineering 

presented the first major College 

Exhibition featuring all engineering 

faculties. The HEX 2017- ‘Yatra Sang 

Sangai” witnessed innovative and 

ambitious works featuring different 

faculty students along with inter 

college competitions. The exhibition 

was organized by Himalaya Electronics 

and Computer club, Himalaya Civil 

Club, Himalaya Robotics Club and 

Architecture Students of Himalaya 

(ASTHA). The title sponsor for the 

exhibition was Lumbini Builders (P.) 

Ltd, the official paint partner was Asian 

paints and SPACES magazine was the 

official magazine partner of the event. 

According to the event co-coordinator 

of the exhibition, Mr. Aman Singh 

Rathore, who is also the president in 

ASTHA committee, the event went well 

and the visitors were quite happy with 

the work of the participatory students. 

The event was mainly focused on Smart 

Nepal Thematic project competition, 

civil, model, hardware, software, and 

photography competitions, as well as a 

hackathon, and other academic project 

displays. 

One of the major attractions was the 

Architectural Exhibition. Though the 

HEX exhibition was only initiated this 

year, the ASTHA exhibition has been 

successfully running for the past three 

years.The first-year students displayed 

their academic work such as classroom 

designs, contour models, and different 

forms using solid shapes, lampshades, 

and skyscrapers. The main attraction 

was the “Big Football” that was 

made from paper using hexagons 

and pentagons. Another impressive 

attraction crafted by first-year students 

were the lampshades made of threads. 

The visible silhouette of the lampshade 

was splendid. Similarly, the secondyear 

students displayed a model of 

topographical map of Nepal, showing 

mountains, and large lakes. They also 

designed a housing plot named “072 

Housing” and placed the residences 

which they had designed in an 

earlier semester. The second-years 

also displayed the photo inventory 

of Chitapur. Other major works of 

second-year students were the 

attractive sketches of temples that were 

destroyed in earthquake. Similarly, 

the third-year students displayed the 


contemporary architecture attractions 

around the world. The light trails 

leading towards the displayed works 

were quite impressive. The greatest 

fascination of the event was “the 

Chandigarh planning”, with the portrait 

of Le Corbusier made with 20,000 

toothpicks. There were academic 

school projects, commercial complexes 

and a photo booth themed on “De Stijl”, 

with miniature photographs exhibited 

by Ashish Shiwakoti. A World map 

model was also exhibited, showing 

architectural landmarks of the world 

on top of it. The event emanated an 

“architectural air”. The fourth-years, on 

other hand, displayed a topographical 

map of Khokana. The map introduced 

new strategic planning of Outer 

ring road and the “fast-track road” 

project. They also presented their 

academic projects of the convention 

center, which they designed in earlier 

semester. The thesis works of recent 

graduates were also shown. Overall, 

the event turned out to be one of the 

more comprehensive exhibitions which 

have taken place in Kathmandu. 


NEWS 

55 TH ENGINEERS’ DAY 

On the occasion of 55th Engineers’ Day, Nepal 

Engineers’ Association (NEA) organized 2 days event on 

17th and 18th July, 2017. On 17th July, Nepal Engineers’ 

Association (NEA) organized a seminar on “Engineers for 

Infrastructure Development at Local Level”. Er. Tapendra 

Bahadur Khadka was the master of the ceremony, Prof. 

Dr. Jiba Raj Pokharel was the chief guest, Er. Dr. Jagdish 

Chandra Pokharel, Er. Dr. Dinesh Chandra Devkota and Er. 

Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel were the keynote speakers. Er. 

Dr. Chandika Prasad Bhatta was the technical committee 

chair.The program was divided into 3 sessions. In the 1st 

session, speaker spoke on Institution Development & 

Good Governance. Similarly, Technology Management 

& Development was talked about in 2nd session and 

Socio- Economic, Environment & Climate Change was 

discussed in 3rd session. 

On 18th July, 2017, NEA celebrated 55th Engineers’ Day at 

Nepal Academy Hall, Kamaladi. Inauguration Ceremony 

in this event was done by Honorable Prime Minister 

Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba.Many recognized individuals 

were awarded during the event, Engineer. Dhruba Raj 

Thapa awarded with Distinguished Entrepreneurship 

Award, Architect Damodar Acharya awardedwith 

Outstanding Youth Professional Award , Nepal Electricity 

Authority awarded with Engineers’ Appreciation Award , 

Architect Dr. Sudha Shrestha awarded with Outstanding 

Woman Engineer Award, Engineer Iswari Man Pradhan 

awarded with Lifetime Achievement Award and Engineer 

Devendra Kumar Jha awarded with Martyr Er. Nawaraj 

Bista Memorial Award. Engineer Kulman Ghising was 

also honored in the event with the title of Best Manager. 

SPACES Magazine would like to heartily congratulate all 

the awarded personalities from different fields for their 

achievements. 


KUART BFA EXHIBITION 

PROJECT 2017 

Creative art is one of the most powerful 

communication mediums to express 

emotions and personal adventures. 

BFA Exhibition Project 2017, held 

at the Nepal Art Council,was an 

excellent platform for future of 

contemporary artists from Nepal, i.e., 

the graduating batch of Kathmandu 

University, School of Arts, Center for 

Art and Design. The efforts from the 

students is promoting a new artistic 

environment in Nepal. A wide range 

of expressive works were displayed at 

the gallery, such as product concept, 

graphic communication, installation, 

video, interactive video and paintings. 

The impressive jewelry designs 

by Bishesta Dhakhwa and Shreya 

Shrestha had a contemporary touch to 

it. They introduced cultural elements 

in the modern design as well, fostering 

the possibilities of a new trend in 

jewelry design. Shambhaw Maharjan 

came up with a graphic novel which 

depicts his illustrative process and 

techniques. A simple, yet an effective 

storyline made his work easy to 

understand. Similarly, SPARSHA, was 

another interesting addition to the 

exhibition, a braille book written for the 

visually impaired, Noorisha Singh’s 

design was splendid. Likewise, various 

design elements from Bungamati 

were combined in a simple idea that 

incorporated illustrative doodles and 

patterns by Alina Manandhar. She 

tried to portray the community and 

its people. The series of overhanging 

lights, with intricate design patterns, 

inspired by the ancient Ankhijhyal 

concept,was another notable 

attraction of the exhibition project. 

Cultural vibrancy can be emotionally 

attached with the works by studio 

artists as well. The canvas cutout 

of Kanchan Tamang, reflecting the 

patterns from Tamang jewelry, depicted 

a novel concept. The dance of the 

Khaling Rai people was depicted by 

Raj Kumar Rai. Waas, the main festival 

was put in the center of the theme for 

his series. The use of ethnic fabrics 

to create immediacy and attachment 

was cleverly used to bring out reality. 

Moreover, Sarala Manandhar’s work 

contained the freedom of children’s 

imaginationas spontaneous drawings 

by children and realistic painting of 

toys put her work at a different level. 

The conceptual video of Raja Maharjan 

makes usanalyze ourselves in the 

society reflecting our changing identity. 

A satirical piece, modern societal 

concerns were represented. Love for 

one’s birth place and its connection 

with oneself was displayed through the 

interactive 3D Art by Barsat Karki via 

a digital exploration of his hometown 

Chandranigahapur. Yunisha Shrestha, 

with her stop motion, tried to reveal her 

own experience of different phases in 

Nepalese society. Skilled and detailed 

brushwork composition of Nilam 

Bhurtel was also very admirable. 

The new generation is coming up with 

innovative trends and ideas in the 

Nepali art scenario. There is a lot of 

potential but endurance and continuity 

in working in this is essential as well. 

Our own rich culture and society are 

inspirational aspects for the artists, as 

was seen in the exhibition. 


NEWS 

JOURNEY FROM BHOTAHITY TO KIRTIPUR 

BFA Exhibition project titled “Journey 

from Bhotahity to Kirtipur”, was held 

from July 27 to August 2, 2017 at Nepal 

Art Council, Babarmahal.The group 

exhibition is a graduation exhibition, 

the first of its kind at Tribhuwan 

University, Faculty of fine Arts, 

Lalitkala Campus. The participants 

of the exhibition are the first batch of 

graduates of the newly established 

four years program of Bachelor in 

Fine Arts, which began in 2012.The 

exhibition showcased works of around 

forty recent graduates. The project was 

initiated by the students themselves. 

Having gone through a lot of traumatic 

experiences, such as losing the 

campus building in Bhotahity from 

the devastating earthquake in 2015, 

attending college without concrete 

classrooms, and graduating from a 

college whose entity was questioned, 

the students took this exhibition as an 

opportunity to prove to themselves 

the skeptic. After the earthquake, the 

entire campus team were deciding 

whether to continue classes and 

at what location. Confusions and 

obstacles ran amok as classes were 

sometimes run in TU Canteen, and 

sometimes on the lush green TU 

grounds. Despite these troubles, 

everyone remained optimistic, and the 

resilience shown by professors and 

students was commendable. 

