Field Trip to Zanskar 2025
On Studio Nyandak’s third field trip to Zanskar, we were accompanied by an international team of experts in the fields of heritage conservation, art history, historical geography, preservation engineering and structural engineering.
In July 2025, Studio Nyandak embarked on a third field trip to Zanskar, northern India, to continue documentation and preservation design at eight centuries-old Buddhist monasteries. On this trip, we were accompanied by an international team of experts in the fields of heritage conservation, art and architectural history, historical geography, and structural engineering.
This team included Dr. John Harrison (Honorary Research Fellow, University of Liverpool), Dr. Ingun B. Amundsen (Independent Researcher, Norway), Dr. Robert Linrothe (Art Historian, Northwestern University), Dr. Javier Ortega Heras (Researcher, Spanish National Research Council), Marieta Núñez García (Co-Founder, FENEC), Paul Laroque (Structural Engineer, Paris & NYC), Dr. Karl Ryavec (Professor, UC Merced), and Sandeep Sikka (Principal, Architectural Preservation Studio).
Each architect and engineer from Studio Nyandak’s Dharamsala office spent a week at one Zanskar monastery/nunnery, drawing floor plans, sections, elevations, site plans and existing conditions. Throughout the week, the team of experts visited each of the nine monasteries and nunneries to study their structures, learn from their monks and caretakers, and offer consultation to Studio Nyandak’s members.
Like many other vernacular mud-brick buildings in Zanskar, every monastery/nunnery that Studio Nyandak is documenting has suffered significant water damage. This damage is largely caused by the region’s changing climatic patterns, such as increased precipitation. Some monasteries, especially Karsha Monastery, suffered severe damages from seismic activity. Through the first project phase of architectural documentation, we aim to create a record of the threatened built heritage that Zanskar’s Buddhist monasteries embody. In the next phase, started during this most recent field trip, we will identify and analyze damages at the monasteries with the goal of informing future repair work.
Aside from advising documentation and damage mapping, Studio Nyandak’s collaborators contributed invaluably to deepening our understanding of these sites and their historical contexts. From analyzing murals, mapping the local cultural landscape, soil testing for material analysis, radiocarbon dating key timber structural elements, and conducting non-destructive structural testing, the Zanskar 2025 team consultants supplemented Studio Nyadak’s project with in-depth and multidisciplinary research. We look forward to continuing contextualizing our documentation through these enriching research collaborations.
Tenzin Nyandak shows a Karsha Gonpa treasurer Studio Nyandak’s architectural documentation of the Monastery.
Dr. Rob Linrothe and a Gen Rigzin Samphel la at Bardan Gonpa analyze the murals in the main assembly hall of the Monastery.
Architect and earthen materials expert Sandeep Sikka conducts a workshop on local soil and clay.
FENEC co-founders Marieta Núñez García and Dr. Javier Ortega Heras conduct sonic testing as part of a nondestructive structural analysis at Bardan Gonpa.
Conference on Tibetan Architectural Heritage and Dharamsala Earthquake Resilience
Studio Nyandak hosted a 2-day conference with international speakers in the fields of engineering, architectural preservation, and historical geography in collaboration with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Gangkyi, Dharamsala.
Over July 24-25 2025, Studio Nyandak hosted a 2-day conference with international speakers in the fields of engineering, architectural preservation, and historical geography in collaboration with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Gangkyi, Dharamsala.
On the first day, architects and historians discussed traditional architecture in the Himalaya, conservation projects, and ongoing efforts for documenting Tibet’s historical landscape. The second day of talks was presented by engineers and historic building conservationists. They focused on the risks that earthquakes pose to Dharamsala’s typical building typography and possibilities for retrofitting and reinforcement methods tailored to local specifications.
Studio Nyandak is grateful to the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives and its Director Geshe Lhakdor la for the collaboration and support, and to all the speakers for sharing their time and expertise.
The first day of talks, entitled “Architectural Heritage of Tibet and the Himalaya,” featured the speakers Dr. Ingun B. Amundsen, Dr. John Harrison, Dr. Karl Ryavec, and Studio Nyandak.
Dr. Amundsen is an independent researcher from Norway who has consulted Studio Nyandak’s team on their architectural documentation of Buddhist monasteries in Zanskar, Ladakh. In addition to outlining this work in Zanskar, Dr. Amundsen discussed her dissertation on Buddhist sacred architecture in Bhutan.
Dr. Harrison, an honorary research fellow at the University of Liverpool and an architectural conservationist known for his work preserving Himalayan built heritage, discussed his field experience at heritage sites in Ladakh, Mustang, and Lhasa.
