Reinforce Nepal

Nepal, with its deep-rooted history and unique architectural styles, is home to many old buildings that are not just structures, but pieces of our heritage.  However, the frequent earthquakes and environmental challenges have made us face a hard question: should we retrofit (strengthen) these buildings, or should we reconstruct them entirely? Both methods have their pros and cons, and the choice depends on the situation. Let's break it down with some real-life examples and a bit of Nepali wisdom. Case Study 1: The Story of Maya Niwas Background Maya Niwas is a beautiful 100-year-old Newar house located in the heart of Patan. Built with brick, mud mortar, and adorned with intricate wooden carvings, it’s more than just a house—it’s home to generations of the Joshi family. Over the years, this house has seen festivals, weddings, and many memorable moments. However, the 2015 earthquake caused significant damage to Maya Niwas. Cracks appeared in the walls, the door frames became ...

  नेपालका DUDBC (Department of Urban Development and Building Construction) का अनुसार भवनमा प्लास्टर गर्ने क्रममा पालना गर्नुपर्ने केहि महत्वपूर्ण मापदण्डहरू निम्नलिखित छन्: सतहको तयारी : प्लास्टर गर्नु अघि दीवारको सतह सफा र सहज हुनुपर्छ। कुनै पनि धूलो, माटो, तेल, गन्दा पदार्थ हटाउनुपर्छ। यदि आवश्यक भएमा, दीवारलाई हल्का गीला गर्नु पर्छ जसले प्लास्टरलाई राम्रोसँग चिप्काउन मद्दत पुर्याउँछ। प्लास्टर मिक्सचर : प्लास्टरका लागि सीमेंट र बालुवाको अनुपात सामान्यतया १:४ राखिन्छ, तर स्थानको वातावरण र आवश्यकता अनुसार यसमा थोरै परिवर्तन गर्न सकिन्छ। मिश्रणलाई राम्रोसँग मिक्स गर्नु महत्त्वपूर्ण छ जसले समान गुणस्तरको प्लास्टर उत्पादन गर्दछ। प्लास्टरको मोटाई : बाहिरी दीवारको प्लास्टरको मोटाई प्रायः १२ देखि १५ मिलिमिटर हुनुपर्छ। भित्री दीवारमा सामान्यतया १० देखि १२ मिलिमिटर मोटाई राखिन्छ। सामग्रीको गुणस्तर : प्लास्टरका लागि प्रयोग हुने सामग्रीहरू जस्तै सीमेंट र बालू उच्च गुणस्तरीय हुनुपर्छ। कमजोर सामग्री प्रयोग नगर्नुहोस्। नम्नु र सुकाइराख्नु : प्लास्टर गरेर सकेपछि,...

     1.        For quality control of Portland cement, the test essentially done is : setting time , soundness , tensile strength , consistency . 2.        Under normal conditions using an ordinary cement, the period of removal of the form work, is :        7 days for beam soffits 14 days for bottom slabs of spans 4.6 m and more 21 days for bottom beams over 6 m spans 2          days for vertical sides of columns 3.        W p  and  W f  are the weights of a cylinder containing partially compacted and fully compacted concrete. If the compaction factor is 0.95, the workability of concrete is  high . 4.        For given water content, workability decreases if the concrete aggregates contain an excess of  thin particles , flat particles , elongated particles , fla...