The Pennsylvania State University the Graduate School College Of

The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Arts and Architecture COMMUNITY SPACES OF KATHMANDU MODIFICATIONS IN BUILDING BYLAWS TO IMPROVE SOLAR ACCESS A Thesis in Architecture by Moondeep Pradhananga © 2013 Moondeep Pradhananga Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture December 2013 The thesis of Moondeep Pradhananga was reviewed and approved* by the following: Rebecca Henn Assistant Professor of Architecture Thesis Advisor Ute Poerschke Associate Professor of Architecture Mallika Bose Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Alexandra Staub Chair, Graduate Program and Associate Professor of Architecture *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii Abstract Nepal’s adoption of new planning policies in 1976 has led to significant transformation of urban management practice in Kathmandu. Neglecting issues of larger communal interests, new planning policies have focused on providing individual homeowners with the right to build higher structures. These new planning policies depend on generic height restrictions to control building height in community spaces regardless of their varying shape, size, and orientation. One outcome of these regulations has been loss of minimum level of solar access in community spaces. This is particularly important since in Nepal solar access in community spaces is integral for the socio-cultural functioning of such public places. This thesis proposes the incorporation of solar access analysis in Nepal’s building bylaws to control the height of buildings in community spaces. Such policy would ensure minimum level of solar access in community spaces, which in turn would support community activities and be beneficial to the entire community. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 1. INTRODUCTION A. Background..................................................................................................................................1 B. Problem Statement................ .....................................................................................................5 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................................10 A. Urban Morphology.....................................................................................................................11 i. Physical Structure a. Paths.................. ...........................................................................................................13 b. Edges........................... .................................................................................................15 c. Districts...................... ...................................................................................................16 d. Nodes........................ ....................................................................................................17 e. Landmarks.....................................................................................................................18 i. Social Aspects...................... .................................................................................................19 ii. Cultural Aspects....................................................................................................................22 B. Public Open Space......................................................................................................................26 i. Residential Square.............. ..................................................................................................29 ii. Community Square........... ...................................................................................................30 iii. Palace Square........... ..........................................................................................................31 C. Traditional Built Form.................................. .............................................................................34 D. Traditional Urban Management Practice..................................................................................39 E. New Planning Policies................................ ...............................................................................42 iv F. Solar Access......................... .......................................................................................................48 i. Climate of Kathmandu......................... .................................................................................48 ii. Sun-Based Activities in Public Spaces...... ............................................................................49 iii. Quality of Built Environment...............................................................................................52 iv. International Solar Access Standard...... .............................................................................52 G. Solar envelope..... ................................................................................. ....................................53 i. Daily Solar Path and East-West Facade..................... ...........................................................55 ii. Yearly Limits and North-South Facade...................... ..........................................................56 iii. Periods of Useful Insolation and Cutoff Time..... ...............................................................58 3. RESEARCH QUESTION ................ ..............................................................................................60 4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............ ........................................................................................59 5. CASE STUDY ............... ..............................................................................................................62 A. Reduction in Solar Access Due to New Planning Bylaws i. Case Study 1: Itum Bahal ........................... ........................................................................66 a. Itum Bahal during 1968.................................................................................................68 b. Itum Bahal during 2012.................................................................................................69 c. Solar Access Analysis in Cultural Infrastructure......... ...................................................70 d. Conclusion ........... .......................................................................... ..........................72 ii. Case Study 2: Te Baha......................... ..................................................................................73 a. Te Baha in Old Condition........................ ......................................................................75 b. Te Baha during 2012......................... ...........................................................................76 c. Solar Access Analysis in Cultural Infrastructure............................................................77 d. Conclusion ................................................................................................................79 v B. Modification in Built Environment to Improve Solar Access.......... ..........................................80 i. Itum Bahal a. Ascertaining Building Enclosure that Meets Solar Access Standard..... .......................81 b. Applying Results................ ..........................................................................................83 ii. Te Baha a. Ascertaining Building Enclosure that Meets Solar Access standard.............................84 b. Applying Results............... ............................................................................................85 C. Recommendation........... .......................................................................... ................................86 6. CONCLUSION ............... .............................................................................................................88 7. FUTURE AREA FOR RESEARCH ...... ............................................................................................93 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............ ..................................................................................................................95 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Kathmandu Valley political map (Pradip Raj Pant, 2009)...............................................................2 Figure 2 Urban Transformation in Kathmandu within a decade after the introduction of new planning policies (source: Neils Gutschow and Hermann Kreutzmann)......................................................................6 Figure 3 Vertical division of property...........................................................................................................7 Figure 4 Taller buildings within historic core after the introduction of new planning policies (UNESCO 2006)............................................................................................................................................................8 Figure 5 Diagrammatic representation of decrease in solar access after the introduction of new planning policies.........................................................................................................................................................8 Figure 6 Path, Edge, District, Node, Landmark...........................................................................................11

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