Development by Arup Associates in Northern India, Asia
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Arup Associates Druk White Lotus School wins ‘Inspiring Design’ award
16 Jul 2009
Location: northern India
The Druk White Lotus School, designed by Arup Associates, has jointly won the Inspiring Design – International Award at the British Council for School Environments 2009 Awards.
The school in Ladakh was chosen as a winner from over 170 entries. The client, Philip Cornwell from Drukpa Trust, said: “It shows what passion, vision, commitment and good teamwork can achieve”. Philip is currently in Ladakh to greet the school founder, His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, as he completes a 400 kilometre charity walk in the Himalayas to raise money for the school, among other projects.
images : © Drukpa Trust
The Druk White Lotus School is an outstanding example of the Arup Associates’ unified design methodology to generate truly sustainable design. The project has produced and sustained a new school, currently with 506 pupils in the remote and often harsh environment of the western Himalayas.
Working intimately with the client for almost fifteen years, Arup Associates and Arup have formulated new approaches to education in Ladakh. The result is a school that offers ‘whole life’ sustainability, a combination of energy conservation, sustaining local identity and building using native techniques and materials. The project is a model of sustainability: not only in the obvious sense but more importantly in the sense that traditional cultural values, spirituality and materials are maintained.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was moved by the outcome. “The idea of having a modern school which lays equal emphasis on the importance of preserving the valuable aspects of a traditional culture is very encouraging,” he commented. “I have always believed in giving equal importance to both modern, scientific knowledge and traditional Buddhist Culture.”
Work at the school continues, with the addition of a new school Library, Senior School Classrooms, an additional Residence and IT facilities. Arup Associates is working closely with the Trust and His Holiness the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa to understand and define what happens ‘post-16’, when this phase of works is completed in 2011. By then the Trust will have achieved a full school of 750 pupils, up to age 16 – an impressive achievement in a difficult environment.
Druk White Lotus School India information received 160709
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Druk White Lotus School Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
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