Eco-friendly residential building
How it started
The good reputation of the LMHS draws students not only from the Padum / Pipiting area where it is located, but also from villages some of which are far away in adjacent valleys. As a result, students from these villages often could not return home during the week, or even throughout the whole school year, and were forced to make ad hoc arrangements with families living near the school.
To overcome this situation, AaZ-CH decided to finance the construction, the maintenance and the operational costs of a new residential building. Initiated in 2016, the construction of the residential facility was completed in September 2019. Its inauguration, scheduled for July 2020, was postponed for two years due to the pandemic and the travel ban in India. Since august 2022, 21 students (11 girls and 10 boys) now occupy the dorms.
Construction details
The project was designed by the architects (Atelier Tanka, Toulouse, France) who were responsible for the successful completion of the new LMHS campus inaugurated in 2014, thus leveraging their experience.
This 220 sqm building can:
- accommodate 24 students from the most remote villages of Zanskar in 6 rooms of 15 sqm each
- offer a study place for residents and allow the organization of private courses
It also includes:
- A shared kitchen of 15 sqm and two bathrooms separated from the main building, one for girls and one for boys.
- A 21 sqm accommodation for a (female) supervisor
This project respects two principles previously applied to the new campus:
- Given the high level of sunshine in Zanskar, heating is provided by solar panels and the use of a passive solar system (orientation of the building in relation to the sun, corridor serving as a thermal airlock).
- Respect of anti-seismic standards to guarantee maximum safety for school children and teachers (Zanskar is located in the Himalayan zone, rated 4 out of 5 on the international risk scale)
