Retrofitting Historic Temples in Kathmandu
Nitisha Parajuli, a recent master’s recipient who studied civil engineering with a structural engineering specialization, will never forget how the 2015 earthquake ravaged her neighborhood in Kathmandu. After graduating from Kathmandu University and wanting to help in the aftermath, she volunteered with a team of engineers who conducted post-earthquake inspections. She later was hired by the Ministry of Urban Development to work on the Earthquake Emergency Assistance Project, the largest reconstruction project in Nepal.
Construction technology in many rural areas of Nepal has been confined to hybrid construction using timber, bamboo and mud mortar. The majority of the historic temples in Kathmandu were built with mud cladded over clay tiles and hardwood timber. The heavy weight of these materials resulted in buildings not being able to withstand the earthquake. According to Parajuli, the Nepalese are reluctant to build reinforced concrete structures because of economic constraints and the concern that the conventional practice will degrade the historic fabric and disrupt the traditional aesthetic of many buildings.
Committed to helping rebuild her city, Parajuli decided it was time to go back to school to learn how she might retrofit these structures using more primitive resources without demolishing them. She applied for and received a Competitive Graduate Award (CGA) from the SIUE Graduate School to assist with her research and began her graduate studies at SIUE in August 2017. CGAs support research and creative activities initiated and conducted, with the support of a faculty mentor, by highly qualified new graduate students.
Using a combination of modern engineering techniques and lighter, locally sourced materials, Parajuli researched a method of reinforcement that not only makes historic temples structurally sound, but also maintains the historic and cultural context held by these locations. Similar techniques also can be used locally in the St. Louis region to upgrade and strengthen historic steel high-rises.
During her research, Parajuli reconnected with a professor from California who had been a visiting faculty member at Kathmandu University. He invited her to submit her work to the American Society of Nepalese Engineers annual conference. She was also selected to present her work on St. Louis historic buildings at the Association for Preservation Technology annual conference.
“Nitisha did a remarkable job gaining a deep understanding of state-of-the-art techniques for historic preservation,” said Brad Cross, PhD, professor of civil engineering and Parajuli’s thesis advisor. “Her research, conducted in partnership with the earthquake engineering firm KPFF in St. Louis, will potentially lead to safe, inexpensive upgrades to both high-rise buildings here and temples on the other side of the world.”
Parajuli graduated in May and joined the engineering and geospatial services firm TWM Inc. in Waterloo, Ill. as a structural engineer.
