The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is asking architects with the necessary experience and technical expertise in disaster relief to lend themselves to the Nepal earthquake relief effort.

Teaming up with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the RIBA is seeking to identify Nepalese nationals or others with local or regional experience to provide technical expertise in the post-earthquake rebuilding process.

RIBA say they are wary of overloading country teams at this stage, but together with the IFRC anticipate that there will be a need for architectural expertise in the near-future. It is encouraging RIBA members or architects with the necessary expertise and experience to register your interest with RIBA Head of International, Marcus Deeley.

Beyond the devastating death toll that is still growing, the magnitude 7.8 Nepal Earthquake has also caused incomprehensible damage to Kathmandu’s infrastructure, including the destruction of many of the city’s key buildings.

The Dharahara Tower, a defining feature of the Kathmandu skyline was destroyed by the earthquake, as was the 17th century Vatsala Durga temple.

Six UNESCO World Heritage Sites have also been reported to have been at least partly damaged including Kathmandu Durbar (noble court) Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Swayambhunath Buddhist Temple Complex, the Boudhanath Buddhist Temple Complex and the Changu Narayan Hindu Temple Complex.

Below: Drone footage shows destruction through Kathmandu.

Images: Twitter (News This Second, New York Times)

Nathan Johnson

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