REBUILDING FROM RUBBLE KASTHAMANDAP

Type: Professional Work

Date: Dec’19-22

Location: Maru, Kathmandu

Team: Kasthamandap Rebuild Committee

Responsiility:Documentation of wooden elements under supervision of Ar. Anie Joshi

Status: Built

Kasthamandap is the valley’s oldest wooden pavilion, and it was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. The project to rebuild Kasthamandap introduced the concept of taking a comprehensive approach to preserving the edifice’s tangible and intangible components. My work is primarily concerned with documenting and actually understanding the wooden elements of the entire wooden pavilion’s nail-less construction systems. Briefly, three techniques were primarily used in the reconstruction of Kasthamandap, namely reusing salvaged materials, reproducing new identical to old, and reviving all

Nailless construction of a wooden window

Window Assembled

Mortise and Tenon Joint

Kasthamandap’s speculative concept, as well as all cultural aspects

Kasthamandap is the keeper of a century-long history and tradition. It has served as a venue for various socio-temporal rituals and exists to serve as a time capsule hauling us back many centuries. Despite major disasters and pandemics, many Kasthamandap-related cultural rituals persisted. Various pujas were also incorporated as part of the construction rituals during the construction process.