The Bhutanese Leading the way.
As a partnership project, National Conservation Laboratory Construction, with Government of India (GOI), an independent office building of Department of Culture (DoC), Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, is being consecrated today in Kawajangsa, Thimphu. GoI funded the project with Nu 77 mn for exterior construction of the building, while the government invested more than Nu 6 mn in landscaping, furnishing and construction of the security wall.
The project was outsourced to KW Construction from 2012 to 2013. After which the project was executed departmentally from 10 March 2014.
Designing and drawing works were outsourced to Ranglug Consultancy from 2011 to 2012, and later was it was redesigned by DoC. The independent office will serve as a center for conservation of cultural heritage in Bhutan, and provide the space to do research on traditional construction materials and techniques.
“We consider this project a plus point project because we used 100 percent Bhutanese labor for the whole construction and this will be the center for learning,” an official, DoC, said
Division for Conservation of Heritage Sites, Division for Cultural Properties, Administration and Finance division and Driglam Section are to be housed in the new building.
The interior structure is designed so there is access and transparency to see to what a person is doing within a particular division. The building also houses old and antique items of cultural value. A website for the department is also being launched today.
