Architectural Survey on Vernacular Houses in Middle, Southern, and Northwestern Bhutan
Since 2012, the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has been continuously engaged in research on vernacular houses in Bhutan, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development (DCDD), Ministry of Home Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan. The DCDD promotes a policy of preserving and utilizing vernacular houses by integrating them into the legal protecting framework of cultural heritage, while TOBUNKEN supports the initiative from academic and technical aspects. During a survey mission from May 13 to 23, 2025, two staff members of TOBUNKEN, one external expert from Japan, and two DCDD officials carried out the survey of traditional houses in middle, southern, and northwestern Bhutan.
Based on location information collected in advance by the DCDD, we surveyed three stone houses, one rammed earth house, and a bamboo house with post and beam structure in Zhemgang province in the south; three rammed earth houses and six stone houses in Trongsa province in the middle area; and two stone houses in Gasa province in the northwest. Among these, some upper-class houses were found to have extremely thick and substantial stone masonry walls.
As an overview of the traditional houses in Bhutan, rammed earth structures are dominant in the western area where the capital Thimphu is located, while stone masonry structures are so in the eastern and higher northern area. The previous joint surveys revealed that the border between the areas in which these two construction methods are applied is situated around Bumthang province in the middle of Bhutan. The survey conducted on this mission confirmed the architectural features of stone masonry houses in the south and northwest area of Bhutan and clarified a part of the border area of rammed earth house distribution, which is centered on the western area. It could be considered that the differences in construction methods are defined by the various local conditions, such as geographical features, natural resources, material supplies, availability of craftsmen, or by family status, social position, and so on. Further investigation into the distribution and coexistence of these two construction methods is expected to provide additional clues to understand the transition and transmission of the architectural methods of houses in Bhutan.
The surveys were conducted with the support of a JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) “Vernacular Stone Masonry Houses of Bhutan: A Study on the Architectural Characteristics and the Suitable Approach for Protection as Cultural Heritage” (Principal Researcher: TOMODA Masahiko).