KATHMANDU: Since moving to England at an early age, I have visited Nepal a few times. As I have grown up, my perspective of Nepal has changed. Nepal, holistically speaking, boasts the most beautiful and picturesque historic temples scattered throughout cities like Kathmandu, as well as lovely people scattered throughout the valleys and towns, speaking various languages and coming from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Whilst Nepal has several beautiful aspects, I have also observed the latter layer of its development journey. During my teenage years, I didn’t notice it much, but since joining engineering school, I’ve been able to pinpoint what stands out to me about Nepal’s development journey. That is the substantial half-built, abandoned, or fully built buildings that are yet to be occupied—these range from private-sector projects like hotels to essential public-sector structures like schools and hospitals.

In the article, I would like to preface by stating that none of these half-built or unoccupied structures should be viewed as failures of the project, but rather as opportunities to utilize these incomplete developments for new, thriving purposes.

Furthermore, in this article, I want to explore these cases not to criticise but to propose solutions and possible policies that could be implemented to help limit abandoned buildings and foster a flourishing Nepal economically, architecturally, and sustainably.

Tall buildings are usually a symbol of a city’s development. As many of you may be aware, Bhaktapur is architecturally dotted with magnificent Newari buildings influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. When you go to Bhaktapur, you can notice Pagoda temples, so when a 17-storey building stands tall, it’s impossible to ignore.

The building I’m referring to is called the ‘Radhe Radhe building’, and it stands 17 stories tall. It currently dominates the Bhaktapur skyline, as most buildings in the region are in the Newari style, and it’s comparatively shorter than the seventeen-story building. Having a tall and modern building for tourism incentives is a great idea, as international tourists can enjoy the beautiful city of Bhaktapur in a contemporary way.

As mentioned earlier, tall buildings symbolize growth, and having a modern building in the skyline represents a sign of growth. But instead of a flourishing hotel, it is just a decaying structure that has seen no development since 2017.

Leaving a 17-storey abandoned building could harm Bhaktapur for several significant reasons. Bhaktapur faces seismic challenges, and an incomplete 17-storey building could cause structural instability if it lacks the necessary shear walls and bracing for stability, as well as proper load transfer (dead load, live load, and wind load transfer system).

From 2017 to 2025, the building had no finished windows or glazing, which means those gaps would allow wind loads and seismic vibrations to enter, leading to destabilisation of the walls and floors of the building. Simple things like glass facades are not only for aesthetic purposes; they also add stiffness to the building’s frame, preventing wind loads from affecting the structure.

Additionally, most incomplete tower buildings are exposed to the environment without concrete protection, making them susceptible to rusting and inevitably reducing their strength. All these factors are concerning, as Bhaktapur is in a seismic risk zone. If another earthquake were to occur, it could pose a public hazard, as falling debris or exposed reinforcement could endanger pedestrians, schools, heritage sites, and neighbouring buildings, potentially causing fatalities.

Beyond structural and safety concerns, having an unfinished tower can also appear visually inconsistent with Bhaktapur’s architectural identity, which is home to UNESCO-protected buildings. Therefore, completing or repurposing the building would be more in harmony with the city’s cultural and aesthetic brand identity.

But what can the council and building shareholders do now? Demolishing the structure would be costly, as several facilities, such as a demolition team, would be required, and all the prior work on the building would go to waste. The best option would be restoration. As of now, the hotel project is on hold; therefore, the council and the building owners could sign a public-private partnership contract, under which the building could be used for adaptive reuse.

This could include housing, office spaces, an educational institution, and a nursing home. Since the building is in the bustling city of Bhaktapur, surrounded by cafes, institutes, and religious temples, it could be utilised by a variety of social groups, from youth to older adults (Generation Alpha to Baby Boomers & Beyond). This would allow the building to represent unity and growth within Bhaktapur. The building’s architectural structure is modern, so adding these restorative actions would also reflect the vision of a developing Nepal that harmonises the old with the new.

Now, moving to the public sector —such as schools and hospitals —they remain incomplete or under-resourced. Currently, 341 hospitals are needed, and 78 nursing homes are still under construction. However, from an observational perspective, the figure may not be entirely accurate, and the data is not readily available in reliable sources, such as the World Bank.

Regarding schools, several articles report that this has been the case across Nepal since Nepal’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015. Currently, in Nepal, over 5000 schools are incomplete or not built at all. There are several impacts of having an unfinished school, and all the factors are detrimental to society. Students study in temporary classes, and the infrastructure may not be accessible during the monsoon season. This means the schools cannot proceed in those areas, which significantly impacts their grades and potentially affects their life changes.

