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Kathmandu Tuesday January 29, 2002 Magh 16, 2058.
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Old houses
UNESCO has constituted an award for buildings in
the Asia-Pacific region which are older than fifty years. This is an encouraging move. It
will help preserve and promote traditional architecture, besides protecting the ambience
of monument zones. UNESCO will also recognise individual efforts to restore buildings.
This will enhance appreciation for artisan techniques and materials used at the time of
construction as well as the architectural profile of buildings that deserve protection.
Such a move will bring a change in the attitude of city dwellers towards fine old
buildings in their midst which invariably have some cultural, social or historical value.
For too long now the public has been obsessed with the new and the modern in buildings,
which usually means the functional cement boxes with iron shutters that have little
aesthetic appeal and are now ubiquitous. However, will such awards alone protect what is
left of our architectural heritage? The factors responsible for the demolition of one
venerable old house after another in urban Kathmandu valley are many. And chief among
these may be the inheritance system that accords equal right to paternal property to all
male progeny. When a joint family breaks up the sons, who head its nuclear components,
more often than not end up dividing up the family house as well. The resulting slices of
the old house can have storeys added on or be pulled down to make way for cement
structures that yield more living space inside. The architectural integrity of the
original house is gone. Just how deeply the inheritance system is entrenched in our social
fabric has been borne out by the still inconclusive debate on equal parental property
rights for daughters. There are still quite a few houses older than fifty years,
especially in Patan and Bhaktapur. These add to the touristic charm of this country. Many
such buildings are occupied by joint families which would prefer building new structure to
conserving them. But even if some members of such families wish to keep their structures
intact, their siblings usually feel otherwise. And the latter’s right to demolish and
rebuild their portion of the common structure has to be fully respected.
UNESCO has outlined criteria for its award for
conservation of old structures. These will identify the number of buildings of
archaeological value that need protection. Local authorities and NGOs along with the
owners will have to furnish information on the state of an old building in and around a
monument zone. A certain amount of red tape invariably sets in. Attempt has been made in
some of the urban areas of Nepal to encourage a revival of traditional architecture by
offering the owners of street-front houses free bricks if they wish to rebuild with a
traditional looking facade. But it has been the same old story of bureaucratic hindrance.
The conditions attached have turned people away. For the time being the authorities, if
they want to preserve the old architectural atmosphere of the valley towns, would do well
to take some mitigating measures such as providing tax incentives for people living in
traditional looking structures, preventing encroachment in monument areas, and bringing in
laws where necessary to prevent the building of houses if these do not blend with a
monument zone or, as in many instances, even overshadow the temples and pagodas in the
neighbourhood. They should also keep vehicular traffic out of such areas as far possible
and not build roads that entail the pulling down of traditional structures. The vibrations
generated by traffic hasten the demise of old houses with their mud bonding. |
