Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC), Illuminated Lives

It is but natural that Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC) should shine. After all Deepak (light) and Jyoti (glow) are the husband/wife team who head CBC, one of the premier design and construction firms in Nepal. An illuminating pair, no doubt! The architect pair have an able associate in civil engineer Manohar Sherchan who completes the troika of directors on the board. As Deepak Sherchan, architect par excellence, says, “Our strength lies in teamwork. No one should think that he/she alone can do enough.” Jyoti Sherchan, nee Joshi, is supposedly the organizer and financial whiz while her husband, Deepak, is the artist who conceptualizes designs and puts them on the board. “Manohar, on the other hand, is the implementer who gets things done on the ground,” says Deepak.

It is said that a man’s nature can be deduced from his environment and from the home he lives in. It could also be true that a person’s nature can be surmised from his place of work. If so, then one needs only to visit the offices of CBC on the fifth floor of Heritage Plaza II in Kamaladi, Kathmandu, to conclude that this firm is no common establishment. The main office through the library has an 18 feet high ceiling, and an extravagance of natural light streaming into the capacious and tastefully furnished room through two large windows overlooking a lovely terrace garden, the handiwork of Jyoti. “I love gardening,” she says. “In fact most of the landscaping work on our projects gives me ample opportunities to indulge in my passion.”

Deepak is more geared towards sports and has been a sportsman since the days when he captained his school’s Silver Team and excelled in hockey, football, boxing and swimming.  Today he is more into squash and tennis. No wonder even now he does not look a day over forty although both husband and wife are well into their fifties. “I met Jyoti when teaching at the Institute of Engineering,” says Deepak. So started a love affair that culminated in a fruitful marriage resulting in further blossoming of CBC as well as three daughters- Puja, a doctor who is doing her MD in Chicago; Prathna, an architect with Masters in Housing and Real Estate from Holland and with further plans to acquire a doctorate; and Prakriti who is studying hotel management in Switzerland.

It is no accident that the family is so brilliant in the academic sphere. Although Jyoti’s mother, Angoor Baba Joshi, is well known for her social service work as well as for the fact that she was the first and probably the longest serving principal of the pioneering ladies college, Padmakanya Campus, very few know that Jyoti’s father, Prof. (Dr.) Balaram Joshi, was a nuclear physicist. “You can imagine, there wasn’t much use for his expertise in Nepal then,” remarks Jyoti. “He worked for the United Nations most of his working life but I remember he was recalled to Nepal during the Chernobyl disaster to check and verify that milk here was not contaminated!”

Angoor Baba Joshi, meanwhile, did her B.Lit and Bar at Law from Oxford University. As for Jyoti herself, “I was Board 2^nd in the SLC exams in 1968. Probably the first girl in the country to get on the board.” Her Alma Mater till class nine was St. Mary’s School and then she joined Mahendra Bhawan from where she gave her SLC exams. Jyoti was awarded a scholarship under the Colombo Plan and went on to study architecture in Maharaja Shivaji Rao University in Baroda. She remembers, “I graduated along with Chandra Lekha Kayestha in 1975 and I believe we were the first two lady architects of Nepal.”

Deepak’s family on the other hand, has always been into business and industry but he himself was no less a brilliant scholar than anyone on his wife’s side of the family. After finishing school from St. Xavier’s in 1965, he joined Amrit Science College then went on to do a five and a half year course in Architecture from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur. One can guess that Deepak must have really excelled in academia since it is well known that to get admitted to an institution such as IIT, Kharagpur, is every student’s dream come true. Deepak passed out in 1975 and worked with Robert Weize for a year, then with Shanker Nath Rimal for a year and a half. Later, for about two years, he taught at the Institute of Engineering in Pulchowk, Lalitpur where he met Jyoti, who too was teaching there.

Deepak then formed his own company, CBC, along with civil engineer Diwaker Sherchan and architect Sri Ram Bhakta Mathema. The team worked together for about four years after which they parted ways and Jyoti and Manohar entered the picture. From then till now CBC has grown from strength to strength. “One of our most important clients has been the INGO, Save Our Souls or SOS,” admits the couple. “We have designed and built seven of the eight SOS Villages throughout the country.” In fact, for the SOS Village located in Itahari, Deepak Man Sherchan, in 1997, was awarded the South Asia Commendation Award instituted by JK Cements of India. “The SOS Village projects had special design requirements inbuilt into their philosophy of creating spaces where orphans and deprived children could live in a family environment while at the same time growing up into educated and aware citizens,” says Deepak. “So, to give the feeling of living in individual homes, we segregated the living spaces into ten to thirteen units housing about ten children each. In addition, school buildings had to be constructed as well as staff accommodations and administration buildings.”

