The challenge

The large school complex in Bhandar Dhik includes a special classroom where blind and visually impaired children from remote mountain areas learn to read and write in braille. After the first year, they can join regular classes from year two through year ten. Smart Shelter Foundation designed and built a hostel to accommodate 20 blind students, with the possibility of expanding to 30, so they can live on the premises during the school year.

What we did

As with all our buildings in Nepal, the hostel is earthquake-resistant and was built using a technique called confined masonry. This method has proven to perform well in earthquakes and is stronger, easier to build, and cheaper than the usual practice of RC (reinforced concrete) frames. The hostel survived the 2015 Gorkha Earthquakes without any significant damage.

How we worked

In the design, we paid careful attention to spatial planning, routing, easy exits during a seismic event, and acoustics. We also included color schemes for students who can still see some differences in light and contrast. We intentionally did not remove any steps or stairs, as the students need to be alert to such obstacles in their daily lives outside the building. The building was officially inaugurated in February 2012.

Partners and sponsors

This project was executed with our partner SEED Foundation and their chairman Damodar Bhakta Thapa from Nepal, who handled the administration, communication with the villages, and all on-site training and supervision tasks. The project was co-funded by the local community of Leknath Municipality in Nepal and the Dutch funding organization Impulsis.

Recommended resources

Technical sheet Confined masonry versus RC frame

IS 17848:2022. Confined Masonry for Earthquake Resistance - Code of Practice. New Delhi: Bureau of Indian Standards.