An architectural case study on Druk White Lotus School, Ladakh India, conducted by a group second year architecture students.

1. CASE STUDY ON
DRUK WHITE LOTUS
SCHOOL
PRESENTED BY: GROUP E

2. Site features, climatic conditions, concept origin, relationship of
design with site,
DESIGN CONCEPT
01
Building materials, building construction techniques, technical
features, vernacular architecture
BUILDING TECHNIQUES
02
Passive design, green architecture, use of renewable sources of
energy,
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE
03
History of the site, relationship between the concept and the socio-
cultural aspects
SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECT
04

3. DRUK WHITE LOTUS SCHOOL
Known locally as the Druk Padma
Karpo School. Karpo means White
and Padma means Lotus in the local
language Bodhi.
OBJECTIVE :The school was started
at the request of the people of Ladakh
who wanted a school that would help
maintain their rich cultural traditions,
based on Tibetan Buddhism, while
equipping their children for a life in the
21st century.
INTRODUCTION
Jonathan Rose, ARUP Associates
HEAD ARCHITECT
Shey, Ladakh, North India.
LOCATION
Total Cost- INR 3.40 Cr.
TOTAL COST
Educational Complex
BUILDING TYPE
The Gyalwang Drukpa
• Cost per square meter- INR 15976.
• Infrastructure- INR 41 lacs.
• Labor- INR 38 lacs.
• Materials- INR 71 lacs.
• Landscaping- INR 6.21 lacs.
• Professional fees- INR 1.53 Cr.
• Other- INR. 27 lacs.
TOTAL COST- INR 3.40 Cr.
FOUNDER

4. 840 2015
350
YEAR THE SCHOOL
FACILITIES
COMPELTED
PUPILS
AVAILABLE
ACCOMODATION
SPACE

5. L O C A T I O N

6. CLOSEST VEHICULAR ACCESS TO THE SITE
Manali and Jammu And Kashmir
BUS STATION
Nearest Airport- Leh Military Airport
(16 KM.)
AIRPORT
Pathankot
TRAIN STATION
The school premises can be accessed via two roads:
PRIMARY ENTRANCE: leading to a dirt road that finally connects
to the main road
SECONDARY ENTRANCE: directly connects to the main road,
i.e. Leh-Manali Highway

7. SITE CONTEXT
• The gently south sloping site of the school is in the village
of Shey (the site of the historic Shey monastery of Ladakh) ,
close to the River Indus and its irrigated fields.
• The school is at the edge of the village on the main road that
leads from the village to other Gompa sites.
• Next to the site is another school complex of humble quality.
• Houses and monasteries (Gompa) are built on elevated
south-facing sites using a combination of stone, wood and
earth (mud brick).
• The traditional vernacular is characterized by glazed
windows divided into small panes, wooden decorations
at lintel level and eaves below the gutter.
• Architectural varies in religious structures for different
communities, but residential architecture remains the same.
• New buildings are mostly reinforced concrete structures.

8. WIND FLOW ANALYSIS SOLAR ANALYSIS

9. SITE FEATURES
• The old town is located on the southern
slope of the mountain terrain allowing
the settlement to face the sun.
• The newer parts are extending in the
plans in the south west direction.
• The highest point of the Leh town so
occupied by the Tsemo Gompa followed
down the slope by Leh Palace and then
the houses of nobles.
• The lower part of the settlement is
occupied by commoners and then the
main market
URBAN PLANNING OLD LEH
Site Area- 130,000 square meters
(13 hectares)
Ground floor area- 1200 square
meters
Total covered area- 1240 square
meters
Nursery and Infant School- 800
square meters
Residence- 440 square meters
All buildings are single storey except
for Junior School which has partial
second storey.
BUILDING DATA
It has High Altitude Desert (3700
m)/Cold Desert climate, especially from
October to March with dry winds blowing
throughout the day
• Summers are short and humid with
temperature between 10°C and
20°C.
• Winters are extreme in, dipping
below freezing point. However,
winter days are sunny and bright.
• Main source of water- Snowfall
• Lack of oxygen because of lack of
vegetation.
CLIMATIC CONTEXT