A large silk screen painting by Binita Rana hangs on the wall of Deepak’s office and lends an air of colorful vibrancy to the surroundings. According to the debonair architect, “Actually, graduates at architectural schools are taught to appreciate art so that after graduation each can go and discover his/her own niche with regard to specialization.” Jyoti is of the opinion that, “An architect is a designer and a technocrat.” Howsoever the couple may define their profession, Deepak is the one who handles public relations, business policies and sketches and admits, “This profession has to be understood in its totality as one having huge requirements in the area of public relations and a firm understanding of business.” Jyoti is the manager and team leader who handles the nitty gritty including the minutest financial details. “She is very good at managing day to day affairs as well as the finer points of financial dealings,” informs Deepak.

The pair are proud of many of their completed projects including Heritage Plaza II. “We finished this in 1997 and since my sister, Dr. Ashok Banskota’s wife, is the other partner besides us and Manohar, we had a free hand while designing and constructing.”  Built on about two ropanies of land, the plaza consists of a built of area of 35000 square feet and has five floors. From their offices on the top floor of the Plaza has arisen many great designs such as the Malpi International School in Panauti, St. Mary School’s new building in Jawalakhel, the SOS Village series, the Mechanical Training Center in Balaju, the Trek-O Tel Hotel in Pokhara, Herman Gmaar School in Banepa, the Marcopolo Business Hotel in Kamalpokhari, Staff Residential Quarters of St. Xaviers’s College in Thapathali, the Family Planning Association of Nepal Central Office, and the offices of ILO Danida, besides many others. The SOS Village in Chitwan has been only recently completed as has been the St. Mary’s School building.

However, the Malpi International School holds special significance for the pair. “Deepak wants to contribute to society through the medium of education,” says Jyoti. “The Malpi School, of which Deepak is the Chairman, cost Rs.15 crores to be built. The school provides high quality education to 400 residential co educational students and all profits go towards the service of the local community in Panauti.” Jyoti and Deepak are excited that the first batch of students from Malpi appeared for the SLC exams this year. Deepak adds, “We designed Malpi is such a way as to promote lots of interactive thinking as well as provide a positive atmosphere whereby creative learning could be encouraged.” One of the highlights of the design is the large and spacious courtyard and ampi-theatre in the centre of the complex.

Although CBC is as Deepak says, “one of the leading design and construction firms in the country,” he himself had started his studies in engineering and only later shifted to architecture. According to him, “The architectural profession started to pick up as a worthwhile profession after people began to notice designs created by Robert Weize- designs such as the Annapurna Hotel, the Malla Hotel and the barracks in Chauni.” Deepak, for a time, was associated with Building Design Associates of which Tom Crees, Narendra Pradhan, Raja Ram Bhandari and engineer Ashesh Giri were also members. “During the premiership of Dr. Tulsi Giri BDA got some prestigious projects like the Airport and the Sherpa Hotel, due to which the architectural profession was further highlighted,” says Deepak.

Undoubtedly, Creative Builders Collaborative is on a roller coaster ride at the present moment and as the pair says, “It’s quite difficult to get the two of us together in a day, we are so busy.” One of their completed projects about which the couple seem specially satisfied, is the Saptarangi Apartments opposite the Prime Minister’s Quarters in Baluatar and although they believe that the building bylaws are lax and builders seem to be getting away with anything, they themselves are careful to follow the letter of the law to the ‘t’.  This conscientiousness, combined with their deserved and proven reputation, perhaps, explains why Deepak has formed a partnership with Prithvi B. Pandey and Mahendra Lal Pradhan to form the Subhakamana Housing Project that is in the process of designing and constructing the Indreni Apartments, a 30 apartment complex, all in one block, in Bishalnagar heights. And no doubt this will be as successful a project as any that CBC has attempted, because as Jyoti says, “The very fact that CBC has designed it and will be building it is enough to give confidence to the public the project will be a worthy one and one that they can be sure will be of the best quality. Something that is dependable and trustworthy.”

Such is CBC’s reputation today, thanks to the illumination of Deepak and Jyoti.

