Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu:

A three-day Architectural Exhibition organised by the Association of Students of Architecture (ASA) in association with the Department of Architecture, Pulchowk Campus, began here on July 21. Chief guest Purna Kadahriya, director general of the Building Department, inaugurated

the exhibition, which is open to all from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ASA has been organising this kind of exhibition for the last seven years with an aim to display the creativity of the students, give them an opportunity to interact with senior architects and educate the general public about the importance and necessity of the study of architecture. The organisers expect around 20,000 persons. ASA member Gaurav Tuladhar said, “They say that architecture is the mother of all creativity. People are yet to be made aware that architecture is a broad interdisciplinary subject as it is related to sketching, photography, interior designing, besides pre-construction to post construction phase.”

The exhibition showcases the students’ creativity that includes sketches, photographs on the theme ‘Art and architecture,’ paintings on ‘Life and space,’ wall paintings, glass paintings, residential and commercial building models, community housing, school and college designs, existing and proposed street elevation to preserve sites on the World Heritage list, and the model of Valley’s three Durbar Squares. Different traditional houses like Newari and Tharu have also been displayed with technological research done by students on low-cost housing and earthquake resistant constructions. Sharing his experiences at the inauguration function, Kadahriya said, “Architects have a great role in bringing about social transformation. We have seen that many office buildings have no facility for someone on a wheelchair to enter, so I hope architects in future will be sensitive to issues like these while designing.”

ASA president Biken N Pradhan said, “Though Nepali architecture has been prominent since the time of Araniko, formal education regarding it is very recent. During 1980s a three-year programme was introduced for the first time in the country, which was followed by a five-year Bachelors programme in 1998.” Presentations, documentary shows, interaction programmes with architects, and a talk on ‘Application of Vaastu Shastra’ has been scheduled. The exhibition will end on July 23 with the distribution of trophy for the best photograph, painting and design. followed by a cultural programme.