10. CLIMATIC FEATURES
Wide diurnal and
seasonal
fluctuations in
temperature with -
30 C in winter and
+35 C in summer
SKY Fairly clear
the year with cloud
cover less than
50%
SOIL Thin, sandy
and porous
VEGETATION
Devoid of any
natural vegetation
Summer midday:
17 to 24 deg.C
Summer night:
4 to 11 deg.C
Winter midday:
-7 to -8 deg.C
Winter night:
- 14 to -20 deg.C
03
Solar Radiation
Due to high altitude
and low humidity the
radiation level is very
high. The global solar
radiation is as high
as 6-7 kwh/mm
Dust Storms very
common in the
afternoon
Air : Very dry
Relative humidity
Ranges from 10%-
50%
Precipitation:
Very low with
annual ppt of 10 cm
mainly in the form of
snow

11. C O N C E P T
M A N D A L A
“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”- Dalai Lama

12. C O N C E P T
• Combining the concept of Mandala & Key,
the school becomes the junction of
education & spirituality
• The school design was based on a diagram
made by the spiritual leader of the Drukpa
Lineage, the Gyalwang Drukpa in a nomadic
tent.
• The landscape design is conceived as a
Garden Mandala within a landscape
Mandala whose components are
 A white lotus court at the heart of the school
 A garden mandala in which the school
community can grow as a place to develop
wisdom, virtue and concentration.
 These three qualities in Sanskrit are called
Prajna, Sila and Samadhi

13. • The scenery outside the school campus would be
interpreted as a Mandala landscape, it can be a
visual aid to understanding the natural and made
features of the landscape.
• Natural of Indus Valley: Sky, The Mountains, Rivers
• Manmade: The farms and the farmlasnd, the stupa
and stupa fields, the Gompas
• In making garden within this landscape, the design
team draws inspiration from the emblem of the
Drukpa Lineage. Drukpa means Dragon and the
emblem shows two dragons protecting the treasures
of Buddhism, i.e. A dharma wheel, a lotus and a
Triratna.

14. I II III

15. SOCIO-CULTURAL
IMPACT
• Construction of the Druk White Lotus School means
children living in the area can now get access to
education they might not otherwise have had.
• The complex’s student residential blocks allow pupils
from Ladakh’s remotest areas to attend the school.
• A program of student sponsorship run by the
institution allows children from the poorest
backgrounds to take up places.
• It offers an education that grounds students firmly in
their own culture and equips them to thrive in the
modern world.
• Students learn Bodhi (the local language)-local
culture being preserved
• Besides languages like English and Hindi, as well as
sciences, social studies and creative arts are being
taught
• Students also learn presentation and leadership
skills and problem solving.

16. ALSO….
• It is inspired by the Buddhist tradition in
Ladakh
• 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.
• It is the focal point of the area and the
pride of the people of the community
• Preserve the Ladakhi Culture through
teaching the students the Ladakhi
language, art, songs and folklore as
well as Ladakhi food.
• The students sing Ladakhi songs and
prayers in the courtyard of the school.

17. Z O N I N G
SITE PLAN
• The academic blocks-infant, junior and senior,
are clustered together with communal courtyard
(amphitheater) placed at the center.
• Sports areas are kept on the outer area of
academic section, integrating them into the main
schooling area nicely.
• Residential area is kept away from main school
allowing privacy.
• Dining hall is nearer to dorms as apposed to
academic block.
• Laboratories and amphitheater are separate
buildings preventing noise and other disturbances
to classes.
• Dry latrines are in separate
buildings(differentiated into male and female
blocks)which are placed near every academic
block.
• The amphitheater functions as a multi-purpose
hall where prayers, assemblies, functions take
place.

