Austrian Green Planet Building

RITH (Royal Institute of Tourism and Hospitality) Bhutan

Thimphu, Bhutan, Upper Mothithang

The Royal Government of Bhutan established the Royal Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (RITH) with the technical and financial support of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The RITH is a tourism college in the capital Thimphu with an event hall the opening of which took place in autumn 2010, and a training hotel which was completed in 2015.

The construction activities carried out for the RITH can make a valuable contribution to a sustainable building culture in Bhutan, and also promote a reinterpretation of traditional architecture (where insulation was unknown before).

The training hotel was designed as a lowest-energy building, and is adapted to the special climatic conditions of the Himalaya region. It can be described as the best building in Bhutan in terms of structural engineering and housing technology. The climatic conditions offer almost ideal conditions for the use of the lowest-energy technology. High quality of workmanship required in such demanding projects as well as the procurement and correct use of adequate building materials remain to be a major challenge.