The exhibition showcased the skills 

and creativity that were pursued during 

the four year program.The works 

displayed collectives of paintings, 

printmaking, digital art and installation. 

The paintings varied from traditional 

works to contemporary ideas. A few 

painters like Pradeep Pal Saud depicted 

the aftermaths of the earthquake. Begul 

Dhakal dedicated his painting to the 

late artist and professor Arjun Khaling. 

Some artworks were exploration of their 

own memories and feelings while others 

revealed abstract forms to interpret 

their inner thoughts and imaginations. 

Artists like Renu Shrestha and Pranaya 

Shrestha showcased digitally inspired 

artworks. The only sculpture displayed 

was made by Dineshwor Mahato. While 

there are many other more established 

graduation shows, the first attempt 

from students of Lalitkala campus will 

hopefully set a trend as well. 



PERSONALITY 

‘Between 

the two 

Worlds’ 

TEXT & photos : Ashmina Ranjit 

JUNE 27 TH 

“‘Hi Ashmina. I’m in the US now. Dealing 

with some issues with my sinus infection 

and some surgery to take care of it. Please 

don’t say anything to anyone about this 

since I don’t want to worry anyone. I’m 

slowly recovering. How are you.’ 

‘Hope you are getting better… Why is it 

taking so long. Hope nothing serious’ 

‘I ended up getting infected with 

meningitis in the hospital here.. which has 

been the reason why it was so terrible… 

headaches and three weeks in hospital. 

Again shocked that US hospitals have 

these infections. 

So the recovery was from meningitis.’ 

JUNE 29 TH 

‘Thanks. Need the positive energy for the 

recovery.’ 

JULY 9 TH 

‘Meningitis that left me in a bad shape. 

Let’s talk on Skype next week. Weekend is 

good.’” 

……………. 


PERSONALITY 

That weekend never came and the next I heard of Dina 

was on the 25th of July. A post on Facebook by a mutual 

friend informed me of her death. I could not believe my 

eyes and asked Laura, also a friend of Dina’s, to read it 

aloud to me. Laura suggested I call Dina’s home and I 

reached Dina’s relative, Tashi, who confirmed it. I had to 

call Tashi back three times because I could not accept 

it. Then, I tried to call Dina’s husband, Bivhakar. Dina 

believed that they were made for each other, not only for 

this life but that they had been together in previous lives 

and would be together again in their next lives to come. 

With such a strong bond and partnership, I worried about 

how he was coping. When Tashi confirmed Bibhakar had 

called home, I was relieved. It was then that my own grief 

started to sink in. 

I don’t remember my first encounter with Dina. Our 

fathers were both artists and friends. Our families 

brought us together, but our shared interests and 

passions in art connected us even more deeply. 

Serendipitously, Bibhakar’s father was my father’s flatmate 

when they both first came to live in Kathmandu. 

Somehow this strengthened Dina and my relation to 

each other. Whenever we were together, we would talk 

about a range of subjects: personal issues, family, art, 

the development of Nepali art and the art community 

that we are both so passionate about. For both of us, 

art was a way of living. Though our modes of expression 

were slightly different, since I was a practicing artist 

whereas Dina was an art historian, we still shared a 

mutual love for art, and considered it equivalent to life 

itself. Our occupational differences actually enhanced 

our conversations, as we were able to challenge each 

other and add new perspectives. 


PERSONALITY 

Dina was one of the proudest 

daughters – not only a proud 

daughter of her parents but also 

a proud Nepali daughter. As most 

people know, her father, Lain 

Singh Bangdel, was one of Nepal’s 

most prominent artists. Dina drew 

inspiration from her father. Like 

Dina’s own life path, he was both an 

insider and an outsider, who always 

felt his real home and identity was 

rooted in Nepal. Dina always talked 

about coming back to Nepal, and 

how she wished to preserve and 

continue the legacy of Lain Singh 

Bangdel’s work as a part of a 

broader history of Nepali art. 

I remember Dina telling me of her 

mother, who is now more than 90 

years, who came from a village when 

she was thirteen. It was her mother’s 

first time wearing chapals (slippers) 

after she came to Kathmandu. She 

spoke with a sense of strength 

about her mother, who then went 

on to become a head nurse at the 

Maternity Hospital for 33 years. 

Though Dina may not always have 

been there physically for her mother, 

she was always there to support 

her and often encouraged her to 

write about her life experiences. 

Dina’s choice to have both a family 

and a robust professional life 

was undoubtedly inspired by her 

mother’s achievements. 

actions. Like her own mother, 

Dina was a constant support and 

caregiver, not only to her children, 

but to many others as well. She 

shared her love with many kids, 

including my own child, Aba, who 

calls her ‘Dina Aunty’. 

Her ability to be soft while also being 

assertive was one of the wonderful 

aspects of Dina’s personality. If 

something angered her, she would 

often say ‘Rai ko rish aauncha 

malai ta’ (Rai’s being known for 

their anger.) I have met with many 

of her students both in Nepal and 

abroad and their shared reverence 

for her is immediately obvious. She 

was devoted to her students, always 

encouraging them to think critically 

and pushing them to achieve the 

best of their abilities. She always 

gave it her fullest, and saw others in 

the same way as well. 

I have witnessed what a 

compassionate and dedicated 

mother Dina was with her children, 

Neal and Deven. She could balance 

being their friend as well as being 

a stern parent when it came to 

them taking responsibility for their 


PERSONALITY 

Dina was ambitious in all aspects 

of her life. She always managed 

to engage in several personal and 

professional projects at once. Her 

expertise was unusually varied, 

having vast knowledge of both 

traditional and contemporary art. 

Her wish was to bring Nepali art 

into dialogue with a broader, global 

art community. Traditional and 

contemporary Nepali art and artists 

were not merely peripheral examples 

of ‘Third World art,’ Dina professed, 

but living traditions in intellectual 

conversation about art both inside 

and outside of Nepal. Because of this, 

Dina was a key mentor and subject 

for me when I began my work about 

what it means to be a ‘diasporic 

Nepali’. I remember walking through 

an auction house in New York, where 

we witnessed Nepali artifacts selling 

for extraordinary sums while Dina 

explained in detail the history of 

the objects. I was also involved in a 

project with Dina in Qatar, where she 

had worked for the last 5 years of her 

life, about how artists might engage 

the theme of migration. 

Dina existed between worlds, living 

and working abroad yet having 

a strong sense of identity and 

bond with Nepal. She spoke many 

languages and lived outside Nepal 

for half her life but she never got rid 

of, and even talked with pride about 

her Nepali accent, the index of her 

origins. Dina accepted the post of 

chair of the Art History department at 

Virginia Commonwealth University 

in Qatar largely because of its 

proximity to her home. In Qatar, she 

observed and learned about another 

unhappy aspect of her country – the 

vast number of Nepalis who labored 

in Qatar and sent money back to 

their families. She became more 

involved in the inevitable struggles 

of labor migration, and tried to 

address this in her work. 

Although Dina always had her own 

ideas, she was a collaborative 

worker. We had always discussed a 

place where artists and intellectuals 

could come together to create a 

cultural hub. She was one of the 

founding members of Nexus, our 

artists’ community space, and one of 

the board members of LASANAA, an 

artists’ collective. It is not surprising 

that Dina coined the name ‘NexUs’, 

given that she is an individual who 

naturally enjoys connecting people. 

She embodies the spirit of NexUs as 

a compassionate collaborator and 

connecter, who thinks of art as a 

means to advance society. Although 

Dina is no longer a click or a call 

away, she is still a large part of my 

personal life, a prominent part of the 

‘us’ in NexUs, and her influence in 

Nepali art will undoubtedly continue 

to exist and grow. 


30 / SPACES AUGUST 2017 

CARPENTER HARDWARE


ARCHITECTURE 

MADE WITH 

MUD 

TEXT : Pratap Jung khadka 

photos : Pradip Ratna Tuladhar 

S 

ituated in a secluded and 

tranquil Budhanilkantha 

neighborhood that overlooks 

the northern hills of the Valley, a modest 

mud house seems almost out of place 

after passing other contemporarystyled, 

concrete residences in the 

area. Upon entering the Matoghar, the 

term for a mud house in Nepali, on 

a humid summer morning, I realized 

that the temperature inside the house 

was much cooler. I naively dismissed 

the coolness for an inconspicuous airconditioner, 

only to find out later that 

the real cause was something much 

subtler, and inherent to the house’s 

structure and design. 

