ISSULS ON CONSLRVA1ION AND PRAC1ICL OI LAR1HLN

ARCHI1LC1URL IN 1HL HIMLAYAS

Neel Kamal Chapagain
J


ABS1RAC1
1he limalayan range in Asia, spanning through Bhutan, India, Nepal, and 1ibet, displays some
unique Larthen Architectural heritage sites as well as liing traditions o earthen construction. It
has the climatic and geo-physical rationale or earthen building traditions, and the same has been
integrated and relected in the culture that hae been alie there or centuries. loweer, the
limalayan region, being one o the actie seismic areas, possesses problems and threats to the
earthen buildings which are considered ery weak in seismic perormance. 1here are other causes
o deteriorations which combined with the seismic moements cause greater threats or the
surial o these buildings. lence, the analysis in this context needs to be carried out in both the
aspects o traditional practice and modern engineering deelopments.

1he issues rom the limalayan region should be analyzed in ollowing contexts:

limalayan region is seismically ery actie zone, and so these earthen architecture do hae
threats o earthquake, and displays seeral problems probably due to earthquakes in past.
Due to high altitude and diicult geographic conditions, these regions still are relatiely
isolated region in terms o connectiity to the rest o the country. Due to such isolation, the
culture and building traditions are still intact, and thus much can be learnt rom these
cultural practices, and also appropriate measures should be introduced to ensure a better
building practice or uture.
1he aboe points lead to the necessity o appropriate codes and building guidelines, and
accordingly the need o institutional set up to disseminate the appropriate inormation and
skills. Again, much can be learnt rom the traditional practices which, i integrated with
modern engineering codes, would deinitely result a releant building guidelines,codes.

IN1RODUC1ION
limalayan range, ormed due to the tectonic moement o the Indian plate and the 1ibetan
plate, is one o the younger geographical ormations and still is said to be in process o slow
growth. Owing to its geological moements, the limalayan region is considered actie seismic
zone.

limalayan region in Asia, spanning through Bhutan, India, Nepal and 1ibet is also home o
dierent cultural population, and accordingly art and architecture. In most part o the limalayas,
earth has been used as building material or both art and architecture. In many cases, the
remoteness and diicult geography o the limalayas hae kept the traditional practice o
Larthen Architecture untouched rom the interention o modern deelopment in building
sector. loweer, such tradition seems to hae attained a height o its technical deelopment
using the local resources and knowledge. Many o such traditionally adanced techniques are still
important in context o contemporary standards, where as in some aspects the traditional
practice needs to be updated on the basis o modern engineering needs. As is common, the
seismic perormance o Larthen structures depend on the seismic measures taken during
construction, or later retroitting. Due to its material nature, earthen structures do not hae a
good seismic perormance o its own. lence, Conseration and Practice o Larthen architecture

1
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii. Email: chapagai@hawaii.edu
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in the limalayan region should be based on the essence o traditional practice, and with
application o contemporary engineering knowledge as appropriate.

Overall Scenario of 1raditional Practice
1here are slight ariations o practice o earthen architecture in the limalayas. Due to climatic
needs, such ariation results in dierent architectural eatures. lor example - Bhutan displays its
unique orm o buildings haing rammed earth construction at the ground loor and a
combination o timber rame and rammed earth system at the upper loors. 1hen it is topped by
a heay, wide oerhanging sloped roo. On the dry, arid regions o the limalayas in India, Nepal
and 1ibet, the construction simply ollows a rammed earth construction with lat mud roos.
Such construction system requires protection o wall rom erosion due to rain ,een the rain all
is minimum,, snow, and wind. 1hese unctional requirements are integrated with culture o the
people and hae resulted traditional practices, which proides typical wall capping systems and
practices. Such wall capping could be in orm o a stack o twigs collected as ire-uel, or a
speciically collected subsoil cake ,containing roots o a typical grass-plants,, or a compilation o
thin twigs arranged in certain order. Other orm o wall capping has been to simply use slates or
lat stones to diert the run o water at a saer distance rom wall.

Similarly, the protection o wall suraces becomes another concern. 1raditionally this has been
dealt with by the cultural practice where in many cases, an annual ritual o pouring colorul clays
oer the structure is common. 1his contributes as a sacriicial layer on the surace o the
structure.

In iew o seismic consideration, I think most o the suriing historic buildings hae withstood
the seismic moements due to their massieness. Len i we see serious cracks on the structures,
basically the massie structure constructed in a tapering proile in section, contributes or its
seismic perormance. In some cases, or example in some places in Ladakh, the intermediate
layers o twigs embedded in the rammed earth wall, perhaps contributes towards the seismic
perormance. loweer, such systems are not ery eident in case o Mustang ,Nepal,.

In my obseration, the problems caused by other reasons, when combined with seismic
moements, get worsened and ultimately lead to the collapse o the structure. lence, some o
such problems will be mentioned here:

ISSUES & PROBLEMS: SOME OBSERVATIONS
Seeral problems and issues are obsered that are related to conseration and practice o earthen
architecture in the limalayan region. Some o these are relected through examples that author
encountered while working in Mustang district o Nepal.

