KVPT’s Patan Darbar Earthquake Response Campaign - Work to Date - September 2016

Taleju Temple North
Structural strengthening of the
timber ceiling of the Mul Cok
North Wing Gallery, adjacent to
the temple
Design by Matthias Beckh,
May 2012
the Western end, now that the rebuilding of the Western
wall is complete.
2. The third floor, or main sanctum level, received a new
timber support system with extended and repositioned
historic carved columns that joins the beams directly
to the historic wooden cornice, providing a strong tie
between inner sanctum walls and roof structure. These
columns were strategically placed closer to the inner
structure for maximum support; and the rafters were
connected to the new timber cross beam, which is itself
connected to the inner sanctum’s cornice, uniting the
walls, roof and inner sanctum of the third level. The new
timber framing stiffens and directly structurally connects
to the roof system, providing vertical continuity and an
alternate path for load distribution as well as connecting
the upper roof structure down to the plinth level, which
is solid brick masonry down to grade. This continuity
helps the building move as a single unit.
3. The fourth floor A-frame timber bracing was installed
to strengthen the large timber members that bear the
weight of the brick masonry walls from the upper levels
of the temple. The bracing here was placed underneath
the main timber members on all four sides of the
structure. These triangular braces with top and bottom
chords provide support for the timber beams should
they fail due to shifted loads during an earthquake. They
provide a route to connect the load of the upper tier
masonry walls down to the sanctum walls and beyond
to the masonry plinth. This continuity increases stiffness
and provides a direct load path that relieves the load on
the bearing points of the original timber members on the
fourth floor walls.
During the course of construction and implementation
of this design, no positive structural connection was
made between the bracing and the historic timber members.
This may have been an on-site decision due to lack
of proper materials or a wish to solely support vertical
loads in the case that the historic timbers fail in bending
due to gravity loads. During seismic activity, this lack of
positive structural connection creates a risk of the braces
tipping over and failing to fully perform their duties.
This was apparent after the 2015 earthquake, when the
tower survived thanks to the improvements, but there
was some shift in the upper structure. This can be addressed
either by joining the top chord of the four braces,
or by doweling into the timber framing above. These
installation issues and the damage they allowed point to
the difficulty and importance of experienced site supervision
of all structural details.
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