Hemendra Bohra, the conceptual 

father and instigator of the Matoghar 

project, revealed his long-time interest 

of designing and living in a sustainably 

constructed abode. Indeed, the 

Matoghar premises embodies modern 

residential virtues of sustainability, 

climate responsiveness, simplicity and 

earthquake resilience. The Harvard 

educated environmental engineer’s 

research on sustainable building 

practices led him towards an ancient 

building concept, called rammed 

earth. Rammed earth walls are 

constructed, as the name suggests, 

by literally ‘ramming’ together layers 

of soil. The Bohra residence was 

constructed from rammed earth 

constituting approximately 85% of 

the local sandy soil, 7% of pulverized 

red soil(for color) and 5% of gravel. 

The monolithic load-bearing walls 

are thick, and have a high thermal 

mass that prevents the walls from 


ARCHITECTURE 

overheating in the summer and 

letting heat escape in the winter. 

This feature is one of the reasons 

why the house felt so cool on a hot, 

summer day. Rammed earth houses 

are also highly carbon efficient, as 

it uses a naturally occurring, almost 

infinite resource: soil. The transport 

of materials is rendered obsolete 

as well when the primary material 

used is the soil from the site itself. 

While it is true that not all kinds of 

soil are amenable to ramming and 

some sites might need soil from 

elsewhere, using naturally available 

soil is undoubtedly better for the 

environment than firing up brick and 

cement kilns. 

Matoghar also utilized simple building 

techniques used in masonary 

structures to make the structure 

earthquake resilient. Bohra referenced 

the New Zealand rammed earth 

building code to assure for seismic 

resistance. For instance, to make the 

length of the house less than three 

times its width, it was divided into three 

sections. Similarly, an appropriate 

distance was maintained between the 

doors and windows from the corner 

where two adjoining walls meet, which 

is the most vulnerable part of a house 

during seismic activity. Moreover, the 

gable walls made of sun dried bricks 

were reinforced by wrapping in welded 

steel mesh. Vertical and horizontal 

reinforcement in the monolithic walls 

add to the structural integrity. Indeed, 

these preventive measures ensured 

that the Bohra residence remained 


ARCHITECTURE 


ARCHITECTURE 

intact after the recent earthquake, in 

stark contrast to popular opinion that 

waive mud houses as structurally 

fragile. 

Apart from the high thermal mass of 

rammed earth, a passive solar design 

system was also used to regulate the 

temperature within the interior of the 

house. Prabal Thapa, the founder of 

Prabal Thapa Architects and the official 

designer of Matoghar, describes it as 

a “climate responsive architectural 

concept”. The technique involves 

harnessing the energy and angle of 

the sun during the varying seasons 

to trap heat during the winter months 

and avoid heat during summer. For 

example, the house deliberately faces 

south, and the overhang from the roof 

is of a calculated width such that the 

summer sun casts a shadow on the 

southern façade, which prevents the 

walls from getting directly heated. 

Similarly, since the angle of the sun is 

comparatively lower during the winter 

months, the overhang lets the winter 

sun to enter the interiors through the 

large double glazed windows. Because 

the southern side is more conducive 

towards better lighting and heating, 

the living rooms and bedrooms are 

placed on this side while the bathroom, 

kitchen and laundry room are placed 

on the northern side. While the UPVC 

windows help to prevent heat loss 

during winter, the small windows 

near the roof on opposite sides of 

the house provide a cross ventilation 

system and a cooling mechanism. 

Other engineering and design tricks, 

such as a ventilation of the roof, the 

use of bamboo as a faux ceiling, 

the use of XPS sheets and radiative 

aluminum sheets as roof insulators, 

have also been employed to regulate 

the house’s internal temperature. 


ARCHITECTURE 


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These efforts have definitely produced 

excellent results, as the data collected 

by Mr. Bohra depicts average summer 

and winter temperatures of 23°C and 

16°C respectively and winter diurnal 

temperature range of only 3°C inside 

the house. 

As a seasoned environmentalist, Mr. 

Bohra employs a steady stream of 

green technologies to minimize and 

recycle waste, conserve energy, and 

become self-reliant. The household is 

completely self-sufficient on electric 

power and water supply, since it 

generates ample electric power from 

the sun, and harvests rain water, 

along with having a well. Mr. Bohra 

goes further in minimizing household 

waste as he has installed waste water 

recycling systems as well. Wastewater 

is treated using a baffled septic tank 

and a reed bed, and is reused to water 

the numerous vegetable and fruit 

plants in his property. The plants in the 

reed bed on nutrients from sewage 

and other waste to llive and thrive, 

while secreting a clean effluent. 

Similarly, a natural swimming pond 

gives a wild character to the premises. 

Lotus and other water plants covering 

nearly half the surface area of the 

pond absorb nutrients from the water 

and provide shade. The “semi-wild 

landscape”, as Mr. Bohra likes to 

describe it, also consists of a rabbit 

farm to harvest organic meat, and hens 

for eggs, and numerous vegetable 

and fruit plants. 

Mr. Bohra declares that the entire 

process involved a lot of individual 

research and the project moved 

forward mostly through trial and error, 

since it was the first time that rammed 

earth was used in a modern house 

in Nepal. Indeed, a rammed earth 

technology of sorts has been utilized 

in Upper Mustang for centuries, but 

they lacked the modern elements of 

seismic resistance, and insulation. Mr. 

Bohra experienced great challenges 

in training the laborers to obtain the 

desired result as well, as construction 

workers are mostly trained in building 

concrete houses. 

Matoghar and its premises, 

epitomizes the use of modern 

science and architecture to create 

an environmentally sustainable, selfreliant 

and comfortable ecosystem. 

The successful construction of his 

residence has led Mr. Bohra to start his 

own building company using rammed 

earth, called Matoghar, Rammed Earth 

Builders. Rammed earth technology is 

also gaining momentum inside and 

outside the Valley, and Mr. Bohra is 

excited to see this ancient technique 

flourish again. 




ARCHITECTURE 

CITRUSTREE VILLA 

MANGOSTEEN 

Correspondence : Samir Dahal 


ARCHITECTURE 

CREATE IDENTITY IN 

DIVERSITY 

Southeast Asia: a rich cultural 

hub, multitude of islands and 

diverse ethnic and culture, where 

the diversity shapes up a unique 

architectural entity, how can we 

(DDAP architect) have our identity 

despite such diversity? 

One approach method induced is 

by solving Herman Hertzberger’s 

Warp & Weft theory which states 

that each city or region has 

their own patterns like fabric 

constructed by weft yarn and warp 

yarn. The place where we build 

our environment is part of the 

fabric with its pattern and texture. 

So, if design abandons this 

pattern, it surely can’t be fitted to 

its pattern and will create chaos. 

This concept is transcribed by 

DDAP Architect into the design 

process, producing an interactive 

and communicative design with 

its distinctive concept, space, 

proportion, material, and building 

mass. Henceforth, DDAP Architect 

hopes to disclose a distinct 

design identity, not only from the 

finished product but also from 

subsequent progressive design 

processes. This form of approach 

is a construing of the spirit of the 

place, also known as “Genius 

Loci”. 


ARCHITECTURE 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

Mangosteen Villa is located in the 

North part of Ubud, 5 minutes to 

Ubud Central by drive. Limited to 300 

square meters, the project demanded 

maximum utilization and a sense of 

satisfaction to the owners as well as to 

the designers under limited investment. 

The site presented challenges not only 

in terms of its limited size but also in 

terms of DDAP’s interpretation to site 

and context and adaptation of local 

character of Ubud and its surrounding 

neighbours into the design. 

Subsequently, a need of creative use of 

the space by maximizing the number 

of rooms harmoniously tailored to the 

functioning of a boutique hotel was at 

play with utmost concern to privacy 

and aesthetics. 

The initial design process started with 

mapping on the regional context. 

DDAP adapted the typical housing of 

Ubud, the Balinese traditional pattern 

of using a courtyard as the main centre 

of the building mass. The courtyards 

repeated in each successive cluster. 

However, the infinitesimal site area 

limited the courtyard planning and 

surrounding masses with hindered 

wind flow of the Southeast thwarted 

the design approach. 

Hence, a more subtle context 

approached led to the discovery of the 

existing courtyard and Mangosteen 

which was later incorporated as 

the extension of the courtyard. The 

resulting was an amalgamation of the 

L-shaped building essence with the 

distinct landscape: reflection of local 

Balinese tradition. 

