Chutara

This project is part of the workshop ‘Building to learn’, Building intended as a theoretical learning process, where the final result does not matter as long as the building process reflects the local relationships through the modalities of communication, abilites and strategies that cannot emerge without the imput of locals.The area that we focused on, thanks to local input was a Chutara in the village of Duwakot, close to the Universities. This village takes shape around a big square that was formerly a central community green area with a holy tree at its center. More recently, it has been transformed into a grassless sandy area thanks to the continuous passage of buses on route to Kathmandu and the outer periphery of the Kathmandu Valley, where Duwakot is located. The result is that space is no longer clearly defined and no longer used by the locals as a community green area. In particular, the tree was surrounded by a four foot high circular brick and mortar platform that was covered with a surface of a plaster that encompased the radius of the tree. Called Chutara, the holy tree was not any longer a place to pray, to sit, to chat and to play. as it was before. I decided to talk to the community in order to discuss small changes
that could be implemented. After starting the process, many people joined in to help clean up debris, breaking up old damaged parts and rebuilding new bricks.We also decided to put a limit on the surface of plaster allowing a separation between the new brick sitting layer around the periphery of the Chutara and a green grassy area inside the sitting layer. We worked togheter in making decisions but what was important to me was that they were firmly aware of their needs and in the middle of the process they were able to make their own steps to continue a process that we had merely started.
Only local community members can know what is best for their own community,. It is useless to work and modify a place without first understanding its meaning, traditions, and habits of the people using the space to experience a common place. People took part in the process by changing the space through making decisions. The importance of observing and listening and the focus on small projects underlining their creativity that in this project came up volontarly by designing togheter, helping and partecipating.