Dharmalaya Institute

Perched magically on a shoulder of the Himalayan foothills, Dharmalaya Institute for Compassionate Living is an educational organization dedicated to “cultivating the best of human nature in harmony with the whole of nature.” The Institute offers a contemplative approach to learning and practicing the arts of sustainable living and holistic personal development in a breathtakingly beautiful natural setting.

Dharmalaya Institute is a case study in …..

• majority of its programs are residential, supporting an immersive experience…. (this benefits from a thoughtful approach to blending hardware and software…)

• crossroads

• Didi as architect and partner in program development

Client: Dharmalaya Society, an Indian nonprofit educational organization

Location: Himachal Pradesh, India

Program:

• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Scope:

• Visioning

• Master planning

• Architecture

• Natural building

• Organizational development

• Program & curriculum development

• Storytelling (website, media, etc.)

Sustainable design features:

• Built from natural materials, including site-made adobe bricks, earthen plasters, cob, rammed earth, earthen floors, bamboo-and-slate roofing, local wood and stone, etc.

• Passive design making best use of sunlight and of natural materials for insulation

• Organic gardens and orchards using traditional local methods augmented with permaculture design principles and modern soil science

• Composting toilets producing natural fertilizer for the gardens and orchards

• Rainwater harvesting and natural greywater filtration for use in gardens and orchards

• Passive solar water heating and cooking

Key collaborators:

• The Earthville Network (US-based nonprofit)

• Award-winning architect Didi Contractor, architect of the campus’s first building and consultant for several subsequent buildings, and partner in curriculum development for educational programs in vernacular eco-architecture and natural building

• Advisors from the Indian and Tibetan communities

Builders:

• Himalayan village artisans

• Architecture interns, students, and volunteers

• Studio Lungta’s cofounding principal Mark Moore (who also supervised all of the above)

Selected media:

• Featured in two documentary films: Marrying the Earth to the Building (Switzerland) and Earthing (India), both of which include interviews with Studio Lungta’s Cofounding Principal Mark Moore

• Featured in two books: An Adobe Revival, by Joginder Singh with text by Didi Contractor; and A Call to Return, edited by Lakshmi Swaminathan

• Featured in numerous print and online articles published in India and worldwide