TECHNOLOGy TRANSFER to BHUTAN
The development project in Bhutan continues to make progress. The first building in Bhutan made of local glulam, the Dining Hall, has been standing since spring 2018. Now, the challenging roof construction of the Mulitpurpose Hall is to begin this autumn. Yesterday, the project manager of the Pilot Plant, Mr. Wangchuk, CEO of NRDCL (Natural Resources Development Corporation Limited), among others, was in Eiken to discuss further project steps on site. Against all odds, Häring and the local team succeeded in setting up a simple factory in the middle of the Himalayas and using the beams produced to build the canteen of the Royal Academy.
No doubt, the work in Bhutan is adventurous. First there was the transport of the machines. Häring shipped them in three containers to Calcutta in India, from where they covered the 800 kilometres and 3,000 metres of altitude to Paro, where they arrived in mid-2015. After setting up the factory and training the specialists at Roth Burgdorf AG, the eight people produced the first beams on site. This was done with simple tools and a lot of manual labour.
A finger jointing line - indispensable in Switzerland - was missing on site. As a solution, the boards to be glued must overlap each other by one metre.
Despite obstacles....
In addition to the lack of technology and the difficulties of transport, there are cultural and economic obstacles. "Many Bhutanese aspire to a civil servant position, manual labour is usually the second choice," says David Häring, who supervises the project from Switzerland and temporarily on site. In addition, the migration of qualified professionals is an issue: in search of better earning opportunities, some go abroad for a few years, with Australia being very popular. This is what happened in the project supported by Häring.
And David Häring has noticed another significant difference: The concept of time. "We are used to pushing the work incessantly, but in Bhutan everything is much more leisurely," he notes. "I had to learn to live with that". On the other hand, he has also taken something away from the culture there: "I now have a different view of the hectic pace here.
...to success
Despite the odds, the construction of the cafeteria for the campus has been completed. During his stay on site in September, David Häring set himself the goal of producing one component of each type. In late autumn, Michel Steiner and Manuel Meury, two of Häring's carpenters, travelled to Paro for five weeks to support the local team with the assembly and to pass on their know-how. When the project had made 40% progress, the two left again. According to the latest information, the local team managed to finish the roofing before the monsoon started in early May. "I am happy that the hall is now up - that motivates us to continue," comments David Häring.
Having passed their baptism of fire, the next task awaits the team at the glulam factory. After the straight beams for the cafeteria, now comes the master's test, so to speak: curved beams for the multi-purpose hall. They will be ready by summer, and assembly is scheduled to begin in September.
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy is a campus for pupils from the seventh to the twelfth school year. The target for the full expansion is a capacity of 700 students, but at the moment it is expected to reach 400 in the medium term. Another stated goal is to admit around 60% students from poor backgrounds. The first 60 students started classes on 6 March 2016; they come from all 20 districts of the country.
According to its principles, the Royal Secondary School strives for the holistic development of young people - intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Just as important as good school performance is the fostering of character. The values to be imparted are based on the culturally formative Buddhism and are: Sincerity, Communality, Generosity and Compassion.
Häring in Bhutan
It all started with a fact-finding trip to Switzerland by the Bhutanese forestry authority in 2012. Among other things, the delegation visited Roth Burgdorf AG, which belongs to the Häring Group. A return invitation to Bhutan followed. Impressed by the architectural possibilities of modern timber construction, the authorities wanted to order an attractive multi-purpose hall for the new Royal Academy from Häring as a sample construction from Switzerland.
Instead, Häring suggested that the hall be built from local timber and with local specialists - in keeping with the motto of sustainability. For the potential of usable forest in Bhutan is immense: with 28,000 square kilometres, the forest area is two and a half times as large as in Switzerland, but the proportion of harvested biomass is ten times smaller than in this country. Neither a suitable processing chain nor a larger market exists for the timber industry. Häring's project is intended to give a significant boost to wood processing in the country. With its commitment, Häring is contributing to the transfer of know-how.