The Man who would be Monk

He has an impressive lineage. One of the so-called three diamonds of Nepal, the great litterateur, Paras Mani Pradhan, was his grandfather. His father, Kalu Pradhan, was the first Nepali to become Superintendent of Police of Darjeeling District. Both are no more today and now it is upto Architect Narendra Pradhan to keep the impressive family history going. Will he be able to add another chapter, as illustrious, to his family line?

Time will tell no doubt, but the way he has been making a name for himself in the field of architecture, foretells great things for the near future. Narendra was born on March 15^th 1947, which makes him 57 years of age. In all these years he has attained a wealth of experience in his chosen field of work and today can be said to be especially renowned for his work in building monasteries. Oh yes, Narendra Pradhan has built so many monasteries that he admits, "I have lost count."

He has designed and built monasteries in many cities around the globe: New York, Hamburg, Sydney and Taipei as well as in Himachal Pradesh and Bodhgaya in India besides of course quite a few all over Sikkim. There are no statistics as yet but it is probable that Narendra Pradhan could be one of the world's leaders in designing and building monasteries. To a query about whether he is a Buddhist, Narendra had something interesting to reveal, " Actually we are Shakyas and our origins are in Patan but you know how it was in those days, the minute you crossed Mechi river, you became a Pradhan!" He is of course referring to the well-known fact that there are many in Darjeeling who use the surname of 'Pradhan' although they might not strictly be 'Pradhans' in the real sense.

Narendra Pradhan was born in Darjeeling and went to St. Joseph's School. He passed out in 1962 along with famous classmates like His Majesty the Late King Birendra, ex-minister Keshav Budhathoki and the Bhutanese Regent, the present King's uncle, Paro Penlop. From 1964 to 1969 he studied architecture in Maulana Azad College of Technology in Bhopal from where he received his Bachelor's.

In the beginning Narendra had the opportunity of working with renowned Architect Weise and was involved in the design and construction of the Chauni barracks, the Annapurna Hotel and SOS Children's Home in Sano Thimi. "Weise was a very good teacher," remembers Narendra. " I learnt a lot from him." In 1975 he, along with Rajaram Bhandari, Ashish Giri and Tom Crees established the consulting firm BDA. "I brought in Tom Crees. He was working as an overseer, but he had such talent in freehand drawings and sketches that I knew he would be a good asset." Time has proven Narendra right as Tom Crees has gone on to become a famous name in the field. Narendra himself went to America in 1984 and completed his Master's from the University of Southern California in 1987.

Narendra Pradhan's visiting card describes him as a Chartered Architect. He explains, " One has to be a member of the Council of Architects of India to be a Chartered Architect. I think there are only two or three more besides myself in Nepal." According to him, becoming a member of this prestigious council means that one has to abide by certain codes of conduct as befitting such a noble profession. Narendra Pradhan is also a member of the Indian Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Architects (Los Angeles Chapter). He was also a founding member of the Royal Art Council of Nepal. It would be of interest also to know that in 1977, Narendra had started work on establishing what was to be called the Royal Institute of Nepal Architects. So, what happened? " The first meeting was well attended. The second had fewer attendees and by the third meeting there were hardly any people present!"  Small wonder then that the plan fizzled out in no time at all.

It is not that Narendra Pradhan only makes monasteries. Far from it. Architectural achievments like the Haathiban Resort, the Shangrila Hotel, the Malla Hotel, the Lukla Resort and the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara, are only a few of his outstanding works. It is only in recent years that Narendra has been specializing in monasteries. One cannot really blame him because his fame goes before him and anyone who thinks of building a monastery, first thinks of him.

While remembering some of his projects, he has fond memories of Haathiban Resort that was started in 1987. " The project was initially started by SriRam Mathema and Associates. I was called in only after four columns had already been built," he reminisces. "I had to work around these columns and digging up the bar area was a difficult task. In addition, since there was no road, we had to do with local materials and that is why you will find that we have used mostly quarry stone and mud mortar. And of course, being a forest reservation, no trees could be felled."

Another problem that put Narendra in a dilemma was deciding whether to have the rooms face south (to catch the sun), or to have them face north (because the view was, and is, mind boggling). " We finally decided that it was worth catching a little cold for the magnificent view and so had the rooms face north." Narendra also let us know that he was the one to bring in Desmond Doig to do the landscaping and interior designs of Shangrila Hotel in 1978. He adds, " Of course now I think there is precious little left of the original interiors in Shangrila."

