SPACES June issue_3July16

architecture
The
priority in
safeguarding the
materials were wood
rather than the
bricks due to the
craftsmanship
involved.
The major challenge immediately after the
earthquake was to collect the materials from the
collapsed structures and store it in a safe location.
It was absolutely essential to retrieve the centuries
old architectural remains and artefacts before it
got stolen or destroyed. Bulldozers were used in
Kathmandu Durbar Square, a world heritage site, to
remove the debris which destroyed the materials
that could have been salvaged. Army personnel
were getting ready to use bulldozers in Patan as
well, when the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust
(KVPT), an organization with a mission to safeguard
the extraordinary and threatened architectural
heritage of the valley put a stop to the havoc
caused by the bull dozers. Instead KVPT asked the
community to help collect and store the materials.
Initially, the materials were kept in Patan Museum,
but later a temporary shelter was built inside the
premises of the museum to store the materials. The
priority in safeguarding the materials were wood
rather than the bricks due to the craftsmanship
involved.
The active involvement of KVPT even before the
earthquake and the relation they had with the
community helped them complete the collection
and sorting out of the materials even before the
second major earthquake of May 12th, hit the
40 / SPACES June 2016