22. B U I L D I N G
FUNCTIONS AND AREA STATEMENT

23. Agenda
Style
ANALYSIS- ACADEMIC BLOCK
• The individual blocks (e.g. Junior block) are a
complete entity in themselves with
classrooms, washrooms, courtyards, stupas
etc. integrated into each of them.
• The classrooms contain removable partition
walls making each of them a flexible space.
• Flower beds are placed in front of each
classroom which creates a beautiful and
peaceful atmosphere.
• Latrines are kept as separate buildings yet
not far away from the main buildings

25. • The lobbies lead to one or max. 2 classes,
act as buffer spaces and contain lockers.
--- Advantage- during emergencies like
earthquake, lobby will not be very crowded.
--- Disadvantage- getting from a class on one
end to another end is difficult.
• Almost all classrooms have a warm quite
corner with a small stove on a stone
floor.
• Classrooms have basic
wooden furniture with flexible cushions
and mats.
• A common courtyard at the center of
each academic block for playing and learning

26. DINING HALL
•Clerestory windows provide on both
sides.
•Designated area for parking and
kitchen deliveries.
•Kitchen and dining area are placed
side by side and both have direct
access to the outside.

27. Junior Block
• Lack of assigned teacher’s/admin space.
• Storage rooms are kept facing north as a result
classrooms which are placed in front of them
face the south east side and get adequate
daylight year-round.
• The classrooms get enough sunlight during
winter and due to shading devices, remain cool
in summer.
• Roof terrace on 1st floor is a unique element.

28. Residential Block
• Common lobby leads to common
living room, corridor (which leads to
students’ bedrooms) and teacher’s
bedroom.
• Common washroom provided in each
building, near the students’ bedrooms.
• Courtyard as common area between
dorm buildings.

29. INFANT/KINDERGARTEN
BLOCK
• Distinct teacher’s/admin space locat
ed at corner of building providing peac
e and quiet to teachers.
• Designated outdoor teaching and
learning area at the center of the
block.
• The ‘butterfly roof’ which is M shaped
allows for wide clerestory windows
on two sides, allowing in extra light
and heat.

30. S E C T I O N A L V I E W S

31. MATERIALS
• In this building a plethora of local
materials are used:
• Solid granite blocks , found in and near
the site, have been used for the outer wall.
• Mud blocks for the inner walls, made in
Shey, to form a cavity wall for significantly
improved insulation and high durability.
• The roof is of a traditional Ladakhi mud
construction, with soil from the site
including poplar and willow from local
monastery plantations, and provides good
protection from the cold.
• Low maintenance cost due to use of local
materials.

32. SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN

33. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Use of natural heating methods through
orientation and use of building construction
techniques.
1. Passive Heating
Use of various alternate sources of energy to
avoid use of non-renewable sources of energy.
2. Energy
Use of advanced seismic safety design measures as
this region experiences a severe climate and seismic
activity comparable to that of California.
3. Seismic Safety Design
Due to presence of desert-type climate, there is
massive scarcity of water thus advanced
techniques to compensate that.
4. Gravity feed water
Use of the solar-assisted dry latrines help solve
problem of lack of water and odor problems.
5. Ventilation- Improved Pit Latrines

34. • Druk White Lotus building
structures use timber
frames to resist seismic
loads and ensure life
safety in the event of an
earthquake.
• The timber frames are
independent of the walls,
and steel connections
• Cross-bracing provide
earthquake stability.
.
SEISMIC DESIGN
AND SAFETY
• The solar-assisted latrines have a
solar wall that faces directly south
for maximum solar gain and doesn’t
require water at all without odor.
• The school aims to manage the
electricity demand within the
constraints of solar energy.
• As the school expands and
electricity demand increase, they
will need to increase installed
capacity of both photovoltaic
panels and inverters.
• Around half of the initial investment
in solar energy was co-financed by
carbon offset funds.
.
ENERGY
• Water is scarce in Ladakh.
• This system pumps snow-
melt water from a depth of
about 30m to reservoirs near
the top of the site.
• One reservoir provides
drinking water under gravity
feed to the school, while the
other reservoir provides
irrigation water.
• Water availability is a key
aspect of the hygiene
promotion program that
forms an important part of
the education.
GRAVITY FED WATER