Dr. Ryavec, professor at University of California, Merced, followed with a discussion of his approach to historical geography and a preview of early findings from his upcoming A Historical Atlas of Kham, a subsequent volume to his book A Historical Atlas of Tibet.
Tenzin Nyandak, Gangchen Dolma, and Yumtsokyi Bhum from Studio Nyandak ended the first day of the conference with insights into Studio Nyandak’s methodology for and applications of Tibet from Above, a collaborative project conducted alongside Professor Ryavec and supported by the Rubin Museum, and which digitizes declassified CIA aerial images of Tibet’s landscape in the 1950s-60s.
Speakers on the second day of the conference, “Earthquake Resilience in Dharamsala,” included Studio Nyandak, Paul Laroque, Dr. Javier Ortega Heras, and Marieta Núñez García.
Dechen Tsogyal and Choeyang, civil engineers at Studio Nyandak’s Dharamsala office, started the day with a discussion of the primary risks associated with living in a seismic prone region such as Dharamsala, and accessible, rapid visual screening methods for assessing an individual structure’s level of risk.
Structural engineer and assistant professor at Columbia University and Pratt Institute, Paul Laroque, then delved into an explanation of the risks behind non-engineered concrete constructions, and the benefits of reinforced concrete design for seismic risk mitigation.
Dr. Ortega Heras, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, discussed another building typology common to Dharamsala—unreinforced masonry—and non-destructive methods for testing its vulnerability.
Lastly, Marieta, co-founder of the Madrid-based structural engineering non-profit FENEC, concluded the conference with a talk on the value of architectural heritage preservation, specifically for historical timber structures.
Please see below for full recordings of the talks published by The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA), and an interview with Geshe Lhakdor and Studio Nyandak conducted by the Dharamsala-based news source Phayul. Phayul also published an overview of the talks on earthquake resilience, Tibet Times covered both days one and two of the conference proceedings, and Voice of Tibet released an interview with Tenzin Nyandak on the conference and Studio Nyandak’s ongoing research.
Research trip to the national archives (NARA)
Studio Nyandak recently travelled to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Maryland with Prof. Karl Ryavec and U2 expert Lin Xu to obtain and digitize the U2 spy plane images of Tibet taken in 1950s and 1960s. This is part of our Tibet from above research. This research trip was funded by the generous support from the Rubin Museum’s 2024 Rubin x Research.
We were able to obtain more than 8,000 images of Tibetan plateau spanning from western Himalaya to the Tso Ngönpo (Tib: མཚོ་སྔོན་པོ་, Wylie: mtsho sngon po, Eng: Lake Kokonor, Chinese: 青海湖) in Amdo region in eastern Tibet. We are working on processing and geolocating the images and will make them publicly available.
Studio Nyandak recently travelled to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Maryland to obtain and digitize the U2 spy plane images of Tibet taken during the 1950s and 1960s. This is part of our Tibet from above research. Our research trip was funded by the generous support from the Rubin Museum’s 2024 Rubin x Research program, and conducted alongside our project collaborators, Professor Karl Ryavec from University of California Merced, and U2 aerial imagery expert, Lin Xu.
We obtained more than 8,000 images of the Tibetan plateau spanning from Gang Rinpoche (Tib: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Sanskrit: कैलास, Eng: Mount Kailash) in western Tibet to the Tso Ngönpo (Tib: མཚོ་སྔོན་པོ་, Eng: Lake Kokonor) in Amdo region of eastern Tibet. We are working on processing and geolocating the images and will make them publicly available in the coming months.
International Campaign for Tibet: Rowell Fund for Tibet grant
Studio Nyandak was selected to receive the International Campaign for Tibet’s 2024 Rowell Fund for Tibet grant to support documentation, research and preservation of Zanskar’s Buddhist monasteries and nunneries.
This seed money will allow us to obtain radiocarbon dating of wood samples from these monasteries and nunneries that were built around 1,000 years ago. Determining the exact ages of these structures will help us better understand the history of these important Buddhist sites.
Studio Nyandak was selected to receive the International Campaign for Tibet’s 2024 Rowell Fund for Tibet grant to support documentation, research and preservation of Zanskar’s Buddhist monasteries and nunneries.
This seed money will allow us to obtain radiocarbon dating of wood samples from these monasteries and nunneries that were built around 1,000 years ago. Determining the exact ages of these structures will help us better understand the history of these important Buddhist sites.
Tibet Fund Research grant
Studio Nyandak won a small grant from the Tibet Fund to design and build an earthquake shake/shock table in Dharamsala. This grant is in support of our ongoing research project, Low-cost Earthquake Resilient Structures.