Narendra is much in demand in Sikkim where his wife, Om, is an instructor in a teacher's training institute in Gangtok. Doesn't he find it a bit difficult to live here while his wife is in Gangtok? To this he says half jokingly," The secret of staying young is to live far from your wife, to have young people around you and to think young." No doubt the last two can be agreed to but we hope that the first is only a joke! Narendra's brother Jivan is a retired tea planter; one sister, Chandra runs the Shishu Niketan School while another sister, Rupa, lives in Kalimpong. He has one daughter who is an architect herself.

The Sikkim pavilions designed by Narendra were recipients of the gold medal in the Delhi International Trade Fairs in 1977 and 1981. At the moment he is involved in the Government of Sikkim's plans to build a Bhanubhakta Memorial Cultural Academy that will serve as an academy for research of the Nepali language. "It's a huge project and will be spread over 18 hectares in Kyongsa, Geyzing in west Sikkim," says Narendra. " At first they were thinking of erecting a massive statue as a memorial to Bhanubhakta. I suggested the idea to have an academy instead."

Back in Nepal, Narendra has designed the Nepal Amitabha Buddha Society Project in Sitapaila, of which the main building has been completed. A 165 feet tall statue of Amitabha Buddha will be the high point of the project. Similarly, another big project on which he is busy is the Amitabha Foundation Retreat Center in Kopan that he believes will be finished in three years. The Kathmandu Temple Project in Jyatha is going on at the moment, " It is very traditional and no expense is being spared. A single traditional window can cost above Rs. 2 Lakhs!" 

Besides these, Narendra is also designing the Lumbini Mikasa Hotel in Lumbini that will have 30 rooms in the first phase and 30 more in the next. One project that had to be shelved, and one he was really excited about, was the Gurkha Village Resort in Pokhara, "It would have spread over 300 ropanies and would have had six villages of different ethnic groups, such as Newars, Gurungs, Tharus and so on. Besides, we also had plans to have a 'Hatiya Bazaar' in the resort just like a village 'haat bazaar'.

Outside Nepal, Narendra will soon be starting work on an interesting project, the Amitabha Foundation Meditation Center in Bodhgaya that is designed on what he says is a 'Dharmachakra concept', "From above, the site will look like a prayer wheel". And in Taipei he will be doing the Shien Shah Complex that will have conference facilities for 10000 people. " I haven't as yet worked in Japan," he says. The day is not far off is what an observer might respond with!

Narendra has the highest regard for the works of Architect Dipak Sherchan, and thinks that the architecture of Heritage Plaza is just great. And of course he is all admiration for Tom Crees, "His Springside Resort is fantastic." Narendra also adds, " And oh yes, those Nagpurias in Design Cell are also doing a great job. I like their work"

Narendra himself is of course as great a source of admiration and inspiration for others in the field. His office has four young architects whom he terms associates and whom he encourages to try out new ideas without fear of failure. His advice to new architects and students is that they should use freehand more often and not be too dependent on only computers, "I myself sketch out my concepts using freehand first when approaching a project."

Narendra is also unhappy at the present state of affairs and says wistfully, "I wish I could employ a lot more young architects in my firm, there are so many looking for a job. But what to do, times are bad."

The Fountainhead

Preparing for Disaster

On Earthquake Safety Day, 14 January 2005, Bibhuti Man Singh, Chief Architect of Technical Interface, Thamel, was awarded a certificate of appreciation signed by the Prime Minister. The certificate lauds the eminent architect's contribution towards increasing awareness in society about disaster management in case an earthquake occurs. As the silvered haired, 54 year old architect says, “We cannot know exactly when an earthquake of immense magnitude will strike us, but it is certain that one is due soon. The law of averages point towards this fact.”

As he says this, one is struck by the conviction in his manner at such a stark statement. He continues, “For the last five years I have been obsessed with the subject of disaster management. Since there is not much one can do or expect from authorities in case of a huge earthquake, it is only logical that we should prepare ourselves to the best of our capacities.” He is the president of Ward Number 13 Disaster Management Committee and they conduct periodic ‘earthquake fairs’ in their locality where community members are made aware about ways and means to prevent greater loss of life in case of an earthquake.

