Niharika House, Mandikhatar

Not far away from the bustling Kathmandu ring road, Mandikhatar stands as one of the first officially planned neighborhoods in Kathmandu, if not in Nepal. However, despite this, organic and narrow alleys continue to survive, for better or worse. Thanks to my college-time brother, who recommended and connected me with the client, I had the opportunity to work on this project. The client was exhausted from maintaining a 30+ year old house, especially dealing with leakage issues during the monsoon season. Upon inspecting the building, I discovered it was constructed using a load-bearing method with a reinforced brick concrete floor (RBC) system. The damage caused by the leaks was irreparable, necessitating a complete overhaul of the house's architecture. This meant demolishing the structure and salvaging the bricks for a new foundation.

The client had a clear vision of renting out the ground floor for family use, allowing for passive income generation. The building facade was designed with the corner of the plot as the focal point, creating a sense of balance between the south and west faces to achieve spatial harmony. To blend tradition with modernity, exposed bricks were combined with white cement plaster, while pergolas covered with toughened glass added an additional touch. The staircase was carefully designed to create a vertical connecting space from the ground to the ceiling, illuminated by skylights. The primary goal was to maximize natural daylight in the living room.