Our project focuses on conducting comprehensive risk assessments and developing innovative earthquake resilience interventions for key anchor institutions within Dharamsala, the heart of the India’s Tibetan exile community. Situated at the foothills of the seismically active Himalayas, Dharamsala is inherently at high risk for earthquakes due to its location near tectonic fault lines and its sloping terrain. Home to roughly 10,000 Tibetans, it serves as the central hub of the Tibetan exile community, amplifying the potential impact of seismic events.
Many essential community buildings in Dharamsala—including schools, hospitals, museums and monasteries—are non-engineered and vulnerable to seismic events. We are developing low-cost, high-impact retrofitting solutions that are locally adaptable, ensuring the safety and resilience of critical infrastructure while safeguarding the community’s cultural and social fabric.
Studio Nyandak won a small grant from the Tibet Fund to design and build an earthquake shake/shock table in Dharamsala. This grant is in support of our ongoing research project, Low-cost Earthquake Resilient Structures.
Our project focuses on conducting comprehensive risk assessments and developing innovative earthquake resilience interventions for key anchor institutions within Dharamsala, the heart of the India’s Tibetan exile community. Situated at the foothills of the seismically active Himalayas, Dharamsala is inherently at high risk for earthquakes due to its location near tectonic fault lines and its sloping terrain. Home to roughly 10,000 Tibetans, it serves as the central hub of the Tibetan exile community, amplifying the potential impact of seismic events.
Many essential community buildings in Dharamsala—including schools, hospitals, museums and monasteries—are non-engineered and vulnerable to seismic events. We are developing low-cost, high-impact retrofitting solutions that are locally adaptable, ensuring the safety and resilience of critical infrastructure while safeguarding the community’s cultural and social fabric.
TCV Career Counseling
Our Studio Nyandak Dharamsala team recently visited the Tibetan Children’s Village school at Bir and Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen School in Dharamsala to give a career counseling presentation. Our team members talked about their work at Studio Nyandak and encouraged students to use their education to give back to society!
This work is part of our ongoing collaboration with the TCV School network and our support of the Tibetan community in exile.
Our Studio Nyandak Dharamsala team recently visited the Tibetan Children’s Village school at Bir and Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen School in Dharamsala to give a career counseling presentation. Our team members talked about their work at Studio Nyandak and encouraged students to use their education to give back to society!
This work is part of our ongoing collaboration with the TCV School network and our support of the Tibetan community in exile.
Rubin Museum Research grant
Studio Nyandak and Prof. Karl Ryavec were recently awarded a research grant by the Rubin Museum to obtain, analyze and present declassified U-2 spy plane images dating back to late 1950s.
This grant is in support of our ongoing research project, Tibet from Above, which sheds light on the profound changes to Buddhist and Bonpo monasteries during the Cultural Revolution.
Studio Nyandak and Prof. Karl Ryavec were recently awarded a research grant by the Rubin Museum to obtain, analyze and present declassified U-2 spy plane images dating back to late 1950s.
This grant is in support of our ongoing research project, Tibet from Above, which sheds light on the profound changes to Buddhist and Bonpo monasteries during the Cultural Revolution.
Columbia University Tibetan Rural Green Business Training and Exchange program
Two team members from our Dharamsala office, Gangchen Dolma and Tsering Yangchen, were selected as fellows for 2024 Columbia University Tibetan Rural Green Business Training and Exchange program. They will travel to the US in October 2024 to learn about sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Two team members from our Dharamsala office, Gangchen Dolma and Tsering Yangchen, were selected as fellows for 2024 Columbia University Tibetan Rural Green Business Training and Exchange program. They will travel to the US in October 2024 to learn about sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Zanskar Monastery Documentation Trip Sep 2024
Our Studio Nyandak Dharamsala team went back to Zanskar to continue documentation of the Valley’s monasteries and nunneries. They drew the elevations and sections and documented the damage of each monastery's main chapel building. See more about this research project here!
Our Studio Nyandak Dharamsala team went back to Zanskar to continue documentation of the Valley’s monasteries and nunneries. They drew the elevations and sections and documented the damage of each monastery's main chapel building. See more about this research project here!
Rato Dratsang Abbot Office Visit
The abbot of the Rato Dratsang visited our Dharamsala office to discuss the ongoing Rato Dratsang campus design.
The abbot of the Rato Dratsang visited our Dharamsala office to discuss the ongoing Rato Dratsang campus design.
Tibet Museum U-2 Spy plane photo of Lhasa
Our office donated a large poster of the U-2 spy plane image of Lhasa taken in 1959 to the Tibet Museum director Tenzin Topdhen la in Gangkyi, Dharamsala. The image was generously donated by our research collaborator Lin Xu as part of our Tibet from Above research initiative.
