Upper Tibetan Children’s Village School Science Lab, India

Studio Nyandak is currently designing a new middle school science building for the Upper Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) school in Dharamshala. This multi-phase project includes the demolition of the existing structure and the re-orientation of the new building to accommodate a spacious, landscaped courtyard that acts as an outdoor theater. The two-story structure accommodates a laboratory, classrooms, and storage spaces. Its design takes cues from vernacular Tibetan architecture and culture. In particular, the design looks to water, in both its scientific and cultural forms, as a device with pedagogical potential and articulates it in the roof, drainage, and courtyard design. We are designing innovative building materials and construction systems, developed by our team in the Studio Nyandak Workshop. 

Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) is a non-profit educational community dedicated to the care of Tibetan children living in exile. Following his flight to India in 1959, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized a critical need for the many children who had been orphaned or separated from their families during their escape from Tibet. Over the next several years, the Tibetan community worked with private donors and the Government of India to establish an educational and residential network for these children. Today, there are TCV locations across India providing a holistic education to over 16,700 Tibetan children. More than half of the Studio Nyandak team are alumni of TCV schools.

Project Type

Architectural Design
Structural Engineering

Status

Ongoing

Location

Dharamshala, India