The Himalayan Ice Stupa: Ladakh's Climate-adaptive Water Cache

Abstract

In Ladakh, northern India, the recent development of an “ice stupa” suggests a new model for climate-adaptive design thinking. Here, the region's shrinking supply of glacial meltwater has led to the creation of a novel water management strategy, in which community involvement, ecological awareness, and religious iconography have been harnessed to make the most of a diminishing natural resource. Beyond simply providing a water cache for agricultural use, the ice stupas of Ladakh reveal a sophisticated response to social, environmental, and cultural constraints. In so doing, the project provides a working model for water husbandry in northern India and valuable insight into the emerging practice of designing for climate change.

Notes

1 Daniel Grossman, “As Himalayan Glaciers Melt, Two Towns Face the Fallout,” Yale Environment 360, http://e360.yale.edu/feature/as_himalayan_glaciers_melt_two_towns_face_the_fallout/2858/ (accessed June 8, 2015).

2 Carey Clouse, “Frozen Landscapes: Climate-Adaptive Design Interventions in Ladakh and Zanskar,” Landscape Research (2016); Jonathan Mingle, Fire and Ice: Soot, Solidarity and Survival on the Roof of the World (New York: St. Martin's, 2015).

3 Kim Gutshow and Seb Mankelow, “Dry Winters, Dry Summers: Water Shortages in Zanskar,” Ladakh Studies 15 (2001): 28–32.

4 These stone figures serve as treasured Buddhist prayer sites in the region.

5 In addition to designing the ice stupa system and sharing this model widely, Sonam Wangchuk also started an Ice Stupa Team in Ladakh, in order to train local students in the construction process and to raise money via the crowdfunding website Indiegogo. In this way, Wangchuk has helped to ensure funding for additional ice stupa development, as well as training and support for interested participants. While his first campaign was successful in raising $125,200, subsequent campaigns have fallen short of projected goals. More information about fund-raising and project goals can be found here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ice-stupa-artificial-glaciers-of-ladakh#/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carey Clouse

Author Biography

Carey Clouse is an Assistant Professor in Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She holds a postprofessional degree (SMArchS) in Architecture and Urbanism from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BArch from the University of Oregon. She is the recipient of a multiyear Fulbright Fellowship to India and the Rose Architectural Fellowship in New Orleans, and she teaches courses that address the overlap between social justice, environmental stewardship, and urbanism. In addition to teaching, she is co-partner of Crookedworks, an architecture-design-build firm.