The Citrus Tree Villa Mangosteen 

takes the combination of the industrial 

design with traditional architecture 

and local materials, transcribed into 

16 rooms, a breakfast pavilion and a 

swimming pool. DDAP also created 


ARCHITECTURE 


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ARCHITECTURE 


ARCHITECTURE 

DDAP ARCHITECT PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT : Dirgantara I Ketut .ST,MT 

DESIGN MANAGER : Yuni Utami Ni Kadek .ST,Mds 

MARKETING MANAGER : Frida Suryadjaya .ST,MM 

STUDIO LEADER : Banyu Priautama ST, MT 

ARCHITECTS : Gusti Agung Saputra, Iwan Adi Parwata, Widhiarsana, 

Artha, Kris Fortuna 

DDAP architect studio was established by Dirgantara I Ketut, 

S.T.M.T (Dirgantara Dirgent) and Yuni Utami Ni Kadek, 

S.T.M.Ds (Uni Utami). Dirgantara and Uni both earned their 

Bachelor degree of Architecture from Udayana University and 

later continued their study at ITB (Institut Teknologi Bandung) 

for the Master Degree. After graduation, Dirgantara worked 

at U-Consultant International Singapore Pte. Ltd for 2 years, 

handling large-scale urban projects mostly based in China 

and India. Meanwhile, Uni worked at CAMS Design Pte. Ltd, 

Singapore handled a lot of interior design projects for 3 years. 

In December 12th 2014, they both decided to start on their own 

with a firm setup in Bali, Indonesia as a home office (SOHO) in 

Dirgantara’s house located at Jalan Sugriwa Ubud, Bali. In May 

23rd 2016, their studio office was officially in operation and has 

since become the official address for DDAP Architect. In May 

30th 2016, Uni’s colleague Frida Suryadjaya, S.T.M.M joined 

DDAP Architect who previously worked on a lot of architecture 

and interior design projects in Singapore. DDAP Architect is an 

architecture consultant based in Bali which primarily focuses on 

architecture and master plan projects. Apart from mainstream 

architecture practices, DDAP is also actively participating in 

international design competitions. 


ARCHITECTURE 

the plunge pool, pretence of elongated 

swimming pool without actually 

adding burden on the investment. 

The Citrus Tree Villa Mangosteen is 

an extensive adaptation of the rich 

Balinese architecture. As Ubud Bali 

designs reflect natural and organic 

materials producing a harmonious 

synthesis with the environment, the 

Citrus Tree Villa is entirely built of 

natural materials. Brick wall, concrete 

block, roof thatch, natural stone, teak 

wood are used as common material 

but are repeatedly placed in a different 

manner, as in the patterns of the local 

character. The installations of the 

materials are repeated throughout 

the Villa, from walls to ceilings and to 

floors rather in unconventional styles, 

but showing overlays on either side 

as the brick stone on natural stone 

laid down on the landscapes. Each 

details with gears, inner workings and 

raw materials are left in plain view 

adds flavour to the exposed dynamics 

of the natural materials used in the 

construction. In addition, the walls 

use repeated local concrete blocks 

with square motif which creates 

artistic and changing shading effects 

every hour at the corridor, resulting 

in unique visual environment and 

sequential spatial experience for the 

guests. 

The corridor are designed with dark 

tension with LED light positioned 

hidden inside the electrical conduct 

PVC pipe. The staircase is placed 

in as split mass in appearance and 

takes minimal part as an ambiguity 

to the courtyard. They are designed 

with a combination of wood and rustic 

iron with hanging industrial bulb light 

above. 

There are three typical characteristics 

of the rooms and the guests can either 

choose from family rooms to deluxe 

to twin bed rooms. All rooms provides 

simple cotton fabric and the most 

basic colour palette, with unfinished 

textures in concrete wall, exposed 

brick walls facade, raw pipes for 

hanging clothes and selected natural 

woods. The opening door designed 

with the straight shape of teak wood. 

All rooms have balcony spaces for 

the upper floor and all rooms provide 

an unobstructed view towards the 

courtyard with the swimming pool 

and bale. The rooms are arranged in 

a single-loaded concept, allowing an 

open air and natural light penetrating 

into the corridors. 

A minimalistic approach to the 

traditional Balinese architecture style, 

the Citrus Tree Villa Mangosteen is a 

triggered epiphany to the realisation of 

more is more with less is more. 

Address: Jalan Sriwedari 14 

Tegallantang, Ubud, Bali, INDONESIA 

Architect : DDAP Architect 

Architect’s team : I Ketut Dirgantara, 

Yuni Utami, Banyu Priautama 

Year of commencement: 2013 

Year of completion: 2015 

Cost of project (in IDR): (IDR 

3.500.000.000) 

Built up area: 400 SQM 

Floor area : 1100 sqm 


hxf“ gful/s 

Toxf“ gful/s 

nagariknews.com 

myrepublica.com 



INTERIOR 

NO ORDINARY 

ROOM 

TEXT : Soyana Nyachhyon 


INTERIOR 

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING, “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.” 

FOR ME IT IS MY ROOM; MY COMFORT ZONE. I GO TO 

THE OTHER ROOMS, AND ALTHOUGH THEY ARE SIMILAR, 

NOTHING ABOUT THEM FELT LIKE HOME. 

SO WHAT EXACTLY 

IS A ROOM? 

A 

room is a portion of space 

within a building or other 

structure enclosed by 

walls. That is how a room is typically 

described. However, for me, “it is 

my bubble of imagination where 

happiness is like child play. The 

moment I leave this bubble, it lets out 

the light of the rainbows of my life, and 

makes way for reality to slither back 

in”. It’s a place where I could spend 

hours doing anything I want and be 

whoever I want. 

This room is no ordinary room, it is 

the place where my imagination and 

creativity flourishes. It is a magical place 

where I can see people but they cannot 

see me. It’s not just a portion of space 

covered with four walls or a corner 

I retire for the day in. It is my shelter 

protecting me from the outer world. 

I like to think that a room speaks 

a lot about its owner. That is why I 

have shaped it into who I am. My 

room is like my diary, it holds several 

memories, both good and bad, 

keeping it safe even if I forget what its 

context was. Just like how an artist or 

a poet who immortalize their feelings 

and experiences. I like to think of my 

room in the same manner. 

The faded white curtains with patterns 

of exotic leaves bring stalks of light 

every morning while shielding me from 

the chaos of the world outside. The 

curtains remind me of the forest even 

though I have never been to one. The 

peek-a-boo of the light playing across 

my room reminds me of the way I was 

brought up; light and darkness exist 

in the world, only the former is worth 

paying attention to. 

Before I got my room to myself, my 

brother used to occupy it. He loved 

the ocean blue walls. I kept it around 

until my college days. Now the colors 

have changed along with me. People 

describe me as a tomboy who loves 

to do all sort of things that boys do. 

But the shades of the purple lilac of 

my walls speaks of the other side of 

me, which is soft and pure with just a 

dash of wildness. To the people it may 

look like any other shade of color, but 

it is who I am on the inside. 

My favorite corner in the room is where 

I have my cupboard with a bulletin 

board propped next to it. I like to pin 

up my artsy stuff. I might not be that 

good at it but that’s how I keep myself 

occupied. It also holds a few of my 

favorite quotes, and a bunch of other 

doodles I make when I am utterly 

bored in class. It is nothing fancy and 

I was not a fan of it to begin with. But 

we have been able to establish a deep 

bond. 


INTERIOR 

Below the board resides my small 

sofa. I affectionately call it “The 

Thinking Chair”. It is complete with 

an uber comfy blanket. This is where 

I spend most of my days. Actually it is 

perfectly complements rainy days. All 

I need is a hot cup of coffee, a novel 

to read, and occasional peeks out into 

the world to appreciate the celestial 

shower. 

I keep all my books and souvenirs in 

a treasure chest. I am not exactly a 

person who is like, “okay, let’s finish 

this book now in one sitting.” Rather, 

I love to collect them. Well, maybe I 

will eventually read those books, but 

that someday is yet to come. I should 

probably work on that. The treasure 

chest is filled with books ranging from 

the Twilight series to Sidney Sheldon. 

These were either gifted to me or I had 

forced my sister to buy them. I had 

a friend who used to be done with a 

book overnight and loved collecting 

them. I guess I picked up this habit 

from her. The souvenirs that I have 

collected so far are all precious to me. 

However, my favorite one lies in the 

heart of the treasure chest. It is an old 

roll camera gifted by my uncle when 

he returned from Russia. That old 

piece is priceless. I would never dare 

trade it for anything else. It represents 

my love for photography, even though 

I have not been able to use it till date. 

My mom hates the Christmas lights 

that I’ve turned into a photo gallery. I 


INTERIOR 

kept those lights up a year ago but 

it does not work anymore. So I just 

repurposed them into a hanging 

photo gallery. My mom says it is 

something that only hipsters do, but 

the pictures that hang from those 

lights are priceless. I wish I could 

relive the moments when those 

pictures were taken. 

