Nepal House Project by Shigeru Ban
In order to respond to the earthquake which struck Nepal on April 25th, Voluntary Architects’ Network (VAN) and Shigeru Ban Architects supported the victims with a shelter, housing and other community facilities.
Formerly the Nepal House Project, this structure was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Japanese architect Shigeru Ban in 2015, as a resilient prototype in response to a devastating earthquake of 7.8 magnitude in the region, which obliterated both lives and the infrastructure of our landscape. This system can be assembled by connecting modular wooden frames (90cm x 210cm) and infilling with rubble bricks. This simple construction method enables anyone to assemble the wooden frames very quickly and if a roof is secured on top, people can immediately begin to inhabit the shelters. Afterwards, people can stack the rubble bricks inside the wooden frames and slowly complete the construction themselves.
Shigeru Ban is internationally recognized for his innovative work on materiality and structures and founded his firm, Shigeru Ban Architects (SBA), in 1985, which currently has offices in Tokyo, Paris, and New York. His practice is deeply rooted on structural rationality, environmental sustainability, and spatial purity.
Today, this prototype transforms into a dynamic laboratory for contemporary artists and creative practitioners as an open-call studio space. Located in the midst of our garden, this studio transforms into a quiet, reflective, and inspired space for new ideas.
*some text taken from Shigeru Ban Architects website*
