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| Tashichho Dzong, a government and monastic administrative building in the background |
It’s been a while since my last post so I’ll make this one a
longer one. In my last entry, I listed 5 of my experiences in Bhutan. In this
entry I’m going to briefly explain one of the experiences on my list and
explain more about my project.
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| Thimphu Tech Park...my actual photo was not uploading so here is an artist's rendering of the building...lovely |
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| Unfortunately, I didn't dress properly for the occasion |
I’ll start out of order with #2 “Planting a bottle-brush
tree at Bhutan’s new LEED Platinum technology park.” I had the awesome
opportunity to tour Bhutan’s tech-park which is actually housed in one
building. As per Bhutan’s regulations, all buildings no matter how recently
they are constructed must have a traditional façade. The result is that all of
the hi-rises and new construction appears as if they have been fixtures for
several hundred years. The Techpark is no different. From the outside it looks
like an ancient fortress but all along the tour, our guide showed us the modern
and “green” features. For example, the pavement is water permeable so that when
it rains, the water gets to replenish the ground water rather than running off
into storm drains. Water that collects on the roof is collected in a cistern
and is used to water the plants. Solar panels powered the water heaters and
lighting. Special materials were used to keep the sun’s heat out and make the
building really cool during the summer. There was a whole bunch of other
features that I could hardly explain right now. The certification speaks for
itself. What I found most interesting is how they used part of the park to
house a small business incubator. Yes, they have a special room where prematurely
born businesses rest and develop into strong healthy organizations. At least
that’s the image I got from the word “incubator.” Basically it’s a large room
that actually resembles a hospital neo-natal ward. It is has long tables,
internet access and it is rented out to business start-ups. The goal is for all
of these start-ups to cross-pollinate their ideas as they work in the same
room. When needed, the Incubator will provide loans for these businesses. So
far this whole operation is embryonic
as they only have a couple start-ups but I look forward to working with them on
one project this summer. Oh, I never got to the tree part. So, the building is
completed but the grounds still need to have trees and shrubs planted. The
groundskeeper gave me a small shovel and a baby tree and I had the difficult
task of breaking the fallow ground. One day, this tree will grow to be over 50
feet tall.
Alright so here’s the part where I talk about my project. At
first, I mentioned that I was researching avenues for how Bhutan’s Companies
Act can be amended to help DHI as it manages its subsidiaries. My project has
since changed and I am now researching DHI’s legal status within Bhutan and I
am devising ways that DHI can clarify this status. So when I say legal status,
I am referring to general categorization of DHI as an entity within the
government. For example, we know that the FBI is an agency within the Executive
Branch in the United States. Ascertaining this status is important because it
determines which laws apply to DHI. DHI’s status within the Royal Government of
Bhutan is not so clear cut because it was not created by legislation. It was
actually created by royal decree! Essentially, His Majesty, the Druk Gyalpo
(the Dragon King) of Bhutan, Jigme Kesar Namgyel Wangchuck in 2007 decreed: Let
there be DHI! and there was DHI! …That’s not actually what happened; he
consulted with a very limited group of people in the government. The problem
was that the royal decree did not comprehensively explain what DHI was and all
the laws it should be subject to. This has proven problematic and so I have
been charged with uncovering this. The research is a bit sensitive so I can’t
explain everything but where possible over the next few blogs both you and I
will uncover answers to this mystery.
Until next time!
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| A preview of what's to come in my next post... |
Yannick Wood...without the S
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