The only thing my room doesn’t have 

is a clock. Well I used to have one 

but the sound that it made every 

hour made me so annoyed that I 

refused to keep any other clock in 

my room. The purple dream catcher 

that hangs on the wall compliments 

the lilac shade and I’ve been told that 

it helps to purify the haunting dream 

that I usually have. I was not exactly 

a fan of it but I bought it anyway and 

it somehow it works. It lies above my 

bed and I wonder about the feathers 

which are attached to it and think 

about where they came from. 

A bed is one of the most comfy 

places for almost everyone. It is 

a place where I can doze off and 

dream about unicorns and Charlie’s 

Chocolate Factory. When we all 

suffered from the tragic earthquake 

and had to take shelter in tents, my 

bed was the only thing I missed the 

most. And when it was safe enough 

to return home I couldn’t be any 

happier just to see that rectangle of 

wood and mattress. When I was little 

I was afraid to sleep alone in my bed, 

thinking there was a monster under it 

but in reality it just had some boxes 

of old board games and toys. Now 

it’s been my saviors from exhausting 

days where I can forget about my 

day and wake up with good vibes. 

Sometimes it’s my personal Movie 

Theater where I watch series of 

movies with no end, forget about my 

sleep and be totally hung-over from 

a lack of sleep and an oversaturated 

sense of movie references. 

The last thing to my room is the door, 

the magic door which brings me into 

this utopia of mine. Before a month 

or so I had dedicated my door to be 

a Hall Of Fame door, as any other 

teenager had I guess, posters of 

their favorite band, singer and some 

more sketches I drew in high school. 

But I got utterly bored of it and made 

it into a graffiti door. The whole idea 

came to me when I was studying for 

my finals. Ideas just seem to have a 

way of creeping into mind when you 

have to stay put and study. I started 

sketching a peephole into the nature 

and the wild, an image I always dream 

about. It still is a work in progress as 

the details are taking a bit longer time 

than I had expected. Or maybe I’m 

just procrastinating, but regardless 

the half done door, this bubble is my 

bubble and it is a bubble of happiness 

for me!. 


INTERIOR 

COMBINATION OF 

Light & Color 

LIGHTING & COLOR - AN INTEGRAL PART OF INTERIOR DESIGNING 

TEXT : Ar. CHHAVI VASHIST 

USE OF COLOR & LIGHTING IS AN EXCEPTIONAL TOOL IN INTERIOR 

DESIGNING AND SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT OUT. THE WAY IN WHICH 

YOU ORGANIZE COLOR & LIGHTING INTO YOUR HOME INTERIORS 

DEFINE THE MOOD, UPLIFTS THE HUMAN PSYCHE AND LEAVES 

A GREAT IMPACT ON THE VIEWER. MOREOVER, COLOR AND 

LIGHTING HELPS IN ADDING ELEGANCE, SOPHISTICATION AND 

STYLE TO THE SPACES. 


INTERIOR 

Lighting & color can make a big 

difference in the interior design of your 

home and good lighting enhances 

better visibility as well as providing 

better security and a sense of comfort 

in the family or among the users. 

Lighting enhances the mood and 

ambience in the space while color 

balances the overall feel of the space. 

There is a wide range of lighting 

fixtures available in the market, with 

different color, types, styles, shapes 

and sizes to choose from. The interior 

lighting and color scheme adds an 

appeal to the overall decoration of 

the space. It does not only make your 

place functional, but also provides you 

the best ambiance that you are looking 

for. You can fix the light fixtures in your 

room walls, ceiling and even floor and 

make your area look more beautiful. 

Here are a few room interior light and 

color ideas, which you can try to sum 

up a sparkling touch to your spaces 

and décor it as living heaven. 

One of the most important things that 

you need to realize before choosing 

the lighting options for room interior 

lighting is that there are two types of 

options- Natural and Artificial light. 

• The play with natural light can be 

done during the day time. And, on 

the other, hand artificial light can be 

played at any time. 

• The artificial light can be produced 

with different fixtures with selected 

shades of colors as per the 

requirement & condition of space. 

• By various direct & indirect 

openings/windows in the space 

the natural light can be introduced 

to the spaces, which is pocket 

friendly also, while artificial lighting 

can be used to provide a deeper 

hue, creating a mesmerizing long 

lasting impact on the spectator. 


INTERIOR 

There are various types of lighting 

lamps and fixtures that are well 

designed to provide a cool warm white 

light in the room making them quite 

suitable for interior lighting purposes. If 

chosen, properly the fixtures can create 

a wonderful look. With warm or cool 

vibrancy of colors and richer shades of 

light reflections you can achieve perfect 

look. The market is flooded with huge 

range of art light fixtures, and endless 

variety of lamp bulbs like Incandescent 

bulbs, halogen incandescent bulbs, 

Florescent tube, LEDs, HP mercury 

vapor, High pressure sodium, Low 

pressure sodium bulbs etc. You can 

select the type of bulbs or standalone 

lampshades as per your use of 

space, respective color scheme, style, 

purpose and budget. 

When planning and designing interior 

lighting for a space, it is necessary to 

consider the functions of the space as 

each lamp with colorful hue is designed 

with features that make them appeal to 

the requirements of different spaces. 

LED lights can be quite versatile for use 

in interior lighting. Here above, the lights 

focus randomly on the wall mounted 

wooden cabinet, and in adjacent image 

the colorful chandelier hanging in the 

centre, complementing the evening 

dark sky and its surroundings, giving 

magic touch to the space. 

Living rooms often need bright light 

with fixtures that make the entire room 

look spectacular. The beam of lights 

used on the ceiling board creates such 

a magnificent interior lighting. One 

has to opt lighting fixtures with respect 

to the activities and theme of Interior 


INTERIOR 

designing. For example, if you are readoholic you 

will require bright focused light in your room. Here 

in above pictures you can find a complementary 

color scheme room with highlighting wall which are 

enhanced by focus lights. Another click is about the 

staircase, lights here are not only providing sufficient 

lighting for public spaces but also giving a feel of 

royalty for some special occasions and events. 

Recessed Lighting with selective color combinations 

of interior lighting is suitable for larger spaces where 

impressive lighting is required. Here, the hanging 

lights in the kitchen reinforce the interior lighting 

enhancing the activities of cooking, serving and 

cleaning with special focus on breakfast counter. 


INTERIOR 

When planning on doing interior 

lighting, it is good to take time and 

gather sufficient information on the kind 

of lighting fixtures and lamps that can 

give you the feeling and appearance 

you desire. 

Use of thematic quality bright light 

can create such a magnificent look 

in a room and a spectacular interior 

ambience. The design completely 

transforms the feeling and look. Here, 

monochromatic color waves on walls 

and radial pattern in ceiling are being 

played with, providing the sitting space 

- the perfect ambience. 

One common factor with interior 

lighting is the fact that a wide variety of 

lighting fixtures are available in market 

which has large panels of lighting and 

the smaller downlights. One good 

thing with this kind of lamp is the fact 

that they are dimmable so the quality 

of light can be adjusted as desired. 

The interior lighting design below looks 

spectacular with very bright white light 

in the room. A golden chandelier paired 

up with multicolor traditional ceiling. 

Such artistic touch works amazing in 

Pooja room/Holy spaces. 

To achieve a mesmerizing interior the designer has to play 

with color and lights simultaneously as Lighting plays an 

important role to embed beauty to the room. Where, color 

gives a warm, enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic or relaxing, 

calming, serene, romantic, formal etc. feel to the space. The 

colors you pick should be either coordinating or contrasting. 

You can add different effects to the room with lighting styles. 

The artificial lighting can be used to change the environment 

of your room and make it perfect according to your choice. 

You can even play with different color artificial lights. This will 


INTERIOR 

make the look of your room more miraculous. The interiors 

of your room will speak up a new language after you decide 

to go for artificial lightning. Interior decoration elements such 

as lamp shades can also be added for sufficient lighting and 

aesthetics. You can choose between traditional or modern 

or as per theme. 

Use of accent lighting also has a great way of improving 

the outlook of a space by highlighting the features. Use of 

indirect lighting for interior lighting purposes has a way of 

relaxing the atmosphere making it suitable for relaxation 

after a tiresome day. This is not only a spectacular design 

but also helps in reducing the brightness of the light. 

Having lighting evenly distributed in the spaces with some 

on the ceiling and some on the walls and the candles 

creates such a unique interior lighting where every space in 

the room feels well filled with sufficient light. The color of the 

lampshades here can also enhance the overall appearance 

of the room by making the room look spectacular. 

When coloring your room, you can add interest by 

using cool blue draperies with cream walls and dark 

brow floors. Contemporary shades can create a relaxing 

space. A soft cream rug and brown zebra print fabrics 

are always trendy. 

Focus the light on focal points, the areas that you wish 

to highlight. The interior lighting design above shows 

the seating area well focused with lighting that ends 

up drawing attention to the area. You can also try using 

color changing light curtains which you can add fun 

to your space.The kind of fixtures used look cool and 

elegant with the lightings hanged on the walls creating 

such a cool interior lighting design. 

