Langtang traditional architecture 20 septembre 2015 Irina Balabanova

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1 Langtang valley) came from Tibet 600 years ago. The Langtangpa have their own distinguish and rich language, culture and Buddhist tradition and faith. Langtang traditional architecture 20 septembre 2015 Irina Balabanova 1. Context 2. Traditional architecture in Langtang valley The traditional buildings in Langtang were made of thick bearing unreinforced masonry walls with timber flooring and roof system. Most of the buildings had an internal timber columns and framing members. The extensive use of wood and the thick battered masonry as well as the heavy windows framing and lintels provide a quite good resistance of this buildings to the earthquakes if they are well maintained. Fig 1 : Langtang Valley. Backgroung Google earth. Situated in the District of Rasuwa North from Kathmandu, the valley of Langtang is the thirth tourist destination in Népal. This unique valley, with the high snowy mountains of the Himalayan range surrounding it, its rich flora and fauna and the diversity of wild life was the first national park declared in Nepal. It was also the home of the first cheese factory in Nepal, an idea that later on spread throughout the entire country. The valley has a long history of famous Buddhist lamas who came to this serene place to meditate and develop their spiritual practice. The Langtapa follow the Tibetan school of Buddhism called Ningma. Langtang valley is known as Beyul (a hidden valley) in boudhisme and was considered as such for many hundreds of years. The ancestors of the Langtangpa (the indigenous people of langtang traditional building culture.odt 1/7 There is a very interesting conference on this kind of architecture and it's resilience to earthquakes by Randolph Landenbach (architect and expert in building conservation), resume& pub's/rl-publications/eq-pubs/2010-kingdom-ofbhutan/langenbach-bhutan.pdf Earthquake Resistant Traditional Construction is Not an Oxymoron : The Resilience of Timber and Masonry Structures in the Himalayan Region and Beyond, and its Relevance to Heritage Preservation in Bhutan.

2 Monastery Fig 2, 3,4 and 5 Gumba Gompa December 2012 and November 2010 One of the oldest buildings and a very good example of the traditional architecture in Langtang was 600 years old Nyngma-pas Monastery (or gompa) situated in Gumba village. The whole internal structure is made of timber. A system of inner timber columns hold the timber flooring which act as a diaphragm. (see Fig 7) The timber structure dissipates forces during an earthquake. The directions of joist and main beams change on each level. Fig 2: South elevation The main opening facing the south acts as a sub framing and is made of heavy carves timber elements. It extends from the flooring to the cornice below the roof. These windows and the projecting heavy lintel, as well as the support of the main beams on the top of the columns are the particularity of Langtang traditional architecture as well as of many architectural traditions in the Himalayas. Fig 3 : West evelation These elements have a structural purpose but are also a support of the expression of the culture. Fig 4 : First floor used for the traditional dancing and singing langtang traditional building culture.odt Fig 5 : Second floor for religious bhudist cerenomies 2/7 The particular Tibetan furniture was integrated in-between the timber structure of the building. We can find all these elements in the domestic structures.

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4 Importants linkages during several years + the weight of the heavy stone roofing were causing the walls to blow. The monastery was restored just before the earthquake by the local community in collaboration with the organizations : H.E.A.R.T. (The Himalayan Exploration and Archaeological Research Team, scientific-humanitarian venture run out of the Department of Archaeology, at the University of York) and C.A.N (Community Action Nepal) UK based charity organization founded by Doug Scott CBE Home In the traditional house of Langtang the ground floor was used for the animals and as storage (fig 10). Sometimes part of the ground floor was used as a small independent kitchen for the grandparents. Fig 7 : Monastery restoration Photos from H.E.A.R.T. : the-restoration-of-langtang-monastery/c1whd The avalanche provoked by the earthquake on the 25 th of April, destroyed completely the monastery and the villages of Gumba and Langtang. langtang traditional building culture.odt 4/7

5 Small loggia or a balcony was often placed in front of the entrance on the second floor. (Fig 14 and 15) Fig 10 : Ground floor : as in monastery use of inner Fig 11 : Gumba village 2010 columns Most of the time the houses were built on the slope and so the ground floor was semi buried to the Nord. The south façade on the second floor was made of timber framing infilled with wood slats. Particular attention is paid on carvings and decoration on that facade (fig 11). No openings to the Nord and very few to the East and West. Because of the orientation of the valley the dominants winds are East-West and West-East exept in Kyanjin Gumpa. Fig 14 : Langtang 1981 Dechen Drolkar Fig 12 : South facade of the oldest house in Gumba village langtang traditional building culture.odt 5/7

6 On the second floor the fire place, as well as the god place were places against the East wall. Most of the time there were no inner separations on that floor. The traditional tibetain fourniture was ofen integrated with the timber framing of the structure. We can say that the fourniture was a part of the timber structure o the house. Fig 15 : Interieures of Langtangpas houses Traditionally the roof was covered by stones or timber. Guest Houses In the last years a new kind of building: the guesthouses appeared in Langtang bringing the use of some new materials imported from Kathmandu as cement steel and reinforces concrete These buildings have much more windows. In Kyanjin gompa windows were place also to the North facing the Langtang glacier. Even in this kind of buildings that have no so much to do with the traditional style we can see interpretation of the traditional details. Fig 16 : Kyanjin gompa 1975 photo by George Miller. There was only one smal loge and the chees factory. langtang traditional building culture.odt 6/7

7 Fig 16 : Kyanjin gompa before earthquake interpratation of traditional windows Fig 19 : Interpretation of the traditional lintels and windows - Confrontation between the RC beam and the traditional thick lintels. Here the lintels are only decoration if not they are weekend the RC structure Fig 17 : Kyanjin gompa after earthquake Fig 18 : Interpretation of the traditional columns, joisting and balcony langtang traditional building culture.odt 7/7