Among other things, ward members are told about higher safety zones in their localities where they are asked to seek safety. As the architect says, “Every buildings have certain spots where the structures are relatively stronger. In case of an earthquake, people usually tend to panic and seek shelter in places like, for example, below the staircases, which in fact are quite unsafe. As an architect I consider it my duty to inform them about such things.”  And when a learned man like Bibhuti Man is so worried about an earthquake of great magnitude striking the country any time soon, it is but natural that others should take serious notice. At the same time, the architect hopes, “No doubt an earthquake might strike us any moment, but I do pray that we have another ten years time before the next big one occurs.” He believes that if given this amount of time, disaster management programs in all wards of the Capital would be in place and most people would be able to react with greater efficiency due to the increased awareness. He adds, “It is people like us whom the community look up to, who have to be leaders on this issue.”

The Man from Chaksibari

Not only does his status as a leading architect make him a natural leader, but the very fact that his address says, 147/65 Chaksibari Marg, should further reinforce the fact. Born on 6th April 1950 to Shanker Man Singh and Narayani Devi Shrestha, Bibhuti Man is the nephew of the late Ganesh Man Singh whose son, Prakash Man, currently a Minister, is Bibhuti Man's first cousin. He has two elder brothers, Trailokya and Mahendra, who are both into politics. Bibhuti Man has two sisters, Nirmala Malla, who is a medical doctor and Prafulla Rajbhandari, a freelance artist.

Taking into consideration the fact that the architect is so closely related to one of the leading political families in Nepal, it is surprising to know that Bibhuti Man himself is least interested in politics. In fact he seems positively disdainful towards politics and politicians in general. He reveals, “I have seen politics from close quarters and have therefore no illusions about the level of both politics and politicians.”

Bibhuti Man did his SLC from JP High School in 1965 and college from Amrit Science Campus. He then won a scholarship to study architecture in Lahore and passed out in 1972 with a B.Arch degree from West Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology. As he says, “I always liked to sketch and make models and I guess that is why I chose architecture.” In 1978, Bibhuti Man went to Japan to do a Post Graduate training through a JICA sponsored program under the auspices of the Housing Corporation of Japan.

Life and Love

Today, after more than thirty years in the profession, this is what the eminent architect has to say about his vocation, “I think architecture is the best profession in the world because it involves and affects every section of society. Architecture is life itself!” When asked to give three reasons for his belief, he says, “Firstly, architecture is one of the most creative among all other professions fields. Secondly, there is immense diversity and scope in this line of work. And thirdly, architecture is a profession that can be said to be a about life itself.”

A poem written by him hangs on a wall in his office in which the first stanza reads, ‘Could not find You / Looked instead / At Art and Architecture / For Eternity itself.’ Doubtless, Bibhuti Man Singh is deeply in love with his vocation. Perhaps only his love for his nine-month old grand daughter, Yeshaswi, is greater than that towards his work. “I look forward to each Saturday when my daughter, Varsha, visits me along with my grand daughter. I am sometimes amazed at how fast time passes on such Saturdays.”

Bibhuti Man and his wife, Usha, also have a son, Barun, who works as an IT programmer in Singapore. Varsha has studied interior design although she has never practiced it professionally. It does seem that Bibhuti Man is a blessed man, both professionally as well as personally. Even if so, the second stanza of the aforementioned poem does say, ‘Do Not Find You / Lost instead / In Man and Community / As Eternity itself.’ Perhaps an unfortunate emotional experience in his younger days could have made him write these words. Only he himself knows.

Flowering after Fifty

Bibhuti Man's professional life began in the Bhavan Bibhag where he worked for seven years and was in the Surkhet Valley Physical Planning Team under a person he really admires, Madhav Bhakta Mathema. “Yes, you can say that he had a great influence on my life and was in fact an inspiration to me,” admits Bibhuti Man. “He was one of the most dedicated men I have ever known, and was driven by the desire to excel in his work.  He later settled down in Japan, maybe after seeing that here, in Nepal, his efforts were not as well recognized or rewarded as they deserved to be.”

The silver haired architect is of the opinion that an architect starts to flower only after he is fifty although he does have immense admiration for the works of the Spanish architect Santiago Calatriva who presently practices in Switzerland. “He is in his late forties and is both an architect and a structural engineer. His designs, including the main structure of the last Greek Olympic Games, are indeed outstanding.” Similarly, Bibhuti Man shows great respect for Frank Lloyd Wright whose works, he says, ‘touches the heart’.

