Patan Hospital Nepal

Patan Hospital – Kathmandu, Nepal
When Patan Hospital added a maternity ward, a Kalwall^® ridge roof was used over the post-partum area to provide a space for newborn babies to be brought into a space filled with natural daylight. This is according to tradition in Nepal where newborns are brought out into the sunlight at birth, where they are rubbed with oil.

Additional skylights covered an atrium area in the hospital and a document maintenance room. Hospital patient records had faded under a polycarbonate skylight that lasted less than one year before being eaten away by contaminants in Kathmandu’s polluted air. Kalwall provided a naturally lit workspace that protects hospital records from harmful UV rays.

Nepal suffers constant electricity shortages so rationing is common. It makes sense to use natural daylight where power is scarce.

Steel for support structures in Nepal was in short supply. Kalwall’s strategic partner, Structures Unlimited Inc. supplied aluminum box beam structures with all fasteners, components and supplies required for installation.

Nepal is a land locked country so shipping a 40’ container to the project site in Kathmandu involved shipment from the factory to Kolkata and from this port in India to an overland customs point at Birgunj, Nepal. Due to civil unrest and blocked highways, the transit time to Kathmandu was unpredictable. Iluminación Natural personnel traveled to the customs point to ensure smooth and quick customs clearance.

The Kalwall skylights suffered no damage during Kathmandu’s recent devastating earthquake. Kalwall and its support system are flexible enough to withstand this type of event.