A deep dive into implementing a regenerative built environment in Bhutan

Bhutan’s landscape and forests

With anelevation range of approximately 160 metres to 7300 metres above sea level, Bhutanexperiences diverse altitude-based temperature zones. Combined with significanteast to west geological variation this leads to an uneven spatial distributionof rainfall and a corresponding variety of ecoregions.

70 per centof Bhutans land cover is classified as forest, and the constitution mandatesmaintaining at least 60 per cent forest cover in perpetuity.

Bhutan’sforests consist of vast tracts of primary and naturally regenerating areas withvariable stocking, meaning the trees are unevenly spaced and unevenly aged.These forests are predominantly cool and warm broadleaf types, collectivelyaccounting for 54 per cent of the total forest area, while 22 per centcomprises coniferous species. In total, Bhutan is home to 11 distinct foresttypes.

Nearly 64per cent of the forests are classified as ‘very dense forest’ with canopy coverbetween 70 per cent and 100% whereas only 7 per cent are considered as ‘openforest’ having canopy cover of less than 40 per cent.

Managing Bhutan’s Forests

There are 21Forest Management Units (FMUs) designated for the commercial harvest of timberin Bhutan, covering about 7 per cent of the forest area. FMUs consist of mixedforest areas with various tree species, reflecting the elevation and theecoregion in which they are located.

Due to thesteep and challenging terrain, felled logs are transported to forest roadsusing slings—a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. These logs are laterloaded onto trucks and delivered to FMU depots. However, during the monsoonseason and other adverse weather conditions, dirt roads in the FMUs oftenbecome impassable for weeks or even months, causing operations to grind to ahalt. Once the logs leave the FMUs by truck, they are transported to sawmillsor other consumers, with an increasing volume of wood being exported each year.

Telling the ReBuilt Narrative in Bhutan

The easternpart of Bhutan has been experiencing net out-migration, while the westernregion has been the main recipient of internal migration. About 60 per cent of internalmigrants settle in urban areas, driving significant rural-to-urban migrationacross the country. This influx has led to the rapid expansion of Thimphu City,which has grown from 8 km² to 26 km² over the past 20 years. According to theThimphu Structure Plan, the city is projected to see up to 66,000 additionalinhabitants and require 19,000 new homes within the next 25 years.

Bhutan has arich tradition of building with natural resources. However, in recent decades,the demand for urban growth has increasingly been met with modern materialssuch as concrete, steel, and bricks. To preserve cultural values andtraditional construction techniques, architectural guidelines require theinclusion of traditional design elements in modern buildings.

GivenBhutan’s extensive forest coverage, there is significant potential to meet alarge portion of the growing construction demand with sustainably harvestedtimber. Together with local partners, the ReBuilt project aims to establishlocal supply chains for natural building materials like timber and advocate forchanges to Bhutan’s building code, promoting a more regenerative future in thebuilt environment.

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