Titles
A-C
D-G
H-K
L-O
P-S
T-Z
A critical Study of the Aguda (Afro-Brazilians) Architectura...A Dynamic Management System for World Heritage Sites in FluxA Methodology of Reality Capture with M-BIM for Heritage Sit...A Study on Conservation of Historic Villages as “Living He...Adaptive Reuse of Trullo Structures: From Vernacular Archite...Al-Karkh in Verse and Game: Epistemological Center-Periphery...An Investigation into Rural Architecture and Cultural Contin...Art Across Time: An Australian Case StudyArt, Digital Heritage and RestitutionsAssessing the Heritage Values of the Cyprus Government Railw...Automating Intangible Heritage: Comparative Perspectives on ...Between Ghosts and Gambles: Heritage, Decadence, and the Amb...Beyond the lighthouse: lessons learned from a pilot project ...Bhutan: In Pursuit of a Sustainable WorldCairene Car-Culture: How are Automobility and Social Behavio...Canberra – Urban Infill and the Disappearance of the Bush ...Co-planning Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage for Sp...Contemporary Heritage: Jørn Utzon’s Approach to Local Con...Continuity - preserving Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) and t...Cultural Positions : Heritage Administration and Political A...Cultural Resistance through Technological Adaptation: The Hy...Cupcakes and Curiosities: Backup Ukraine, Cultural Heritage ...Dayak’s Harvest Cultural Festival between Tradition and Cu...Decolonial Heritage Practices of Black Women in Chile and Co...Deconstructing Memory: Rethinking Kenter Theatre as a Multil...Designing for the Desert: Examining Contrast in Contemporary...Designing Nostalgia: Exploring Heritage as a Cultural and Em...Digital Community Co-creation as a Conduit for Addressing Sy...Digital Intimate Space: AR and VR in speculative future disp...Digital Perpetuation of Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Cros...Digitizing the Past: The Rise of 3D Scanning and Photogramme...Diriyah's Digital Echoes: How the artificial intelligence in...Early Republican Football Stadiums in Turkey Faced Conservat...Enhancing the Environmental Sustainability of Maritime Green...Game(over)tourism: World Heritage Status and Natural Sites b...Heritage Digitization: Case of Illaco House -Karachi : Pakis...Heritage of Wadi Hanifah: Navigating Socio-Cultural Complexi...Heritage Preservation and Interpretation – A Case Study o...Historicising Generative AI design models in Architecture Th...Imperial Shadows: Addressing Indigenous Exclusion in London...Industrial Heritage Reimagined: A Comparative Analysis of 20...Intersections of Digital Craft and Heritage: Computational T...Istanbul Design Museum at Suleymaniye as a Contested Heritag...Latent Connections: revealing what is in commons.Lights On! Illuminating Identity Through Shared Histories an...Locating the interface between traditional architecture and ...Milestones of (contested) memories: monuments and murals on ...Object Learning: A Journey Towards Active LearningOpen_Access: Democratising Dunedin’s HeritagePenn Center Studies: Iterative Documentation for Proactive P...Plastic Landscape: Plasticity and the Non-Human Temporalitie...Priest or Performer: Negotiating Subjectivity in Shaowu Nuo ...Public Art and the Urban EnvironmentReconstruction and Retouching of Polychromy on Stone Sculptu...Regeneration of Urban Cultural Landscapes: A Case Study of A...Reimagining Lisbon: The Convergence of Architectural, Urban,...Resurrecting Footprints: Re-interpreting Lost Heritage in Co...Revitalizing Heritage in Depopulating Regions: Challenges in...Reviving an Overlooked Art: The Historical and Cultural Sign...Rituals and Social Practices: The Symbolism of Traditional C...Sacred Land: Decolonial Ecologies and the Indigenous cultura...Shaping Commerce: The Evolution of Retail Architecture in Lo...Street and Contemporary Art in Post-Conflict Cities: Express...Surviving Heritage: Colonial Heritage and Counter-Colonial M...The Adoption of the "Garden City" Model in the City of São ...The Augmented Memory Palace: Embedding Cultural Narratives, ...The Hole - DelikThe Intention of Garden in Rooftops: Historical Continuities...The Lost Rivers of Te Whanganui-a-TaraThe Mutuality of Heritage Sites and Informal Settlements: A ...The Preservation of Cultural Heritage through Real Estate De...The role and impact of heritage practitioners within a triba...The Vokil Bench: Material Adaptation, Colonial Modernity, an...Transformation of Cultural Heritage Over Time – Current De...Unveiling the Hidden Narratives of Cities: The Role of the S...Using Heritage as a Tool. Enhancing Rural Areas through Arch...Voices: Music Heritage Reimagined through Machine singersWelcome and introduction
Schedule

VIRTUAL London Heritages Conference

Critical Questions – Contemporary Practice
Bhutan: In Pursuit of a Sustainable World
T. Sawruk
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Abstract

Bhutan is a small mountainous country enshrined in the Himalaya’s, and leads the way in the pursuit of holistic, inclusive and truly environmentally sustainable development. Sustainability has been incorporated into the country’s national identity. Bhutan is noted for pioneering the concept of “Gross National Happiness.” King Jigme Singye Wangchuck based the Gross National Happiness Index on four pillars: 1) sustainable development, 2) environmental protection, 3) cultural preservation, and 4) good governance. His goal is to create a carbon neutral country, while encouraging modern development. This means that the government strives towards equitable socio-economic development along with the preservation of historic and sacred sites. The success of this approach has made Bhutan a leader in economic freedom, per capita income, and one of the least corrupt countries in Asia. This paper seeks to document various Initiatives that support the culture of Gross National Happiness, and access the relationship between historic vernacular architecture, cultural values, and sustainability. There are only a few global destinations that allow for a full immersion within a true sustainable culture. Bhutan seeks to achieve a level of societal contentment coupled with a non-technical approach to eco living with nature. While centuries old structures are actively preserved and revitalized, modern necessities bare down on historic urban neighborhoods. As such, the current monarchy has embraced design regulations that promote a critical regionalist methodology to architecture and development. This research assesses how the concept of “Gross National Happiness,” serves to inform contemporary Bhutanese architecture, urban development, and environmental conservation.

Biography

Dr. Theodore Sawruk received his Bachelors of Architecture from Carnegie-Mellon University, his Graduate Diploma in Architectural History and Theory from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London England, and his Doctorate in Education from the University of Hartford. Professor Sawruk is a full-time academic with the University of Hartford, Department of Architecture, teaching design, theory, and history courses, He has previously presented papers on topics related to architecture preservation, building sustainability, and architecture education.