100 Years of architecture Pursuing the Architectural Trail

Conclusion

When we look into the pages of a magazine we tend to see only the best of the crowd. The sites and structures featured in the above pages show us the richness, the meaning and the diversity of architecture in Nepal. But one may not draw conclusions based on the ‘cream of the crop’. Even so, referring to the ‘cream’ featured here, we can see that much of our architecture and heritage is based in the Kathmandu Valley alone, and even after centuries we have not been able to break down the barriers that limit us to the valley. Consequently, the valley has also faced much degradation, owing to our limitations and concentration. In a survey conducted in December 2006, ranking the liveability of a city, Kathmandu was ranked the 5th most non-liveable city, amongst the 132 cities ranked! (Economist.com rankings)The overwhelming congestion faced by the capital has resulted in the unforeseen degradation of our heritage. Previously the major cause of destruction of buildings, especially monuments, were fire and earthquake; neglect or wear and tear did not bring about the drastic destruction that we commonly find today. The reason behind this is simple. In the ancient times, monuments were not merely constructed but their welfare was taken into account by the creation of funded ‘Guthis’ or groups of caretakers. These Guthis were responsible for the timely maintenance of these buildings. Many of these Guthis were later dissolved and a government body – ‘Guthi Sansthan’ was created in their place. This Guthi Sansthan is located at the extension of the terrace of ‘Char Khal Adda’, a Rana time building, and the lack of effective execution in their part is evident by the fact that the very building that houses them is in ruins! With the entrance of modernism, Nepal entered into a whole new architectural era. Materials and ideas which were alien to the country were imported and widely used, mostly due to the ease in construction and maintenance assured by them. The times have changed drastically, from the times of the rulers who built imposing structures in brick and timber, to the introduction of foreign architecture by the Ranas, to the construction of the first building in concrete and today the realization of the global need of energy efficiency conceived in Nepali buildings. With changes like these comes the never ending debate between traditionalism and modernism which we are living today, and the most important question that arises in this debate is ‘Which direction, are we headed towards now?’