A combination of recessed lighting with spotlights 

enhances the architectural features of the exterior 

making the design look elegant and classic. The grey 

highlighted textured walls with a classic designed 

chandelier make the simple space pop out. Black & 

white never goes out of trend. 


INTERIOR 

HOW LIGHT BULBS AFFECT 

COLOR? 

The type of bulb you use can alter 

the colors in a room, too. 

• Incandescent: The warm, 

yellow-amber light of these 

bulbs will make reds, oranges, 

and yellows more vivid, while 

muting blues and greens. 

• Fluorescents: This flat and cool 

light enriches blues and greens. 

• Halogens: These white lights 

resemble natural light and make 

all colors look more vivid. Using 

halogens would make the shift 

from daylight to artificial light 

less jarring. 

• Compact fluorescent lights 

(CFLs): CFLs can produce 

either a warm white, neutral, or 

bluish-white light. 

• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs): 

You can buy warmer or cooler 

LEDs and even “smart” LED 

bulbs whose color you can 

control wirelessly. 

HOW TO CHOOSE COLOR FOR 

YOUR SPACES? 

Color plays a significant role in our 

everyday life besides this fact, color 

schemes used in interior designing is 

a known virtue called chromo therapy 

which can uplift the human psyche and 

mood of the spaces. Natural light work 

wonders to the space during day time. 

BALANCE YOUR WHITE 

WALLS AND FLOOR BY 

FEATURING HIGHLIGHT 

WALL IN MONOCHROMATIC 

SHADE WITH TEXTURE. FOR 

EXAMPLE: ADD CHERRY 

COLOR OR GREEN SATURATED 

SHADES WHICH ALWAYS 

PROVE TO BE EYE CATCHING. 


INTERIOR 

Use color wheel. You can try analogous color 

scheme. Analogous colors are the colors which are 

next to each other on the color wheel. Example: 

blue and green color scheme can make your space 

relaxing and calming, add definition to the space by 

a simple chandelier. 

Try dark shades to decorate your space. You can also try 

putting up dark shade on floor, medium shades on walls, and 

light tones on ceiling, just like God’s creation of earth, trees and 

sky color. To add dramatic touch you can also use downlights 

and standalone lamps. 

To make the task easy you can try using the rule 60-30-10 

while decorating the space. 60% of the color can be bright 

or dominant, 30% can be secondary colors and 10% can be 

accent color in your space. 

Go for denims shade sofas added up with some citrusy accents 

such as perky bright pink pillows or accessories. Proportionate 

the size of lighting fixtures with the space dimension to add 

pop up of lights. 

A timeless trend is black and white theme. This dynamic duo 

never goes out of style. You can create a compelling color story 

by just adding lights by sides of the bathroom mirror; to avoid 

shadow on face ceiling lights has to be added to the story. 

There are lot many neutral trendy shades available in the 

market. Grey color can be paired with both kicky colors/ 

florescent shades or with pastel palette to get warm or cool 

appearance. Follow the rule of three. Any space can be perked 

up by sticking to three shades of color. For example, in a cherry 

bedroom, saturated shades of sunny yellow, navy blue and 

grass green can make you feel fresh and preppy. 


INTERIOR 

TIPS AND TRICKS 

• Use lighting and decoration for a first 

impression. 

• Choose the size the decorative 

fixtures, with respect to room size. Do 

not choose heavy light fixtures if you 

have a small room. 

• Remember that stairways and halls 

must have good general lighting for 

safety. You can try floor lights or any 

monochromatic color to complete the 

look. 

• Use matching wall sconces to 

complement the hanging foyer fixture. 

• Use recessed lighting to light a 

general area. 

• Try recessed lighting or track lighting 

to make a room come alive by 

accenting artwork, wall washing, or 

grazing. 

• Create a focal point with lighting. 

• Use a chandelier or pendant for 

general lighting. A chandelier looks 

more elegant in common spaces such 

as entrance lobby, living and dining 

rooms. 

• Illuminate your special home objects, 

architectural detail, or food presentation 

areas with track or recessed lighting. 

• Try CFL Lighting as it is pocket friendly. 

• Choose fluorescent lights to provide 

that missing ambient lighting. You 

can try this is your gardens, terrace or 

exterior of your home too. 

• Go with decorative fluorescent fixtures 

centered over a workspace. 

• Use under cabinet lighting to help 

prevent shadows on the counters, while 

adding critical light to the workspace. 

• Mount one light fixture over and sides 

of the mirror to light a bathroom/powder 

room. 

• Use decorative fixtures are used along 

pathways, on walls and posts, and 

entrance foyers. 

• Lantern-style fixtures look amazing on 

terraces, passages, and entrances. 

• Use functional and fun lighting for 

exterior. 

• In nurseries and kid’s rooms, remember 

night lighting. 



ART 

BFA 

Graduation 

Shows 

FUTURE BECKONS HERE 

TEXT : Madan Chitrakar 

photos : Bijaya Maharjan 

Modern Nepali Art today is vibrant with amazing diversity in 

features. There has been a continual growth in new arrivals 

– the art and the artists. At the same time, the diversity in 

expressions also has grown in the same proportion – as if a 

mosaic of diverse thoughts and styles lay harmoniously in 

a common canvas. 

Contents wise as for example, if at one end of the spectrum 

there’s visible emphasis to the thoughts like common 

human emotion to artistic response to ongoing events - 

with least regard for the academic norms – and at the other 

end, there’s also the presence of artists keen to glorify or 

are strongly inspired from the earlier art forms. Such art 

WHITE, MONK 

SERIES 

(PRINTMAKING) BY 

SUNIL TAMANG 


ART 

forms are essentially rooted in the cultural past. 

Stylistically too, the story is no different. If more 

open minded artists are for the ‘Sky is the Limit’ 

spirit - in choosing their space and materials, 

some are still religiously in love with the academic 

fundamentals and the conventional tools. 

Put together however, it presents a picture of ever 

growing composite modern Nepali Art. And it is 

worth adding here that this amazing freedom has 

remained and is a part of the ongoing global trend. 

But an ability to understand the spirit and achieve 

so does not appear out of the blues. It entails and 

is achieved only after following certain purposely 

- designed academic drills. Only the institutions 

of higher learning in Art can provide the needed 

mentoring, ambience and the platforms to the 

aspiring artists or the art students. 

GARDEN OF 

SUBLIMITY 

(PAINTING) BY 

PRANISHA GURUNG 

FORMS OF 

INTANGIBILITY 

(PAINTING) BY 

BISHAL MAHARJAN 

To be sure, therefore, the success 

and achievements Nepali Art has 

made in the recent times in its entirety, 

owes it all to the Art institutions of 

higher learning. And as part of their 

annual academic calendar, all the Art 

Institutions in the recent times have 

begun to showcase in public whether 

their new fresh graduates have been 

able to understand the new spirit of 

art and are able to express it in the 

idiom they are expected to do. And 

such annual Shows have been aptly 

described as the ‘Bachelors of Fine 

Art – BFA – Graduation Shows.’ 

BFA – Graduation Shows 2017 

As described in earlier lines, this 

year 2017 has remained no different. 

In the recent times, all the three Art 


ART 

YOU KNOW WHAT I AM 

BREATHING? (PAPER CUT 

INSTALLATION WORK) BY 

AMAN MAHARJAN 

From this perspective, the three recent Shows 

have remained of profound importance in the 

making of Nepali Art in future. In fact, as such 

Shows unfailingly reckon the course the future 

Nepali Art would be taking, the Shows has also 

offered an occasion to make a comparative 

judgment of all the concerned institutions as well. 

Genre wise, all the three institutions stated 

above offered and naturally showcased the 

works from Painting, Sculpture and Graphic 

Communications. Again, KU Centre for Art & 

institutions of higher learning – KU-Centre 

for Art & Design, Hattiban; Sirjana College of 

Fine Arts, Uttardhoka and Lalitkala Campus 

under Tribhuvan University appeared in a row 

showcasing their respective BFA Shows. 

In this regard, KU-Centre for Art & Design 

has remained a front runner. It has a definite 

advantage with a longer experience in 

organizing similar Shows. Thanks to the early 

vision of the KU Centre for Art, it has had the 

privilege to pioneer this noble academic culture 

– way back in 2007. It is only this year the rest 

of the institutions has realized the unavoidable 

importance and has decided to follow it. 

As is well known in international practices, 

Graduation Shows has always been an unfailing 

window to judge the level of understanding and 

achievements made during the academic period 

by the aspiring graduates. Moreover, it has also 

remained an occasion to evaluate not only the 

students but also marks whether the concerned 

faculty has remained up to the mark and are able 

to disseminate the needed academic message 

to the students. 

