Neoclassical mixed-use building

A good number of Kathmandu clients want columns and a pediment. Refusing the brief is easy; making it into a building that also plans well is the actual job.

The order is used structurally rather than stuck on: the columns set the bay, the bays set the shopfronts, and the arched centre bay becomes the entrance and the stair. Because the rhythm is doing real work, the ground floor stays fully glazed and usable and the upper floors get regular, well-proportioned openings instead of decoration applied over a random plan.