Wangduechhoeling Palace

Photo credit: David Taggart

Wangduechhoeling Palace

Bumthang, Bhutan

On the heels of their work repurposing an historic pavilion in Beijing’s Forbidden City, Tsao & McKown were invited by the Bhutan Foundation to master-plan the adaptive re-use of the Wangduechhoeling Palace. As the birthplace of Bhutan’s first King and one of the finest representations of 19th-century traditional Bhutanese architecture, the Wangduechhoeling Palace is one of the country’s most important historical monuments.

Despite its significance the palace was neglected for several decades resulting in deterioration of its structure and intricately carved and polychromed wooden facades.

In addition to helping to guide restoration criteria and planning the use of interior spaces, Tsao & McKown’s designs included reinstating the palace’s original north entrance as its main entrance, repurposing the basement-level eastern courtyard to become an event space and entrance for groups and persons with physical disabilities, and creating a new semi-subterranean café.

The restoration work is being performed by Tashi Deling Construction & Consultancy under the direction of the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs and the Department of Culture - Division for Conservation of Heritage Sites. The project is made possible with the collaboration of the Bhutan Foundation, the World Monument's Fund, and the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.