Our office donated a large poster of the U-2 spy plane image of Lhasa taken in 1959 to the Tibet Museum director Tenzin Topdhen la in Gangkyi, Dharamsala. The image was generously donated by our research collaborator Lin Xu as part of our Tibet from Above research initiative.
Library of Tibetan Works and Archive (LTWA) visit
Our office donated a large poster of the U-2 spy plane image of Lhasa taken in 1959 to the director of Library of Tibetan Works and Archive (LTWA) Geshe Lhakdor la in Dharamsala. The image was generously donated by our collaborator Lin Xu as part of our Tibet from Above research initiative.
Our office donated a large poster of the U-2 spy plane image of Lhasa taken in 1959 to the director of Library of Tibetan Works and Archive (LTWA) Geshe Lhakdor la in Dharamsala. The image was generously donated by our collaborator Lin Xu as part of our Tibet from Above research initiative.
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification
Studio Nyandak is now registered as a Minority Business Enterprise ("MBE") by both New York City and New York State.
Studio Nyandak is now registered as a Minority Business Enterprise ("MBE") by both New York City and New York State.
Chandigarh Field Trip
Our Dharamsala team took a field trip to the city of Chandigarh to visit several material fabricators and distributors. They also visited the Rock Garden designed by the incredibly gifted artist Nek Chand. This trip was part of our ongoing efforts in the Studio Nyandak Workshop.
Our Dharamsala team took a field trip to the city of Chandigarh to visit several material fabricators and distributors. They also visited the Rock Garden designed by the incredibly gifted artist Nek Chand. This trip was part of our ongoing efforts in the Studio Nyandak Workshop.
Meeting with Lin Xu
Lin Xu visited our NYC office to discuss the Tibet From Above research project and to share his immense knowledge about U-2 spy plane and satellite images. We are very grateful to him for his generosity in sharing his knowledge and deep passion with our team.
Lin Xu visited our NYC office to discuss the Tibet From Above research project and to share his immense knowledge about U-2 spy plane and satellite images. We are very grateful to him for his generosity in sharing his knowledge and deep passion with our team.
Dharamsala Office Dinners
Once a month, our Dharamsala office members go out for a team dinner and explore different restuarants in the Dharamsala area. Their favourite spot is the karaoke bar in McLeod Ganj.
Once a month, our Dharamsala office members go out for a team dinner and explore different restuarants in the Dharamsala area. Their favourite spot is the karaoke bar in McLeod Ganj.
Radio Free Asia Lower TCV Interview
The Radio Free Asia interviewed Studio Nyandak for our ongoing pro bono work to renovate and transform the lower Tibetan Children's Village school into a Tibetan-medium school for children visiting from the west.
The Radio Free Asia interviewed Studio Nyandak for our ongoing pro bono work to renovate and transform the lower Tibetan Children's Village school into a Tibetan-medium school for children visiting from the west.
Meeting With Prof. Karl Ryavec, Catherine Tsuji, and Prof. Gray Tuttle
We hosted a meeting in our NYC office to discuss several of our research projects with our collaborators Prof. Karl Ryavec, Catherine Tsuji and Prof. Gray Tuttle.
We hosted a meeting in our NYC office to discuss several of our research projects with our collaborators Prof. Karl Ryavec, Catherine Tsuji and Prof. Gray Tuttle.
Zanskar monastery Documentation Trip May 2024
The Studio Nyandak teams from both NYC and Dharamsala visited the remote Himalayan region of Zanskar to work on the documentation of monasteries and nunneries. We were fortunate enough to be joined by our collaborators John Harrison and Ingun Amundsen. Tenzin was a summer intern for John Harrison back in 2007, and together they worked on the renovation of Munshi House in the old Leh town in Ladakh.
The Studio Nyandak teams from both NYC and Dharamsala visited the remote Himalayan region of Zanskar to work on the documentation of monasteries and nunneries. We were fortunate enough to be joined by our collaborators John Harrison and Ingun Amundsen. Tenzin was a summer intern for John Harrison back in 2007, and together they worked on the renovation of Munshi House in the old Leh town in Ladakh.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grant
We received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to work with the non-profit Folkstreams and Drung film collective to produce a documentary on our Zanskar research work. The documentary will be completed by the end of 2024 and will be hosted on Folkstreams website.
We received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to work with the non-profit Folkstreams and Drung film collective to produce a documentary on our Zanskar research work. The documentary will be completed by the end of 2024 and will be hosted on Folkstreams website.
