All progression happens at some cost. Costs that demand acknowledgement and remembrance. Understanding and tracing the impact of some of the oft-used buzzwords of our times is essential. Globalisation, automation, accessibility, mechanisation—words that drive home the illusion of new-age progress. But, what lies beneath the shiny exterior, the big numbers?

In the context of infrastructural changes, this easy availability of industrial materials everywhere and the popularisation of a single modernist aesthetic often result in the extrapolation of Eurocentric construction methods and techniques to regions with disparate climates, geographies and cultures. On the other hand, archaic structures in such regions, despite their immaculate conservation, end up serving only as receptacles of tales from the yesteryear, or as aesthetic backdrops in cities that are keen on modernising all civic and private spaces. Even as peak globalisation recedes to make way for more localised infrastructural economies, there are very few regions across the globe where traditional knowledge systems are utilised (beyond their aesthetics) to build contemporary structures and lives, in a significant manner.

One of these is Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia which is dotted with some of the highest mountain ranges in the world. While the impact of imported aesthetics has surged in the region, the 2015 earthquake in Nepal served as a speed bump in this direction and paved the way for an alternative architectural philosophy, even as the concretisation of the country continues unabated. With a death toll of more than 9,000 and around 3.5 million people rendered homeless in the catastrophic incident, the aftermath saw the government revise their building codes and norms to facilitate the research for and construction of more robust structures, resistant to seismic events. With people wary of having their homes destroyed, they developed a deep mistrust for vernacular building traditions, regarding them as primitive and unsafe. This is only exacerbated by the institutional bias against vernacular architecture and the usage of traditional methods and the discard of these archaic materials and methods in favour of modern materials such as concrete, cement and steel.

In the face of such odds, the Nepal-based architectural practice, ABARI, founded by Nripal Adhikary in 2006, promotes the idea of owner-driven reconstruction to deal with the damage in an efficient, inclusive and sustainable manner. Taking inspiration from resilient vernacular practices, perfected over centuries, ABARI is dedicated to developing contemporary ways of utilising vernacular knowledge. To address the doubts raised by institutions, ABARI also delved into extensive research and material testing, as well as the demonstration of these findings via tangible projects showcasing the strength, scale and flexibility of natural materials. The architecture firm essentially operates on the belief that a healthy, sustainable, creative and prosperous life can be lived by utilising the natural resources around us. These natural resources bear the potential of being moulded into entities embodying strength and flexibility comparable to industrial materials, whilst also remaining ecologically sound, easily renewable, cheaper, lighter and easy to transport and dispose of, especially in Nepal, which is home to more than 50 bamboo species that cover more than 60,000 hectares.

There can be a model which is non-exploitative—when you are building, you are not extracting from Mother Earth but you are regenerating. – Nripal Adhikary

In keeping up with the ethos of his practice, Adhikary spoke at FAB Conclave 2024 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, on March 27, 2024, on remoulding vernacular practices to address extant needs, the role of architecture in determining experiences and the processes undertaken by his architectural studio to transform lives. His presentation was delivered in sync with the theme of the conclave, L.I.F.E. - Looking Inward For the Environment, which, with STIR as its media partner, invited the presenters to delve into aspects that can help improve environmental conditions and pave the way for a better future and for the audience to ponder on this issue to usher impactful changes. An excerpt from Sarita Vijayan’s curatorial note for the event mentions, “Although our profession has evolved tremendously over time, we have yet to make a meaningful contribution to the health of our environment. The architectural context is still delimited to building opinions, polarisation and protest. We, at FAB, appreciate that while each one of us wants to enhance our environment, real transformation can be realised not by protests but rather by the silent internal discovery of ourselves and our world.”

ABARI, based in Kathmandu, Nepal, is a socially and environmentally committed research, design and construction practice. It focuses on understanding and examining vernacular architecture to utilise these practices to build structures that are more contemporarily styled, encompass modern services, and also make use of modern provisions. The firm primarily employs local natural materials such as bamboo, stones, reed and adobe as opposed to concrete and steel. ABARI has created supply chains for the materials that they use, most of which are obtained locally. In addition to tending to the modern requirements in Nepal via traditional methodologies, ABARI also seeks to build structures that are earthquake resistant and that offer a healthy, energy-efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional building practices.

In this vein, the Nepalese architecture studio undertakes research and experimentation—to redesign several traditional materials in order to cater to extant aesthetic sensibilities and functional needs. Further, the studio particularly focuses on material experimentation and testing and develops ways to utilise household and construction waste for reuse and energy generation. So far, the studio has worked on building various residences, schools, hotels and cafes, learning centres, a library, a bamboo bicycle and a children’s shelter. ABARI also hosts training sessions for individuals keen on learning traditional building techniques.

In tandem with FAB Conclave 2024, which seeks to address the issues that persist in the construction industry and a lack of consideration for the health of the environment, Adhikary, one of the 10 professionals invited to the conclave, delineated the aesthetic and environmental shortcomings of projects that rely on checklists to declare inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability within their designs. During his talk at the conclave, the Nepalese architect detailed instances when indigenous knowledge and practices get discouraged and criminalised, to the point that they affect both indigenous populations and their environments. Further, he spoke about the monopoly on construction materials, which impacts the price of and access to both local and imported materials and the consequent influence this has on building practices in any given region.

Adhikary delineated the collaborative process that guides the craftsmanship and building process in the region. With nearly 200 farmers and artisans and 300 indigenous craftsmen collaborating with Adhikary to source the material bank for ABARI and consecutively, honour and keep alive the artistic and architectural heritage in the region and usher necessary change and evolution in these practices, ABARI sustains a deep impact in the landscape of Nepal, as well as the livelihoods it sustains, without being extractive.

Click on the banner video to view our interaction with Nripal Adhikary.