Timber joinery logging
Detailed CAD and orthographic drawings document interlocking mortise-and-tenon joints in historical Newar struts, preventing traditional structural carpentry specifications from vanishing between generations.
Traditional mortar analysis
Laboratory testing of traditional surkhi and slaked lime mortars against industrial Portland cement reveals how flexible low-strength binders absorb ground acceleration without fracturing heritage brick walls.
Subsurface courtyard drainage
Mapping subterranean brick water channels across historic squares identifies seasonal water pooling that undermines stone chaityas and brick plinth foundations during heavy monsoon rains.
Guthi rebuilding archives
Structured oral history sessions with guthi trustees and elder masons capture generational accounts of post-disaster rebuilding protocols enacted after major earthquakes throughout the past century.
Participatory conservation workflow
Guthi dialogue
Structural photogrammetry
Seismic simulation
Open-access publication
Field teams consult neighbourhood guthi elders and custodians before measuring any structure, securing communal consent and historical context.
High-resolution camera rigs and manual caliper gauges record millimeter-level settling, timber deflection, and masonry fissures.
Structural engineering software models traditional flexible joints against simulated seismic waves to confirm retrofitting thresholds.
Complete measured drawings and material specifications transfer to municipal archives and local guild libraries for active repair reference.
Review our institutional framework
Read the institutional background, research governance policies, and community partnership guidelines governing all NCCHR initiatives.