Moreover, having incomplete healthcare is dangerous for society as unnecessary death could occur, which will harm families and may impact the ability of families to work. Furthermore, the sickness rate of a country could increase, which will inevitably have an economic impact on Nepal, meaning Nepal will be in a perpetual cycle of hope rather than experiencing significant change.

Both hospitals/health care facilities and school infrastructure are critical foundations for socioeconomic development that deserve high importance.

In both the public and private sectors, it is evident that our people’s ambitions and aspirations are initiated but frequently left unfulfilled. The question arises: why does this happen in both industries?

The reason most buildings and projects stall in Nepal is complex. They include economic factors, ground conditions, political issues, and environmental and social reasoning.

Nepal faces a significant bureaucratic issue. The approval process is dense, which results in project execution delays, so potential stakeholders may be frustrated with continuing the project because it keeps receiving warnings from the council about any changes they have made. Our government can streamline the process and reduce bureaucracy.

Additionally, Nepal faces significant challenges in attracting skilled workers. Most construction/skilled workers go abroad for construction work; hence, the skills required for finishing are difficult for businesses and councils to find, so they can implement training programs. Developing young people’s skill set through a training program to make them skilled would also boost public trust in the project, thereby increasing their support in completing it. This would mean fewer people would be unhappy about the projects being executed, since everyone in the community is part of them and benefits society as a whole.

Lastly, Nepal unfortunately has relatively weak ground conditions, as its soil is composed of soft deposits. Nepal also lies in the active boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates.

Yet it did create the beautiful Himalaya. It’s detrimental to the ground conditions, hence specific infrastructure needs to be partially built, as our ground conditions may not support the entire infrastructure. And since Nepal is susceptible to earthquakes, buildings may be reviewed to ensure they are compatible with Nepal’s earthquake conditions and hence may be abandoned.

However, to prevent this, both parties should have a contract outlining the project’s scope, which will be signed to ensure it.

As an engineering student, unfinished projects —particularly buildings like hospitals and schools —represent a wasted opportunity in Nepal. Inadequate school buildings can be detrimental to students, as fewer students may attend school, and some may not have the chance to continue their education if they do not feel it is worthwhile due to an uncomfortable environment. This could hamper their future job choices, which in turn could affect their happiness and income.

Additionally, an unfinished hospital may be detrimental to Nepal’s health care sector, leading more patients to seek treatment abroad, and some may unfortunately lose their lives because they lack the necessities for proper care. This would harm the medical industry. Overall, if schools and adequate health care aren’t adequately created, this will correlate to the life changes of the Nepali people, which will link to the GDPR of Nepal.

Similarly, unfinished private buildings pose a significant threat to Nepal’s private building sector. They can deter tourists, particularly in urban areas, and hinder and demotivate businesspeople from investing in and developing the idea of luxury travel in Nepal. If local councils do not permit the effective use of taller buildings, it could stall Nepal’s economy and only accommodate tourists seeking self-discovery rather than family, friends, or luxury travel.

Furthermore, the absence of modern office buildings may affect the branding of the office, as many businesses currently operate in traditional Nepalese house structures. To summarise, this would impact Nepal’s economy. If there aren’t adequate schools, there’s a chance of illiteracy. If there isn’t a sufficient level of hospitals since half-built hospitals can’t be used, then fewer people are likely to function at their job, or fewer people would go to work if they are sick and have not recovered, meaning the Nepal government will have less money if unemployment increases, which would lead to less money invested in Nepal for Nepal’s infrastructural development.

This also applies to the private sector, where empty buildings have lower occupancy rates, which is dangerous for Nepal’s economy, as it would symbolise the potential for decline.

To prevent incomplete or abandoned buildings in Nepal, it is necessary to mandate that the project scope be agreed upon from the beginning by the business, contractor, public, and council sides. So, buildings aren’t incomplete, and they can execute the function they were meant to perform.

Additionally, the scope and function of the building mustn’t be allowed to change, since situations like this may arise, leading to abandoned buildings/structures throughout Nepal.

To ensure all parties agree on the project scope from the outset, it is essential to create clear documentation from the beginning. This should include a scope clause in the contract that clearly defines the deliverables. If there were to be a grey area, the clause should outline the correct process to follow. Additionally, the clause should include a section for changes in

(Ajeena is a student of Engineering in the UK. Her interest lies in development in Nepal, which inculcates society and infrastructure. Ajeena has resided in London since she was 5 years old and is now 23.)