Study of Changes in Vernacular Architecture of Baitadi; A Case Study of Baskot Village in Baitadi District of Nepal

Abstract

Baskot is a region located at an altitude of 2,200 meters in the hilly region of Baitadi, Nepal. The village is mostly inhabited by Chand, who once ruled the Baitadi district, the villages exhibit a very interesting typology of hill architecture which have been changing over time. This architectural identity is also a manifestation of a geographical and cultural response of the place. The study was carried out to study the changes in traditional architecture of the village with the aim of documenting the present state of the traditional vernacular heritage of the place. This study can be a resource for studying the traditional architecture of the region and impact on its physical appearance and spatial planning in terms of construction methods, materials, and aesthetics. Documentary research process and interview with the focal person was used as a means of analyzing local vernacular heritage and its current situation, and with a view to offsetting the rapid transformation of the past. And also, to explore the local architecture features of the hilly region of Nepal that can still be incorporated in contemporary practice.