Traditional Bhutanese House

Bhutanese houses apart from the Dzongs, monasteries, temples and bridges have a distinct character from those of other Himalayan countries. Most houses are relatively spacious and take advantage of natural light and because of the steep terrain, are usually built as scattered houses or in clusters rather than in rows. Timber, stone, clay and adobe bricks are typical construction materials. Family residences are frequently three storeyed with room for livestock on the ground floor, storage and sometimes living quarters on the second floor and on the third floor living quarters and a shrine. Between the third floor and the roof an open space is usually kept for open-air storage. Boulders over lath are used to hold down wooden shingles on the roof truss. Ever since Bhutan lifted its policy of self imposd isolation, the country has witnessed unprecedented changes in a brief span of time. This was primarily due to rapid economic growth and modernization which has resulted in a gradual erosion of traditional ways and values of life which one day may lead to the disappearance of Bhutan's unique architecture, specially in the growing urban towns. The following chapters will attempt to explain the traditional architectural elements, entitlement of architectural elements (thopthang) and guidelines on compromised thopthang for contemporary architecture. It is considered in this report that traditional architecture must adjust to changing needs and conditions in order to retain its power and beauty.