NAMASTE

SUSTAINABILITY • CRAFT • INNOVATION

News and Updates

we are building our most ambitious earth and bamboo project so far

With more than 10,000 square feet of area, in the scenic valley of Pokhara we are constructing a completely self-reliant Children’s Shelter. The primary building materials are compressed earth block, bamboo and stone roof. It incorporates passive solar design, rain water harvest, water recycling, seamless indoor and outdoor space.

We aim to complete it by Mid-2022.

Bamboo BICYCLE

We are very happy to host Prof. Lance Gordon Rake from University of Kansas. We will continue our collaboration to make bamboo bicycles, cargo bikes and a scooter. We welcome any interested volunteers in our team. He will be with us till the first week of January 2020.

Featured Projects

Regenerating Land Through Bamboo

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regenerating land through bamboo
madi valley, chitwan

After years of economic and cultural loss due to misguided conservation efforts for the native peoples of Madi Valley, located inside the renowned Chitwan National Park, biodiversity and livelihood is being restored to the region with the introduction of bamboo forests in 2010, after a flood had wiped the area. Since then, great progress has been made in land restoration and community cultivation with the integration of traditional Chepang skillsets to work towards a mutualistic relationship to the Earth.

EARLY CHILDHOOD VILLAGE
KOPILA VALLEY SCHOOL

With thick rammed earth walls, intricate bamboo truss of over 4000 sq. feet, Early Childhood Village in Kopila Valley school is not one of the largest bamboo and earth structure in South Asia it is probably one of the most beautiful too. Combining all the earthquake resistant techniques that we have learned over the last 8 years, the two storey bamboo and earth is school is finally up and running. Located in the far-western region of Nepal in the emerging town of Surkhet, Kopila Valley School aims to be a model not only in terms of pedagogy but also in terms of sustainable construction that is very proud and insync with the vernacular architectural heritage of the country.

Annapurna bal ashram

ABARI STUIO
Chitwan

We are very happy to complete our ABARI Studio in Chitwan. This is where we design, make prototypes, build furniture, host workshops and also grow mangos, bananas and lychees. Moreover, we proudly hosts resident artists, architects, engineers and interns. The structure is made on stilts, has wattle and daub walls that are rendered with lime plaster and crowned with thatched roof to confront tropical heat.

Award winning bamboo structure — Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya

Madan puraskar pustakalaya
kathmandu

When we started ABARI 10 years ago, a building with bamboo and earth was a hard sell. People loved the idea but were not convinced of its relevance in the modern context. Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya is the biggest archive of Nepali Literature. It is located in the centre of Kathmandu and is built with bamboo and earth- a true testimony of leap of faith in public perception. This project has helped people realize that Earth and Bamboo is relevant in Urban Context and in 21st century. Thanks to this build, we are populating more areas of Kathmandu with the material that comes from right under our feet and can meet all contemporary engineering challenges. Read More

Previous projects

Janajyoti Primary School

Janajyoti Primary School established in 2008, situated in Bhangeri, Pachkhal-7, Kavre consists of around 40 students from Grade 1 to 4.

After the earthquake, their four classrooms have been completely damaged while other staff rooms are at risk. Currently, the students are attending classes under the remaining structure of their building. Due to its rural location, the school has received considerably less attention after the earthquake in comparison to other schools in the Kavre.

Hotel Timila

The Coffee

Sanu Maya Tamang

Earth and Bamboo Lab

In line with ABARI’s vision and purpose to promulgate alternative materials, ABARI is constructing a state-of-the-art and earthquake-resilient research lab at Kathmandu University. The lab shall be used for alternative and conventional material testing and will benefit the students of KU, especially those belonging to the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Civil and Geomatics Engineering.

Pharping Cafe

Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya

The Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP) is the principal archive of books and periodicals in the Nepali language. The library is a non-for-profit institution run by a trust. Over the last five decades, the library has continuously engaged in the collection and archiving of published materials in Nepali language.

The library holds a unique collection of rare monographs, periodicals and ephemera that describe different aspects of Nepalese society, culture, history and literature from different periods. The collections comprise of newsletters, posters, pamphlets, banners, calendars, manuscripts, reports, manifestos, letters, sketches, photographs, negatives, film-footage, speeches, press releases, images of wall paintings, invitations, and audio recordings.

Balimtar