BLOOM 

(INSTALLATION 

WORK) BY 

ANMARI TAMANG 


ART 

SALIN WINE 

(NEWSPAPER AD) BY 

SUZINA MAHARJAN 

NEPEN (NEWSPAPER AD) 

BY BIKKI MAHARJAN 

DIAMOND COOKIES 

(NEWSPAPER AD) BY 

UJEN MAHARJAN 

Design has remained a pioneer in BFA program in some 

respects. It has had the privilege to initiate the earliest BFA 

program in Graphic Communications in its regular academic 

program from the very beginning. Moreover, in the Painting also 

it has had taken a very liberal view in allowing the students to 

explore independently. Unlike in the other institutes, KU Centre 

for Art & Design provided a studio based academic exercise. 

As a result, works from the genres provide visibly more 

matured look and impression. And it provided a great 

diversity in each genre as well. The highlights in Graphic 

Communications included an educational materials for visually 

impaired audience innovated by Noorisha Singh. In creating 

product design as well the students succeeded in captivating 

the viewers with jewelry design by Bishesta Dhakhwa to trendy 

lampshades created by Kiran Shrestha. Both the products 

were found inspired from motifs and forms from earlier Newar 

art tradition. Not to mention the beautiful paper products by 

Alina Manandhar. Apparently, she innovated the project highly 

inspired from Bungmati town – a town greatly devastated 

during the deadly quake of 2015. 

In the Studio Art category, some of the notable works were 

found created out of the canvas. Puspa Parajuli’s ‘Quest’- an 

installation created with tent like form, proved very mystic yet 

popular amongst the viewers. Meticulous laced work on canvas 


ART 

SHIVA PARWATI 

(SCULPTURE) BY 

HARIRAM ADHIKARI 

by Kanchan Tamang remained very impressive. In the 

conventional forms, interesting collages made with local 

textiles by Raj Kumar Rai and a series by Sarala Manandhar 

based on the children art remained very innovative. It has 

provided interesting examples how there’s no limit in 

exploring creative form. It proved really proved imaginative. 

Yunisha Shrestha‘s new media works with painting stands 

beautiful as the persona of artist herself. 

In organizing a BFA- Graduation Show, Sirjana College of 

Fine Arts is a new comer. This is the debut occasion. Yet it 

has managed to maintain a very competitive edge. Sirjana 

showcased in the works from all the three genres – Painting, 

Sculpture and Graphic Communications. Although the 

College has had been running the BFA program in Painting 

and Sculpture for the last couple of years, the Graphic 


ART 

I WANT TO LIVE 

(INSTALLATION ) BY 

KREETIKA PRADHAN 

LAMP SHADES BY 

KIRAN SHRESTHA, 

KU- CENTRE FOR 

ART & DESIGN 

EAR THAT HELP ME 

THRIVE (PAINTING) BY 

SANGAY THINLEY 


ART 

Communications has been introduced very 

recently. But the late entry has not disappointed 

the viewers. Apparently, the College laid more 

emphasis on the Visual Communications and 

thus the part of Product Design remained 

comparatively poor. Nonetheless, it has 

managed to compensate with good Design 

works. It conveyed a message that rich design 

aesthetics is instilled in the students’ mind. 

Speaking in short, the design meant for print 

advertisements, have remained the forte of this 

group. When the works were put on display, 

viewers mistook for sponsored advertisements. 

The array of their works entailed choosing of 

own products to creating corporate identity 

to the creation of sales promotional tools. It 

technical task included conceptualizing the 

desired message to image and message 

development and so on. Their works belied a 

fact that this is the debut Show. All the students 

came out with marvelous photographs of 

respective chosen products. While Subhas 

R. Tamrakar has chosen walking shoes 

and designer Suzina Maharjan innovated a 

beverage with a Newari name – complete with 

own package design. Similarly, while Ujen 

Maharjan’s choice of cookies for promotion 

Bikki Maharjan’s promotion of locally made pen 

have proven very impressive. 

And no less impressive is in the Painting genre 

too. An amazing presence of diverse forms 

and style has conveyed a message that the 

boys indeed have come of the age. Print works 

with local theme by Sunil Lama has added 

unexpected charm in the collections. Prithvi 

Raj Bogati’s mixed media works too proved 

an out of the box work. Delicate renderings 

by Pranisha Gurung and emotional works 

Kreetika Pradhan, both found to be very 

interesting. Surprisingly, the works of Sculpture 

too demonstrated unbelievable understanding 

of contemporary thoughts. So is the works 

Anmari Tamang. 

THE LATTICE 

(SCULPTURE) BY 

SWASTI RATNA SHAKYA 

Regardless of all the relative success and accomplishments, 

a fact still remains that it’s no time to be satisfied. For all the 

Programs included are still in a state of fancy and there are 

lots of challenges to the respective managements. There’s no 

way the Colleges can afford to remain complacent. First and 

foremost, to all the Art institutions there is the absence of proper 

physical space to deliver the desired education. And secondly, 

there also exists a great challenge to man the right faculty in 

place to be able to deliver. But the modest achievements made 

provide a great sense of hope. 



RIGHT MOVES 

Smart Choice for 

Pipes & Fitting 

Your house’s plumbing is basically like your body’s nervous 

system. Everything is connected in one way or the other, and 

leaks can be extremely harmful. Piping and fitting is thus a 

serious business with usage of materials that can survive high 

pressure and high temperature as well. If you were looking to 

take some tasks of plumbing yourself, buy the right material, 

or wanted a second opinion than your plumber, we got your 

back! At think before buy, we take care of all the mumble 

jumble research to help you make a smart choice. 

Materials and Type 

Your house will have multiple pipe lines 

for multiple purposes. Every household 

piping starts from the common 

government line to bring water to your 

compound and then to the water tank 

and respective taps. There’s another 

line from waste collection to the 

sewage line. The multiple purposes 

also require multiple kinds of pipes. 

Galvanized Iron(GI) pipes used 

to be a popular choice. But since 

they’re expensive as a material and 

equally expensive to make, they are 

being replaced. HDPE High-density 

polyethylene (HDPE), Chlorinated 

polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), unplasticized 

polyvinyl chloride (uPVC), and 

polypropylene random copolymer 

(PPR) pipes come much cheaper, do 

not get rusted, and have a longer life. 

GI pipes still cover 10% of the market 

today. Since pipes in streets need 

to survive high pressure like from 

automobiles running on them and 

other surroundings, they are still 

found in some of the public water 

supply units and government projects. 

However, since HDPE pipes have a 

high strength to density ratio, all recent 

government projects including the 

Melamchi Khanepani Project have 

been using HDPE pipes instead. They 

can resist the high pressure as city 

street pipes. Most rural areas also use 

HDPE or GI pipes. All HDPE pipes used 

in these projects are made in Nepal 

have a Nepal Standard approval. 

For your house, when you connect 

the street pipe to your compound, you 

are required to use strong GI or HDPE 

pipes. However, your HDPE pipes need 

not be NS certified and can be made of 

recycled materials. While NS certified 

HDPE pipes sell for NRs. 225 per kg on 

average, the recycled ones start from 

as low as NRs. 90/- per kg. 

Once the pipe reaches your compound, 

you separate your water lines into 

two parts- The incoming pipe (for 

clean water to the tank and then to 

IN MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, IT’S NOT JUST 

WATER AND SEWAGE THAT THE PIPES MAINTAIN, 

BUT ALSO COOKING GAS. 


Raw Materials, Manufacturing and Brand 

Piping and Fitting has a huge market in Nepal. 

HDPE pipes 

300 crores 

PPR pipes 

125 crores (70% of the market) 

CPVC pipes 

30 crores (20% of the market) 

uPVC Pipes 

70 crores 

Galvanized Iron pipes (10% of the market) 

BEFORE PPR AND CPVC PIPES REPLACED GI PIPES IN HOUSEHOLDS IN NEPAL, 

THERE WERE MULTILAYERED PIPES THAT HAD METAL SANDWICHED BETWEEN 

PLASTIC. HOWEVER, SINCE THEY WERE NOT BEING PRODUCED IN NEPAL AND WERE 

MORE EXPENSIVE, THEY GOT COMPLETELY REPLACED BY PPR. 

respective taps) and the outgoing 

pipes (for waste water from sinks, 

rainwater collection, and other pipes 

connecting to the sewage). 

UPVC pipes, also known as PVC pipes 

in the market, are used for outgoing 

pipes that collect water from the house 

to the compound or the sewage pipes. 

It’s strong and resistant to chemical 

erosion. However, they cannot be used 

to transmit drinking water. 

CPVC or PPR pipes are used for 

incoming pipes to transmit water from 

water supply sources to the tank and to 

respective taps. CPVC pipes are fairly 

new in Nepal while the PPR pipes have 

been manufactured in Nepal since 

almost 15 years. CPVC pipes are held 

together with glues and a little more 

expensive from the PPR pipes that are 

held together through heat fusion. 

