Norzin Lam

Pilot Project

As part of a national strategy to accelerate the adoption of regenerative building practices in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan, we collaborated with Arup and the Bhutan Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to design a pilot project for a mid-rise, mixed-use mass timber building in the center of Thimphu. The six-story building is designed to demonstrate the capacity of sustainable, bio-based construction methods for a variety of public-facing tenants in a dense urban district of the nation’s capital.

Located along a primary pedestrian and vehicular roadway, the building engages the public street and sidewalk at its lower levels with a generous storefront and protected colonnade, while the upper floors overlook the capital city with views to the Palace gardens. The building takes advantage of natural daylighting while managing solar gains and maintaining thermal comfort through a contemporary interpretation of historic Bhutanese rammed earth wall construction. Additional ecologically-conscious systems and assemblies include natural ventilation, a highly-insulated exterior envelope, rooftop solar thermal energy collection, and rainwater harvesting.