Architect Devendra Nath Gongal is a practicing senior architect of Nepal and sixth President of Society of Nepali Architects (SONA). Besides his professional practice, he has continuously been engaged in various leadership roles right from his university days till now. He has worked hard to enhance the quality of the architectural profession, its honor, and bring them together for intellectual discourse, and interaction with international professionals. During this endeavor, he brought together stalwarts of another discipline also to establish professional communication with them and with society in general. He played important role in establishing the first Architects’ association in Nepal and also an association for SAARC region.
He has contributed, as an architect and Management Leader in producing many works related to architecture, urban planning, tourism development, capacity development of institutions and also educating a new generation of Nepali architects and social workers. He is continuing this activity to this day. He provided consultancy services to many international organizations and Governments, designed various educational, corporate buildings and complexes, Urban and Tourism Master Plans and Programs (Pokhara, Lumbini, Banke, Bardia and Manaslu) in all the geographical regions of Nepal. He did significant work in strengthening and capacity development of Government offices, NGO and Municipalities and provided Project Management Trainings. He is regularly involved in pedagogy producing a new generation of Nepali architects and planners.
Ar. Gongol is also one of the founding member of SONA. As architecture wasn’t a well-established profession in Nepal, he recalls being overshadowed by the associative fields. As a man of work and not talk, he knew then the importance of establishing identity for architecture and the necessity of the fraternity, hence he was fixated on creating SONA. On a personal level, Gongol is very content with the work he has been able to do till date. Being an ambitious youth and he did whatever was possible.
