Bhutan as the gateway between the world and South Asia
A city shaped by the flow of rivers, but rooted deeply in Bhutan’s local heritage and traditions; one powered by hydroelectricity with seven core economic clusters, including wellness, nature, and technology and designed with a short-scale environment, promoting community and togetherness and an airport that would cater to 5.5 million travelers a year.
The above would be the characteristics of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), according to the founding partner and creative Director of BIG, Bjarke Ingels.
Speaking during the Bhutan Innovation Forum (BIF), at Pangbisa, Paro, Ingels underlined that the goal is to create a city that is attractive for businesses and foreign investments while retaining its natural and cultural heritage.
He highlighted that the seven core economic clusters would be aligned with wellness, nature, technology, finance, digital assets, aviation, and logistics. The city would have a large hydro station to produce all the power needed, with excess power stored in hydrogen tanks.
The city would be divided into different zones, each with specific economic activities and infrastructure. The city’s new international airport would connect Bhutan to four continents.
Additionally, Ingels said that the city would be connected to major cities in Bhutan and have a mindfulness trail for hiking and pilgrimage. “Mindfulness trail, where you can basically hike on a pilgrimage connected to all of the major cultural and spiritual destinations in Bhutan,” he outlined.
Describing the architectural design of the city, he said that the city would incorporate traditional Bhutanese elements with modern technology and have a mix of residential and commercial areas, each with its unique characters.
“The city will be entirely built from locally sourced materials including bamboo, various kinds of timbers, clays, bricks, amongst others,” said Ingels, adding that advantage would be taken of the unique opportunity of having all sets of skill with local groups and the cutting edge of modern manufacturing technologies.
A central promenade, connecting all parts of the city and serving as a cultural and public space, public spaces, including parks, promenades, and bridges, designed to enhance community life are other facets of the city.
Other core components would be a Vajrayana Buddhist center, a museum, and a temple, all serving as cultural and spiritual destinations. The Vajrayana Buddhist center will be a contemporary reinterpretation of a stupa, serving as a spiritual and educational destination.
“The Vajrayana Buddhist center sits first on a hill from where you can also see the various traditional stupas that will populate the mindfulness city. It is conceived as a sort of, almost like a three dimensional Mandana, or a contemporary reinterpretation of a stupa,” he said.
The city will have a healthcare bridge, connecting eastern and western medicine, and an agricultural bridge showcasing best practices. There would also be a marketplace and a cultural center, to promote local traditions and crafts.
According to Ingels, the new airport, once expanded will cater to 1.3 million passengers in the first phase and 5.5 million in the second phase. The airport will be designed with locally sourced materials, creating a lush, tropical environment. He said that the airport itself is, “one of the key elements to unlock the potential for Gelephu.”
“We will build a new airport over the next five years, and once it is opened, it will have expanded the runway to be able to land the largest planes. Phase One will cater to 1.3 million passengers, and once expanded to phase two, 5.5 million passengers per year,” he noted. This would make Bhutan a gateway between South East Asia and the World.
Meanwhile, Ingels said that the temple dam, a piece of public infrastructure turned into a ceremonial destination, would be designed with modular architecture, making its face accessible to visitors. It will consolidate the values of the mindfulness city into a single public destination.
Ingels described Bhutan as “incredible,” “happy” and “safe.” “It is happy; sort of collective, communal happiness, sort of ingrained into the culture of Buddhism, and, of course, into the parameters of gross national happiness. And finally, it is safe. It has a stable political system,” he said.
BIG’s Director underlined that the city will have all elements to make it a desirable international destination. He added that the challenge was to “imagine a new city where you wouldn’t only plan the physical aspects of the city, but the entire ecosystem, including the administrative framework, to establish a global market”.
Ingels also described his connection with Bhutan. “I came to Bhutan for the first time a year and a half ago, and Bhutan is probably the most different place in the world that you can find.”
He added that he “really felt a connection with Bhutan the first time” he stepped foot in the country. He compared his country, Denmark and Bhutan.
“Denmark is often ranked as one of the happiest places in the world, and Bhutan measures their success as a nation on a Gross National Happiness index, rather than traditional economic measures. Both countries are powered by renewable energy. In Denmark we have wind, in Bhutan there is water,” Ingels said.
“Bhutan is literally one of the most mountainous countries in the world and it is probably one of the most mountainous countries in the world. And in Denmark, the only mountain we have is a man made one,” he said.
He also spoke about Bhutan’s successes, such as being a carbon negative country, sequestering almost twice as much power as it emits and being one of the most sustainable countries.
By Sherab Dorji, Thimphu