• Preservation of Historical Architectural Landmarks Heritage Preservation

Preservation of Historical Architectural Landmarks Heritage Preservation

Heritage

Our story begins with the dynamic restoration of two remarkable wonders of Kathmandu Valley – Lal Durbar and Taragaon Hotel – built in 1890 and 1972.

These tangible icons of built heritage and their histories form the axis of our foundation, and subsequently determine the ways in which we approach archival projects in the contemporary. Along with preserving our built heritage, we also archive the intangible, documenting Nepal’s shifting architectural landscape across time.

Within this objective of architectural restoration, material history, and archival documentation, our story holds three chapters:

Lal Durbar

A symbol of colonial architecture, the Lal Durbar was built by Prime Minister Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana for his eldest son in 1890. Over time, this property was fragmented amongst his descendants, succumbing to temporal ruin, until the Saraf family acquired each estate, and subsequently initiated a large scale restoration project.

Taragaon Next

In 1972, Carl Pruscha, an Austrian architect,  designed and build Taragaon. In 2011, Arun Saraf began the restoration of this structure, inviting Carl Pruscha back into the space in order to rethink (and design) Taragaon, transforming it into a center of culture, art and collaborative pedagogy.

Chaitya Court

Designed by architect Niels Gutschow and artist Bijay Basukala, this courtyard forms an ode to ‘chaityas’, consecrated and living Buddhist shrines, found within ancient monuments in Patan and Kathmandu, and built between the 11th and 18th century.

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