construction materials

Nepali durja temples consisted of a platform, a single room, and a tall roof made of several tiers. They are built of wood and stone.

Clay, brick, and tile are traditional building materials. The Kathmandu Valley is famous for its skillful brickmakers and the quality of brick construction. Clay is found in many different colors and is taken from riverbeds or terraced hills.

Brickmaking with a Hoffman oven, the most common type of kiln, requires coal to produce the heat necessary to set the bricks. Coal, as we know, can be a very inefficiently burning fuel that releases greenhouse gasses and particulate pollutants. I will probably limit the use of brick in my design.

Wood is used for the basic framework of temples and houses alike. The structural elements of a temple are all timber post-and-lintel construction. Different types of wood are used in different parts of the structure according to properties such as strength and weight. Wooden elements are pieced together to avoid using non-wood elements like nails to fix them together. The wooden roofs are very steeply pitched and hang far past the walls of the buildings to protect from monsoon rains.

Unfortunately, deforestation is a big problem in Nepal. Deforestation causes landslides and erosion in the hills and mountains without roots to keep the soil intact. With the increasing population more homes and buildings are needed and more trees are cut down to accommodate. 

Stone was once used heavily in temples and monuments, but in residential homes only serves as a foundation on which to build with brick. In some rural houses the stone may extend all the way up the first floor and in urban areas it may extend around the main doorway. 

The use of stone is limited by transportation. Stones are found in riverbeds and some fields.

Adobe is extremely common in rural regions of Nepal. Sundried bricks are laid as two parallel walls and the space between them is filled with the same earth used to make the bricks. The outer brick may be finished with a plaster made with clay which protects the house from monsoon rains. Clay/adobe is also used on the interior to create permanent furniture and flooring.

Clay for adobe construction can be found on and off site.