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 to the summer of 2021 due to the pandemic.

Project 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 about twenty students from the most remote villages of Zanskar in 6 roomsof 15 sqm each
- offer a study place for residents and allow the organization of private courses
It also includes:
- A shared kitchenof 15 sqm and two bathrooms separated from the main building, one for girls and one for boys.
- A 21 sqm accommodation for a (female) teacher or 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)
The construction site in pictures
RBP 2019
Façade sud, début juillet 2019
RBP 2019
Façade sud, mi-juillet 2019
RBP 2019
Façade sud, mi-juillet 2019
RBP 2019
Façade nord, mi-juillet 2019
RBP 2019
Façade nord avant pose du toit (fin juillet 2019)
RBP 2019
Préparation des tallus par les parents d'élèves
RBP 2019
Pose des tallus (fin juillet 2019)
RBP 2019
Salle commune avec passages cimentés
RBP 2019
Salle commune avec poutre centrale en place
RBP 2019
Salle commune avec plafond terminé (début août 2019)
RBP 2019
Pose du plancher de la salle commune (mi-août 2019)
RBP 2019
Plâtrier préparant son mélange terre/paille/eau/ciment
RBP 2019
Plâtrier entourant les prises de courant
RBP 2019
Peinture acrobatique de la façade sud (mi-août 2019)
RBP 2019
Pose des vitrages intérieurs (mi-août 2019)
RBP 2019
Peinture d'une des chambres
RBP 2019
Une des chambres avec plancher et vitrages
RBP 2019
Pose des vitrages extérieurs (fin août 2019)
RBP 2019
Local des douches avec chauffe-eau solaire
RBP 2019
Local des douches avec chauffe-eau solaire
RBP 2019
Panneaux solaires et local des douches
RBP 2019
Panneaux solaires
RBP 2019
Local des batteries
RBP 2019
Local des batteries vu de l'extérieur
RBP 2019
Vue d'ensemble du campus de la LMHS
RBP 2019
Vue d'ensemble du campus de la LMHS
RBP 2019
Le nouvel internat
RBP 2019
Aménagement d'une des chambres
RBP 2019
Aménagement d'une des chambres
RBP 2019
Etagères dans une chambre
RBP 2019
Future cuisine
RBP 2019
Local des douches