Duk White Lotus School Case Study

CE 414 1st Sem AY 2015-16 12-95221
Sustainable Design: Druk White Lotus School, Ladakh, India

“The Druk White Lotus School is an initiative of the Drukpa Trust, a UK registered charity under the patronage of the Dalai Lama. It opened in 2001 and now has over 650 pupils. The main school is located in Shey (the ancient capital of Ladakh) and known locally as ‘Druk Padma Karpo School’ (‘Padma Karpo’ means ‘White Lotus’ in Bothi) and is named after Mipham Pema Karpo (1527-1592), who is revered as a great scholar”(Druk Padma Karpo Education Society 2015). Ladakh is an ancient kingdom in north-west India, sometimes known as ‘Little Tibet’. It is a remote area with high altitude environment where water is precious. The residents depend
1 The Druk White Lotus School campus buildings (Druk White Lotus School 2010) Figure 1: (Druk White Lotus School 2010) features the Druk White Lotus School campus buildings that provide housing and education to more than 500 children for nursery through middle school. The school was conceived to equip Ladakhi children to function in a modern world while embracing the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Guided by the vision of His Holiness, Jonathan Rose and his team of architects and engineers at ARUP London designed a school that utilizes modern technology and knowledge to preserve and respect the Ladakhi culture and environment. (aKontentreal production for PBS 2007) The Druk White Lotus School is an award-winning project, inspired by the vision of His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, a spiritual leader of Ladakh. This school offers an education that grounds students firmly in their own culture and equips them to thrive in the modern world. The school’s aim is to give children from the remote part of India a high-quality, modern education, and while engaging with local cultures or traditions. “This was our brief- to create a structure that would celebrate and enhance local values, while at the same time making the most of cutting-edge technology and construction methods from the West.” (Arup Associates
By laying out the school buildings in the traditional form of a mandala, a series of symmetrical geometric shapes with significant spiritual resonance, the design itself honors the culture of the community.(aKontentreal production for PBS 2007). The master plan and school building were designed by Arup Associates and engineers and in partnership with Ove Arup. The local building techniques,materials and leading edge environmental design were combined to make effective and stable structure in the extreme harsh climate