Fittings 

Fittings are parts used to connect 

pipes. They come in different angles 

and types to serve different purpose 

connections. These connectors 

are assigned a gender as Male(M) 

or Female(F). The F is generally a 

receptacle that receives or holds an M. 

Few most common kinds of fittings are: 

(a) Elbow: They’re shaped like human 

elbows that usually come in 

90° or 45° joints and are further 

categorized by length and 

diameter of the pipe. A 45° elbow, 

also known as short radius or 

regular elbow has same diameter 

as the pipe while a 90°, also known 

as long radius or sweep elbow is 

1.5 times the pipe diameter. 

(b) Coupling: They are straight 

connector that come in two 

types. Regular coupling come 

with a ridge in between to ensure 

both sides are inserted in equal 

amounts. Slip Coupling comes 

without this ridge. 

(c) Union: The union is the same 

as Coupling, except it comes in 

three parts( union nut, tail piece, 

and thread piece) that can be 

unfastened for future repairs. 

(d) Tee: Shaped like the letter T, it is 

the most common pipe fitting used 

to combine or divide the flow. The 

two ends are called the run and 

the branch line connection in the 

middle is called the bull. 

(e) Reducer: These fittings are used to 

fit two pipes of different diameters. 

While GI pipes need metal fittings, other 

plastic pipes can use either plastic or 

metal fittings depends on where it is 

required. Mostly, sinks and bathrooms 

use metal while the rest of the joints 

use metal. 


While the pipes are processed and 

manufactured in Nepal, their raw 

materials are not made in house. 

Panchakanya Group, one of the 

largest manufacturers, brings its raw 

materials from Sesikui Chemicals 

in Japan with National Sanitary 

Foundation Certification for their CPVC 

pipes. Nepatop produces PPR pipes, 

HDPE pipes, CPVC pipes and UPVC 

pipes with raw materials from South 

Korea, China, Malaysia, and Soudi 

Arabia. 

Most of us build houses once in a 

lifetime. The pipes that go inside the 

walls and tiles might not make the first 

impression but as the nervous system 

of your home, they require careful 

selection with reliable quality and 

brand. Think before buying and make a 

smarter choice! 

Considering how installing pipes and 

fitting is a long term investment that 

might require regular servicing, it is 

always recommended that the user 

not only know the raw material and 

standard the product has passed, but 

also the kind of brand it represents. 

Choosing a brand can come from 

asking your engineers, relatives, to 

your local customer feedback. 

Certification 

The Department of Food Technology 

and Quality Control has laid out 

standards for the production of these 

pipes with requirement as specific as 

the width of the pipes. The ones that 

pass these standards get an NS stamp 

which is a mandatory requirement for 

governmental water supply projects. 

Other certifications you can look for 

is the Indian Standard(IS) certificate 

approved by the Government of India. 

HDPE pipes require an NS-40 

certification while the uPVC require an 

NS 206. Neither CPVC nor PPR pipes 

have gotten any direction for Nepal 

certification yet. 


ARCHITECTURAL ART DIGEST 


FROM THE SHELF 

Buddhas 

of the Celestial Gallery 

This is not a Book Review; this is just an effort to conveying information to the readers on 

rare and valuable books on art and architecture. This column aims to give a helicopter view 

on such books and thus presents the excerpts and illustrations either from the preface, 

introduction, jacket or main contents of the book from the shelf. This book was kindly 

provided by Mandala Book Point, Kantipath, Kathmandu (Tel. 4227711). 

T 

he charismatic young prince 

who later became known as the 

Buddha, the Awakened One, left 

his home and inheritance to go forth into 

the world in search of a solution to the 

human predicament. His iconic journey 

changed the world forever, and many of 

his spiritual insights are being verified 

today in the fields of neuroscience, 

psychology, and quantum physics. 

This volume, a collaboration between 

the celebrated Himalayan artist Romio 

Shrestha and Buddhist scholar Ian 

Baker, reveals the dazzling trajectory of 

Siddhartha Gautama’s life and teachings 

and the power of art to awaken us 

to realities that fervently require our 

collective attention. 

The Buddha’s enlightenment exposed 

the limitations of religious beliefs founded 

on external sources of salvation. In place 

of dogma and exclusionary faith, Buddha 

revealed a path of compassionate action 

and inner transformation by which all 

beings could be brought to nirvana, a state 

of pure consciousness, transcendent 

of the ego and free of suffering. Each 

Buddha image is thus a doorway into 

a new way of being human. Gautama 

Buddha urged each individual to see 

beyond the limiting illusion of a separate 

self and to act, based on that realization, 

to liberate the world from the ignorance, 

greed, and aggression that fuel human 

suffering. No spiritual message has ever 

been so radical or so urgent.They urge 

us to shift our awareness to embody our 

own infinite nature and, in so doing, to 

become all that we can possibly be. As 

the Buddha stated, we are all potential 

Buddhas. This sumptuous volume is a 

guidebook into that ever-present reality. 

Siddhartha Gautama, the Sakyan prince 

who was born in what is now Nepal in 

approximately 563 B.C.E. 



ARTSCAPE 

FIGURE COMPOSITION 

Prashanta Shrestha’s paintings do 

not capture the realistic figures. 

He expresses his own inner 

emotions and feelings through 

unusual images and distorted 

colors. His figures are dominated 

with voluptuous strokes and lines. 

Spontaneous gestures of brush 

strokes make his compositions 

more dynamic. Also his distinct 

and bold textures give his paintings 

more gravity and strength. 

ASHA DANGOL 

Prashanta Shrestha was born in 1968 in Sankhu, was the youngest son of Gauri Narayan Shrestha and Laxmi Shrestha. 

He established Kasthamandap Art Studio in 1994 along with his colleagues. He passed away at the age of 31 in 

1999. He had 5 solo exhibitions in Kathmandu and had participated in more than 20 group shows in Nepal and in 

Bangladesh. He was awarded Consolation Prize in the National Art Exhibition in 1996. 



Connects 

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Ph: 977-1-4262220 

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02 Balaji Coir Industries Pvt. Ltd. 

Kalanki 

Ph: 977-1-5218813 

09 Bath n Room Trade Concern Pvt. Ltd 

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Berger House - 492, Tinkune, Kathmandu 

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Ph: 977-1-5000171 

79 Foto Hollywood 

Civil Bank Building, Kamaladi 

Ph: 977-1-4169060 

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05 Furniture Land Store Pvt. Ltd. 

Blue Star Complex 

Tripureshwor, Kathmandu 

Ph: 977-1-4224797 

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Gairidhara 

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Heritage Plaza-II, Kamladi, Kathmandu 

Ph: 977-1-4169122/123 

E-mail: info@marvel.com.np 

Website: www.marvel.com.np 

48 Nagarik - Nepal Republic Media Pvt. Ltd. 

JDA Complex, Bagh Durbar 

Ph: 977-1-4265100, 4261808 

E-mail: circulation@nagariknews.com 

49 Navin Distributor Pvt. Ltd. 

A.T. Complex, New Plaza, Putalisadak 

Ph: 977-1-4428196, 4430785 

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4th Floor, Central Business Park, Thapathali 

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House no. 1607, Baburam Acharya Marg, 

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04 R. I. P. L. International Pvt. Ltd. 

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Ph: 977-1-4270730 

30 Reify Artisans and Projects Pvt. Ltd. 

Paud Road, Near Chandani Chowk, 

Pune - India 

Ph: +97-20-2528 6014 / 15 

E-mail: aica@reifappl.com 

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Ph: 977-1-4423851 

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11 Somany Ceramics Ltd. 

Kathmandu 

Ph: 9841325986 

E-mail: rupesh@somanyceramics.com 

03 Status Trading Pvt. Ltd. 

Ratopool, Kathmandu 

Ph: 977-1-4420661, 4420647 

38 Subisu Cable net Pvt. Ltd. 

148 Thirbum Sadak, Baluwatar 

Ph: 977-1-4235888 

E-mail: info@subisu.net.np 

Website: www.subisu.net.np 

77 Technical Associates Services P. Ltd 

1st Floor, Abhiyan Building, Panchayan Marg 

Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal 

Tel: 977-1-4219999 

E-mail: sktulshyan@gmail.com 

07 The Carpenter Hardware Center 

Pashupati Sadak, Gyaneshwor 

Ph: 977-1-4420202, 4417684, 4420234 

31 Tvilum Nepal 

Bhatbhateni 

Ph: 977-1- 4413454 

06 Worldlink Communication Pvt. Ltd. 

Jawalakhel, Lalitpur 

Ph: 977-1-5523050 

E-mail: enterprise.support@worldlink.com.np 

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