35. • Ladakh is hot in summer and very cold in winter.
But even in winter, there is often intense
sunlight and the teaching spaces heat quickly
thanks to their optimal 30 deg. South-east
orientation, combined with fully glazed solar
facades that gather the sun’s energy and store
heat in high thermal mass walls.
• The classroom buildings are oriented 30° east of
true south with an elongated east-west axis to
assure early morning warm up.
• Trombe walls made of ventilated mud brick and
granite cavity walls with double glazing are
used to provide evening heating in the
dormitories.
• All the buildings in the residential area are
oriented on a true north-south axis to maximize
solar gain.
• Photovoltaic solar panels for electricity and
heating..
.
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING
S U M M E R
W I N T E R
TYPICAL SECTION OF A CLASS-ROOM

36. P A S S I V E H E A T I N G T E C H N I Q U E S

37. • These eliminate fly and odor problems and – most
importantly in a desert environment - do not require
water.
• A double chamber system with an integrated solar
flue allows their operation as composting toilets and
produces humus that can be used as fertilizer.
• The design of the toilet System at Druk is simple and
effective.
• A minor adaptation to the traditional style is an
innovative solution to remove smells. A large sheet of
steel (2-3mm thick) forms the back wall to the
composting space, this is painted black to heat the
air behind creating an updraft.
• As the cold air from the bottom of the compost pit
rises it draws the smells up and out of horizontal
vents at roof level.
VENTILATION IMPROVED PIT
LATRINES

38. COMMENDABLE FEATURES
WATER SUPPLY
All the water needed for the school is
made available on the school premises
with dedicated boreholes and solar
pumps supplying them despite acute
shortage in the region
AIRLOCKS
The entries to the classroom buildings are
all air locks to act as a buffer between the
winter cold and the warm interiors.
NATURAL LIGHTING
The school strategically uses available
sunlight and class rooms are designed to
gain maximum sunlight making internal
lighting redundant.
SOURCE OF ENERGY
The school for major part does not rely on
external energy and power. It exploits the
ample sunlight using photovoltaic
panels for energy and is self sufficient.
SUPERINSULATION
• The roofs are constructed of local
poplar rafters, willow sheathing
topped with mud and rock wool and
felt insulation.
• The weather skin is sand and
aluminum sheets.
DRIP IRRIGATION
• A dragon of rivers transports water to the
Druk Campus, helped by an underground
river -bore holes and drip irrigation.
• Irrigation is done mainly with the help of
melted snow
• The school used flood irrigation before
where most of the water was lost in the
coarse grain

39. T E A C H I N G M E T H O D
Though it hasn’t been explicitly mentioned, through the
case study and our analysis, it could be concluded that
the teaching method (besides kindergarten/nursery)
adopted here is:
Low-Tech Approach since
• The school doesn’t use any technology (computer
and other electronics) in teaching and learning
process.
• The school teaches traditional values and life skills
which is attained through the action and experience
of a student in the field
Teacher Centered Approach since
• The mode of teaching is such that instead of a
student tailored course, there is a set syllabus and
teachers instruct the students.
• The students tables and chairs are laid out in a way
to make the teacher the focus as is common in
teacher centered classrooms.

40. GALLERY

41. AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
2002
2005
2009
2013
• British Consultants
and Construction
Bureau –
“International
Expertise Awards,
2003”
• “Large Consultancy
Firm of the Year
2003” ( Arup
Associates)
“Sinclair Knight Merz
Award for Achievement in
Development” by
Australian National
Association of Women in
Construction, 2005
• Design for Asia
Grand Award, 2009:
• Award for ‘Inspiring
Design -
International’ from
the British Council
for School
Environments
• The Emirates Glass
LEAF Awards, 2012 for
'Best Sustainable
Development':
• ‘Test of Time:
Environmental’Award
from the British Council
for School Environments
• ‘ Best Sustainable
Development of the Year'
Leaf Awards 2012
2012
2003
World Architecture
Awards, 2002, (Arup
Associates):
• Best Asian Building
• Best Education
Building
• Best Green Building
(joint winner)
The International
Architecture in Stone
Award

42. Thank You