Traditional reed bridges in the Nepal Himalaya are similar to those in the Andes, showing how people on opposite sides of the planet living in similar circumstances come up with the same building solutions.
Does this uncanny resemblance stem from people serendipitously designing similar structures because of similar topography, or is it because the indigenous people of the Americas originally migrated from High Asia during the last Ice Age?
Visitors can gauge for themselves at the Materia Awards Mountain Architecture Exhibition (MaMa ’26) that brings the Andes and the Himalaya into one shared architectural dialogue through nature-based materials.
"And if you look at this project in Quito, it could be in Dhulikhel, no? Why not?" asks Anne Feenstra, founder of Kathmandu-based Sustainable Mountain Architecture (SMA), introducing visitors to the exhibition at the Alliance Française.
The project is the yoga and therapeutic centre ÁGAPE near Quito that looks like a giant concave accordion designed by the Ecuadoran architecture firm RAMA estudio.
The similar geography of Ecuador and Nepal provides space for similar ways of making architecture. "The idea is that we can learn from each other," says Feenstra.
The light rammed earth and timber design uses local nature-based materials, is seismic resistant, has insulating properties ideal for the local climate. Indeed, the building in Ecuador is similar to what Nepal’s Abari, Sustainable Future Nepal or Ramro Mato have come up with, and would blend in perfectly at Nagarkot or Sarangkot.
The ÁGAPE building has a healing touch-- cars are kept away, providing therapeutic space for mind and body. There are bright and airy multipurpose rooms that can be used for yoga, art or sculpture, as well as a residential space.
Rama estudio has designed the main facade with slender triangles made of laminated timber beams, and the rammed earth walls let the building breathe. The unique door handles, sinks and lampshades are crafted by local artisans, and a water management system traps rainfall and grey water from sinks and showers.
The exhibition in Kathmandu spotlights six projects in the Himalaya and Andes that emphasise local materials, climate responsiveness, and sustainability, while being frugal and functional in design.
Narayan Acharya of Sustainable Future Nepal is also featured at the exhibition with its award-winning houses using rammed earth and other traditional building techniques for hospitals and schools.
Acharya gave a demonstration at the exhibition opening of how to build seismic resistance mud-based structures.
"These buildings are earthquake-proof because these walls are thicker," explained Acharya. "Building this way is a little more expensive than concrete structures, but the pay-off is worth it.”
Acharya says the main problem is that builders and the public are not aware of safer alternative designs with locally-sourced materials.
Another Nepal exhibit is the Silinge Maternity Centre in Makwanpur that addresses the high maternal and infant mortality among the indigenous Chepang community of the region.
It was also built by SMA, which departed from the typical concrete block design for hospitals in Nepal. It uses light cavity bricks, eucalyptus timber, slate roof tiles, and terrazzo flooring with a high butterfly roof that allows cross-ventilation for natural temperature control.
Another of RAMA estudio's projects from Ecuador is CASA TALLER in Guápolo near Quito. Pictures of the buildings look like they could be anywhere on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Once a village, Guápolo has been urbanised with self-built houses that are now occupied by artists, migrants, tourists, and students.
CASA TALLER was retrofitted with structural rehab that involved removing anything that adds weight to the structure, removing layers and adding elements, and putting in a wooden and metal frame. The project demonstrates that 'self-built, abandoned, dilapidated structures can be renovated and repurposed with a low budget’ — something many structures in Nepal could emulate.
The exhibition also showcases SMA’s Deumadi Mountain Cottage, and elegant structure above Begnas Lake in Pokhara that is designed to open up towards the Annapurnas, and let in moonlight at night through its large windows. The roof is made of extra-thin local slate so they are safe during earthquakes.
Materia Awards Mountain Architecture Exhibition (MaMa ’26)
9-15 May
Alliance Française de Kathmandu
Jhamsikhel
Free entrance