Nepal is well known for its architecture around the globe. It is also described as temples of more images than men and more temples than houses. The flat-roofed houses of the western Himalayas, The sloped roof architecture of Kathmandu valley exhibiting a unique blending of bricks and timber, the sloped roof houses of the hills using stones, and the timber stilt raised houses of Madhesh using timber, thatch, and bamboo are very striking indeed. If it is the story of the domestic front, the religious architecture especially of the Kathmandu valley is simply par excellence. However, the modern architecture does not reflect in a majority of the cases this incredible identity that the country possesses. The planning heritage of Nepal is another area that has not yet been researched and studied to the required extent. Its base of Vedic planning and Vastushastra has remained mysterious and unknown. Traditional architecture, as well as planning, has fallen in shadow due to a blind imitation of western architecture. Like human history forms only a tiny part of the history of the universe, the modern architecture is also a microcosm of the traditional architecture which has been in practice since time memorial in Nepal.
Nepal Sanskrit University which is the fountain of the traditional knowledge and skills in Nepal has embarked on this plan of offering an architecture course with a focus on Vedic architecture and planning. The intention is not to negate western architecture but also to peep back into the past and find ways how its timeless characteristics can be incorporated into contemporary architecture. The objective is to inject the spirit of the place, a genius loci in the planning of cities and the design of buildings that are carried out at the present.
The objective of this course information is to familiarize the student with the spinal features of the architecture course that is being offered on the campus of Nepal Sanskrit University in near future. It is hoped that the graduates of this course shall be able to create architecture reflecting the attributes of the traditional architecture of Nepal. Moreover, they shall also be able to plan cities rooted in the tradition and culture of the country.
Students shall be admitted according to their score on the entrance examination run by the university based on merit. Students who have secured 45 percent in the 10+2 science (or eqivalent) or diploma in engineering (or architecture) from a recognized institutios. Courses recognized by the Higher Secondary Board of Nepal shall be eligible to participate in the entrance examination.
The duration of the Bachelor's course in architecture is five years consisting of ten semesters at the rate of 2 semesters every year. The course shall consist of the general courses, the core architectural courses, peripheral courses necessary for the understanding of architecture, electives to cater to the diverse interests of the students, a practicum to give them a grass-root experience, and a thesis in the final year.
Students shall be offered theory, tutorial, and practical classes. The credit of the course is determined by the addition of the hours per week of the theory, tutorial, and one-third of practical classes. The total credit for this course is 172. This aligns with the requirements of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.
There shall be two types of students undertaking the course. The regular student shall be those who score the highest marks in the entrance examination. They shall be admitted based on the entrance score. They shall pay a modest amount of tuition fee as fixed by the University for that particular year.
Students who score the threshold mark in the entrance mark shall be admitted as the sponsored students and they shall have to pay a different tuition fee as determined by the university. The foreign students also can study this course and they shall be admitted through the interview. But they should have a certificate of 10+2 level in science (or eqivalent) or diploma in engineering (or architecture) from a recognized institutios. They should produce the certificate of their home country recognized by an authoritative institution in Nepal. These students shall be charged a different fee as fixed by the University for that particular year's intake.
The total duration of the course is 5 years. Each year consists of two semesters, Semester I and Semester II. Each of the semesters will have 90 working days (15 weeks). A regular student is expected to complete the course in five years.
The five years' course is divided into 10 parts. The course structure is attached as Annex-1 which provides information about the lecture, tutorial, and practical hours per week, full marks and pass marks for internal assessment and final examination, and the duration of the final exam of each subject.
This stream consists of courses like Design Studio, Mini Project and the likes. It also comprises courses like Vastu Shastra, Muhurta Shastra, and Jyotish Shastra.
This stream contains courses like Design Theory, History of Nepali, Eastern, Vedic, and Western Architecture.
This stream has courses like Structure, Building Material, and Building Construction.
This stream includes courses like Mathematics, Science, Nepali, English, and Sanskrit.
The course curriculum is organized in the overall framework of the Credit System. The five-course consists of 150 credits. Each course has a certain number of credits which indicates the weightage. The number of credits depends on the contact hours for the course and its workload. A course with one credit weightage is designed to have 15 lecture hours in a semester. Similarly, tutorial consulting and assessment hours vary depending on the nature of the course. The details of the credit system are given below.
|
S. No |
Description |
Credit |
Hours |
|
1 |
Lecture |
1 |
15 |
|
2 |
Practical |
1 |
3 |
|
3 |
Practicum (Internship) |
1 |
6 |
The students shall be assessed by their regular assessment, theoretical examination, practical and viva voice as mentioned in the structure matric. The full marks and the pass marks are given in the structure matric. The time interval of the examination is also mentioned in the aforementioned structure matric.
The total percentage = Mark Obtained/ Total Marks x 100
The students will have to secure 50 percent for a pass, 50 to 60 percent for the Second Division, 60 to 75 percent for the first division, and above for distinction.
The courses of Architectural Stream will be denoted by Letter A, General by G, Social by S, Technological by T, and Vastushastra by V, The following numbers 01 to 10 will denote the respective 10 semesters. Accordingly, A 01 means a course in the architectural stream in the First Semester. Similarly, S 10 means a course of the social stream offered in the 10th semester.
The overall course structure structured for each semester is given below.