Unfortunately, the architect doesn't have any great opinions about Nepalese architects and their works while at the same time is extremely self critical of his own work and believes that “The best is yet to come.” However, he concedes that the Health Ministry building in Ram Shah Path, designed by Louis Kahn, is worthy of mention specially since, “Some of the architecture in this building is both aesthetically pleasing and at the same time, functionally effective.” The Lumbini Development Trust designed by Kenzo Tanga is another work that Bibhuti Man thinks is exceptional. About newer architects in the country, Bibhuti Man thinks that some of them are indulging in 'post modern excesses' and are designing buildings with no regard to logic nor rationale.

Bibhuti Man himself does not consider any of his numerous works to be perfect, and referring to traditional designs associated with him, like Dwarika's Hotel, says, “I didn't really do anything. All I did was fit in the ancient pieces, collected over the years, in appropriate places, so that the hotel would have all required modern facilities, while at the same time retain traditional exteriors.” He further adds, “Working with traditional designs is a humbling experience.” He is obviously referring to the fact that in the ancient days craftsmen and builders could come up with such exquisite works even without the knowledge and technology available today. Maybe that is why he says, “Architecture is an ‘umbrella’ term and one doesn't really need a formal qualification to be an architect.”

The Knowledge Gatherer

Listening to him, one gets the impression that this eminent architect is quite the learned man and when one gets to know that he is a voracious reader of speculative science fiction, philosophy and new age literature, then one will certainly not doubt it. He has been reading science fiction since he was a kid and his favourite authors include Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Paul Anderson, Ray Bradbury and Carl Sagan, all science fiction writers. Small wonder then, that the third stanza of his poem reads, 'Will not find you / Drawn instead / To Science and Technology / Through Eternity itself'. 

“And yes, I also love Woody Allen's writings. They're really funny,” he laughs. He has read ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand, three times. “That Howard Roark, he's something else, right?” he exclaims. At the moment he is reading ‘Concepts of Space-Ancient and Modern’ by Kapila Vatsyayan. And it is only to be expected that the final stanza of Bibhuti Man's poem should read thus, ‘Cannot find you / Content instead / With Knowledge and Wisdom / Of Eternity itself.’

Designed to Impress

Bibhuti Man's first work as an architect was designing a campus for health workers in Surkhet. Since then, among his innumerable works are the Park Village Resort in Budanilkantha, the Club Himalayan in Nagarkot, the Himalayan Bank building in Birganj and some large commercial buildings in Biratnagar. One of his more recent designs was  the residential complex for Dinesh Lal Shrestha of ICTC in Bhainsepati. “It is a ten thousand square feet building, built within ten ropanies of land and involved extensive landscaping as well. Can you imagine, it was designed and constructed in just fourteen months!” One of Bibhuti Man's magnum opuses has been the award winning Himalayan Pavilion in Hanover during the Expo 2000 in Germany. “For the five months that it was held, our pavilion was always placed among the top five every month as the 'most favored pavilion'.”

No wonder then, that the renowned architect was commemorated with a plaque from the Society of Consulting Architectural and Engineering Firms (SCAEF) on January,10, 2001 for his ‘…outstanding works in the International and National arena for the promotion of Traditional Heritage.’ Bibhuti Man informs that among his current projects are several pavilion design proposals for exhibitions in European countries and "there are several speculative projects that I cannot mention as it is all confidential." However, he does reveal that he is involved in designing truly affordable housing projects, the complete designs of which he is planning to bring out in a book form in the near future. In fact, Bibhuti Man is quite enamoured with this project as he is rather critical of the housing projects at present and says, “The current designs of the housing settlements are too low in density with no communal areas. Besides, most of them have only linear planning.” He blames the architects involved for this and thinks that it is their responsibility to keep in view overall concepts while designing such settlements. “They must realize that architecture is much more than just building houses. Architecture involves and affects life itself so a much wider conceptualisation as well as its impact on society as a whole has to be kept in mind while designing.”

Back to Basics-Disaster Management

The architect’s obsession with disaster management has lead him to play a pivotal role in shaping guidelines and government policies on construction in general. Besides this, at community level, he has initiated design clinics in his ward, where once a week, free advice is given on ways and means to build or make existing houses safer. He believes that it is quite expensive to reinforce existing structures but that, “some minimal steps can be taken to retro-fit them. This will hardly cost Rs.20000 to Rs.25000 for a normal sized house - which can be done in phases costing about Rs.5000.00 - but will make houses fairly safe against earthquakes.”

Of course, at the end of it all, he does admit, “There are so many old houses in the city that in the event of a major earthquake, there is little that can be done except to prepare residents beforehand so that less lives are lost.”