Earthquake Resistant Self-Help Traditional House at Nepal by ALLEYA AND ASSOCIATES

Preamble : April – May 2015

The Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks during April – May 2015 resulted in widespread destruction of lives and property. With the fragile hill road infrastructure badly affected across districts, transportation of relief, goods and services were restricted, making the re-construction effort a daunting task, especially in rural areas far from urban centers.

Rural habitats in remote areas – with their own distinct identities derived form local traditions and materials – form an integral part of Nepal’s economy based on nature and culture tourism. The village of Kaule in Nuwakot District (N 27.91; E 085.36; A 1591), for example, mostly use locally available stone, mud mortar, and timber to build their houses. Due to the lack of sufficient seismic resistant measures used in construction, most of these were damaged in the earthquake.

The upper floors of a majority of houses took the brunt of the shaking, trapping people and property in the rubble

Initial response: June 2015

In the aftermath of the earthquake, Nepal was flooded with diverse proposals for reconstruction. These ranged from houses made burnt bricks, paper rolls, sandbags, to steel and RCC pre-fabricated structures. While most of these proposals were structurally sound, they ignored an important community based reconstruction resource – use of traditional skills and materials.

Steel Frame with particle board infill

Burnt Brick construction

Paper Roll construction

A need was felt for a design to mirror the unique cultural identity the of Tamang community – expressed aesthetically and fluently in the design of their habitat for ages. Moreover, re-using salvaged material for environmental, energy, and economic reasons was also needed. Equally important was to engage the community in the re-building process, providing a source of livelihood for a community with its back against the wall in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Traditional mud-plastered house (Photo credit – Abari, Nepal)

A typical Tamang house lower down in the Valley

Sand Bag construction

Survey and study: Sept- Oct 2015

Demographic survey data

Bamboo growing in Kaule

Timber salvaged from a house destroyed by the earthquake

A survey was conducted in the villages of Kaule and Bhangeri over the months of Sept-Oct 2015. Bamboo and other building materials were sourced, and a site for the construction of a prototype was identified. A village committee was formed for an orientation and training programme for treatment and use of bamboo, mud and stone in construction using seismic-resistant concepts. The design allowed use of stone masonry up till lintel level on the ground floor, a bamboo frame with independent foundations that extended up to a lightweight upper floor (attic) with a bamboo frame, mud plastered wattle and daub walls, and a bamboo frame with pre-coated Corrugated G.I. Sheets as roof.

The design team conducting a survey of the twin villages of Kaule and Bhangeri

Physical survey data

A house in Kaule after the earthquake with the missing upper floor

Skills Training: November 2015

Lap joints in timber plinth bands

Mud plaster on bamboo wattle panels

Mud plaster mix preparation

A training programme on techniques used in ‘The Kaule Prototype’ was designed for 12-15 people. More than 60 people signed up! The two week long training session brought architects, craft persons, villagers together to explore treatment and structural joints in bamboo, as well as seismic resistant construction details in stone masonry, timber construction and mud finishes. The design of the Prototype was finalized during this period and submitted, along with structural calculations based on Nepal Building Codes, to DUDBC (the Department of Urban Design and Building Construction), Nepal. This was subsequently approved and published in the DUDBC Design Catalogue Volume II.

Master craftsman interacting with participants

Sorting, splitting and treatment pit for treatment of bamboo

Structural joints in bamboo

Prototype Design – Plans

Lower level – non-availability of large (corner and through) stones in the region made up by use of pre-cast PCC blocks . Door and window jambs connect plinth and lintel timber bands

PLAN – LOWER LEVEL

Upper level – twin bamboo beams support split-bamboo floor with woven mat underneath packed mud above. Bamboo posts with independent foundations travel through upper level to support a bamboo frame roof above topped with pre-coated G.I. sheets

PLAN – UPPER LEVEL

SECTION AA

Upper level– The use of stone is restricted up till lower level lintel band. Upper level uses a bamboo for floor and roof with wattle and daub walls

SECTION CC

Front Verandah and kitchen – Timber post s, beams, and rafters with bamboo purlins tied to the main building timber bands using bamboo pins at the lintel level and RCC plinth band at the floor level

The Kaule prototype in its context

The Team

Principal architect and team leader:  Ashish Sharan Lal
Associates:  Areen Attari, Manu Narendran
Structural Engineers:  Minesh Ratna Tamrakar,  Bipin Gautam
Technical Guidance:  Prof. P. N. Maskey
Project Mentor: Vivek Rawal
Community Representatiive: Santaman Tamang
Funding Support:  South Col Trekking Grou
Construction Manager: Shashi Tamang
Master Craftsperson: Ramesh Ji, Tribuvan Ji
Others: The  Kaule and Bhageri Community

ALLEYA AND ASSOCIATES

Alleya and Associates is a multidisciplinary design practice in Kolkata. The firm has dealt with a wide range of projects – a 100 acre township in West Bengal, institutional buildings, corporate interiors, archival exhibits, adaptive re-use of historic buildings – among others.

A selection of our projects may be viewed at the following web address: http://www.alleya.com/home/

More details on the The Kaule Prototype project can be viewed here: http://thekauleprototype.blogspot.in/

PARTNERS

 Ashish Sharan Lal Architect, Proprietor

• Arch, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, 1988
• Registered Architect, Council of Architecture, India – CA/88/11882
• Registered Conservation Architect, Kolkata Municipal Corporation
• Registered Conservation Architect, West Bengal Heritage Commission

Nilina Deb Lal Conservation Architect

• Arch, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, 1991
• Masters in Conservation of Historic Buildings, University of York, 2003
• PhD at candidate at the University of Edinburgh, Department of Architectural History
• Registered Architect, Council of Architecture – CA/91/13761
• Registered Conservation Architect, Kolkata Municipal Corporation
• Registered Conservation Architect, West Bengal Heritage Commission