Biodiversity key to concept for new economic hub

The monarch of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, has presented the vision for a new economic hub in the world’s first carbon-negative country. Located in Gelephu, the 1000+ sq km masterplan titled ‘Mindfulness City’ was created by Tenderstream members BIG and Arup, together with Cistri. The concept was informed by Bhutanese culture, the principles of Gross National Happiness index (GNH), and the country’s spiritual heritage.    

The development is intended to lay the foundation for the country’s future growth and create economic opportunities for its citizens through investments in green technology, education, and infrastructure. The natural elements and the existing infrastructure, agriculture, and utilities of Gelephu naturally create eleven distinct neighbourhoods organised symmetrically around a central public space. The masterplan aims to amplify the country’s abundant biodiversity by establishing a tapestry of interconnected ecosystems and lively neighbourhoods, shaped by the flow of the 35 rivers and streams running through the site. The resulting ribbonlike districts form urban terraces that cascade down from the hills to the valley. Paddy fields alongside the rivers will offer protection against monsoon floods and form biodiversity corridors for the migratory routes of elephants and other wildlife. 

The neighbourhoods are tied together by three main mobility connections, which sometimes double as transportation infrastructure combined with civic and cultural facilities, creating a series of ‘inhabitable bridges’.  Each of the bridges house key destinations: the new airport, a Vajrayana spiritual centre which allows glimpses into the daily practices of the monks, a healthcare centre as a meeting between Eastern and Western medicine, a university, a hydroponic and aquaponic greenhouse, a cultural centre, and a market. The final bridge, a hydroelectric dam, features a step-well retaining wall that offers viewpoints, staircases for meditative walks, and a temple. 

Giulia Frittoli, partner in charge of BIG Landscape, stated: “Inspired by the Bhutanese culture of respect and compassion for others and nature, the Mindfulness City is designed to enhance ecological systems, through an urban development that connects flora and fauna, as well as people and ideas. It becomes a testament of humanity's inseparable bond with nature, and a global example of how to build a sustainable human presence on Earth.” 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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