Ioundation problems - Many o old structures hae stone as the oundation base. loweer,
the old structure and settlement has seen a gradual rise o street leel, and this has brought the
dampness eect up aboe the original oundation leel. In Lomanthang ,Mustang, Nepal,, the
Gompa`s structures hae suered rom this kind o problems, which renders the internal decay
o the walls. 1hus, een the massie structure becomes ragile in seismic moements. Improper
drainage around the structure obiously causes a oundation problem, and may lead to the
collapse o the wall. A striking example was seen in Lomanthang ,Mustang, Nepal, in 1999 when
a section o the town wall collapsed due to the inadequate drainage in that particular area.

Lrosion Problem - Lrosion due to run o water, rain splashes at the ground, leakage o water
through rain spouts are o major concerns in earthen architecture. 1hese erosions take place
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gradually, but inadequate maintenance or protection could weaken the structure - thus making
ragile in seismic moements.

Joint problem - Another problem that gets signiicantly ampliied during a seismic moement is
the joint between the old structure and new structure. Len in the same structure, sometimes the
joints o day works may experience a joint problem. In conseration works, oten the joint
between the old section and the repairs hae the same problem ater sometime. In a slight
seismic moement, such joints easily detach and ampliy the problem.

Other problems - One interesting problem obsered in some old structures in Lomanthang
occurs on the North wall o the buildings. 1he walls on the northern sides o the buildings hae
collapsed again and again in past where as the walls on the other sides were intact. It could hae
been caused by climatic reason. lor example - the arid landscape o this region experiences
strong dry wind rom South to North, but in winter the wind direction changes and blows to
South rom North. 1his combined with snow could be a possible reason or such collapses o
walls on the northern side.

Management and Development Planning Problems - As many o these places hae been
isolated because o their remote locations and diicult geographic eatures, the tradition and
settlements hae been intact. Now, as the deelopment actiities are being planned, care in
planning and management o such modern deelopments become necessary. lew years back, the
ignorance o local deelopment authorities had resulted a newly planned dirt road right next to
the 15
th
century town wall o Lomanthang along with its numerous historic and cultural
structures. Later on, concerns shown by many hae resulted a diersion o the road to a saer
distance rom the historic earthen settlement. loweer, such management issues are also related
with the awareness and introduction o appropriate technologies.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Need of continuity of cultural practices: As has been explained aboe, the cultural
and traditional practices hae lots to deal with the maintenance o the built up
enironment. lence, it is to the best interest o the built up enironment as well as the
preseration o culture that the cultural practices be appropriately promoted as part o
methodologies or conseration and improement o contemporary practice. A liing
built up enironment can not be conceied as totally maintenance ree, and the existing
maintenance practice must be taken in to consideration beore opting or modern less
maintenance approach.

2. Incorporation of conservation techniques in cultural practice - In many o those
traditional settlements, a mere conseration approach may not work in terms o its
sustainability. lence, the sustainable approach o conseration would be to incorporate
certain conseration concepts and methods in to existing cultural practices. Rather than
introducing brand new techniques, it would be appropriate to deelop intermediate
techniques.

3. Regional Consortium for advancement of Larthen Architecture: In summer 2004,
UNLSCO and NIRLAC ,Namgyal Institute or Research in to Ladakhi Art and Culture,
organized two sets o workshops in Ladakh, India, on conseration o i, Larthen
Structures, and ii, wall paintings in the limalayan region. It was attended by participants
rom Bhutan, Nepal, India, and also rom other countries, who were working in the
region. Apart rom the proessionals, this workshop had a ery good inolement o the
local community. Such an eent not only could brought the proessionals to share their
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experiences, concerns and learn rom each other, but also discussed some techniques
that could be applicable to the whole region. lor example - learning rom the horizontal
band o twigs and other organic material embedded in the rammed earth wall, as seen in
some structures in Ladakh, was a good practice in seismic consideration. lurther
elaborating on that lesson, John lurd - UNLSCO expert in the workshop,
demonstrated some sot stitching techniques or cracks on rammed earth wall that could
be done using locally aailable materials. Also, the participation o the local community
including their master cratsmen coninced the possibility o deelopment o
intermediate techniques by participatory approach. I think, the knowledge and practice
rom arious parts o the region, thus could be brought together or a ruitul synthesis
o appropriate methodologies.

4. Iormulation of guidelines: As many remote regions, such as Lomanthang, are going
through the modern deelopment process, it is important that a balance between
conseration needs and deelopment aspirations be maintained. In architecture, this
implies or a deelopment o appropriate guidelines or practice. 1here are certain
contemporary needs that may not be easible to meet within traditional techniques and
systems, and also there are assets o traditional practice that are alid in deeloping a
local architectural character. lence, the guidelines should approach rom these two
perspecties, and come up with appropriate methodologies that could easily be
understandable to the local building workers. Author is working in this regard or his
Architecture Doctorate degree at the Uniersity o lawaii.