Comments on: DWLS Dragon Garden in Shey, Ladakh, for the Druk White Lotus School

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:56:30 +0000

Peter, thank you very much for the links to the photos. I am very pleased to see the planting doing so well!

By: Peter Sheppard

Peter Sheppard — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:35:16 +0000

Hi, hi Tom ‘n all,
Further on the Druk White Lotus School at Shey, Ladakh:
Four hurried on-the fly shots a couple of days ago:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peteshep/9306087211/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peteshep/9308862674/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peteshep/9308856702/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peteshep/9308875444/
Good work!
Peteshep
P 🙂

By: Peter Shep

Peter Shep — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:49:01 +0000

Yes, thanks for those Tom 🙂
At present I’m writing up most recent trip — nearer you.
Eight out of nine new photo-Sets with the suffix ” – 2012″ are now open on flickr. Mainly architectural.
http://flickr.com/peteshep/sets

New Zealand landscape design (as apart from large conservation):
There may be interest in some of these schemes:
http://www.nzila.co.nz/projects.aspx

New Year best wishes,
Peter Shep
Random architectural travel; hover and click:
http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/user/peteshep

P 🙂

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:30:14 +0000

In reply to Peter Shep.

There are links to some more videos here http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/dragon_garden_dwls_druk_white_lotus_school
You would be welcome to do a blog post if you go there (or if you have other topics in need of an airing!).
Best wishes, Tom

By: Peter Shep

Peter Shep — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Thanks Tom!
I’d found photos on the Arup web-site, and this short video:
http://www.arup.com/Home/News/2010_08_August/12_Aug_2010_DrukWhiteLotus_Ladakh.aspx#!lb:/Home/Projects/Druk_White_Lotus_School/Druk_White_Lotus_School_film.aspx
Peter Shep 🙂
http://flickr.com/peteshep/sets

By: Tom Turner

Tom Turner — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 04:33:22 +0000

In reply to Peter Shep.

Visitors to the DWLS school are welcome – and in mid-2013 there should be at least one resident landscape architect on site for you to talk to.
The mandala is an ancient Hindu idea which was taken up and adapted by Buddhists. The idea for using a mandala for the Druk School came from Jonathan Rose, then at Arup Associates and now at AECOM. At present, the desert setting makes the buildings far less impressive to visit than they are in photographs. We hope this will change!
Thank you for the link to Kenzo Tange’s Museum in Nice. I like it – and am pleased to see what looks like a happy relationship with the landscape from him. The only projects of his I have visited are the park in Hiroshima and the development plan for Lumbini, both of which I think are very badly judged from a landscape point of view.

By: Peter Shep

Peter Shep — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 01:18:39 +0000

Greetings again Tom.
Interested to read your comments on Ladakh — I’m hoping for visit mid 2013.
It seems to have become of bit of a publicised issue. Change is inevitable, and over-romanticism unhelpful, but its a microcosm of similar issues in many parts of the world where change is needed but becomes imposed. Sensitivity required. Commerce gain takes over. You know all this. 🙂
Anyway, my note was regarding the mandala idea. Whose idea?
And you will know that Kenzo Tange’s Museum of Asiatic Arts in Nice is an honestly modern, well-executed mandala plan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peteshep/633866723/
peteshep 🙂

PS Architecturally the School development is looking fine.