Kathmandu, Sept. 14 -- A building of the Ministry of Health and Population, designed by the world-famous American architect Louis I Kahn, has been damaged after protesters set it on fire on Tuesday.

The building, completed in 1965, was originally constructed for the use of the Family Planning and Maternal Child Welfare Programme. The structure, which features two isometric brick blocks, a deep vertical window recess, and a rooftop parapet with sky-framing apertures, is among the few architectural masterpieces of the country.

"The building is our unique architectural treasure," said Dr Baburam Marasini, former director at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. "Architecture students from the world's prestigious universities used ...