The structure plan of a city is the beginning
of a search for a plan of action. The capital of a country is its image.
Thimphu is the mirror of Bhutan. It is a reflection of the hopes, aspirations
and dreams of the people. We must realize urban growth is unavoidable.
It was our task as planners to give Thimphu its new modern image yet
keeping its great old culture and traditions. The way we build Thimphu
is the way we build the image of the country…It defines the cultural
underpinnings of the Bhutanese dream. Thimphu is a beautiful valley
tucked in the Eastern Himalayan Range with its age old money walls,
Chortens, rivers, monasteries, and monuments. It was important to bring
a sustainable development with a balance between what already is there
and what will come up in the future. Given the limitations of the terrain,
the vulnerability of the fauna and flora we had to come up with a unique
design for the capital city. The task was not easy. Perhaps we were
chosen by the Royal Kingdom over other consultants for our sensitivity
towards design, nature and people. Imagine we are giving a new hope
and a new identity to this Himalayan kingdom.
