Sustainably Designed Residences Meant to Last!

Worksite Diaries – Episode 2

Designing a building means projecting oneself into the future and juggling with a multitude of factors to effectively meet needs.

In this new episode of our worksite diaries, Guillaume Pares-Amado, project manager of the Institute’s Residences, who has lived near Dhagpo Kagyu Ling for over ten years, explains his initial choices: a building designed to last as long as possible, with the lowest possible energy consumption.

A traditional house has a lifespan of seventy to eighty years. Here, the goal is to have a building that will enable the Karmapa’s activity to extend well beyond that.

• The first step in this direction was to focus on the quality of the materials used.
  “First of all, we chose a composition for the concrete that avoids the phenomenon known as carbonation, which makes concrete porous. Then we created a watertight protection membrane around the building, covering all the underground parts as well as the first floor. This protects the concrete from the elements, from water and frost. Thanks to these measures, we’re really going to limit the deterioration of the concrete and increase the building’s lifespan,” asserts Guillaume.
• The second step is to design a building that retains heat in winter and coolness in summer, in view of rising temperatures.
  When considering insulation, Guillaume drew inspiration from implementation approaches used in Austria, Belgium and Germany to best answer a key question, “How much energy will the insulation let through, and how long will it take for the energy flow to pass through it?”
  For maximum thermal comfort, the choice was made to heat the building through the floor, so that the heat would spread as evenly as possible—a welcome consideration for people who meditate on a floor cushion in their bedroom!
• Last but not least, addressing the risk of water shortages. Thus, a third feature: storage tanks for rainwater collected from the roofs of the buildings, which can be used to water Dhagpo’s green spaces. A filtration system has also been installed to treat the water in the tanks, making it drinkable and usable for daily needs. This dual function is a guarantee that the recovered water will be put to good use.

Finally, the building’s design is the fruit of regular consultations with the community. “We had to create a building that was as simple as possible in terms of maintenance. When you use quality materials that are sustainable, you limit the workload associated with the building,” concludes Guillaume.

Each month, discover a new episode of our worksite diaries!

Be part of this project:

Building Dhagpo Kagyu Ling happens together. You can participate in this project in different ways:

• make a donation (non-eligible for tax deduction)
• loan funds
• donate construction materials or share your skills to carry out the project
• acquire a blue box containing definitions from The Entry to the State of a Pandita (available at the library or at Dhagpo’s reception)

Keep informed and be part of this project.

For further information, don’t hesitate to contact us: dkl.donateurs@dhagpo.org

If you wish to support this ambitious project, it is possible to make a donation:

• By bank transfer or cheque

Download the generosity form in PDF format

• Via Paypal

  (one-time/regular donation)