Dzong architecture is used for dzongs, a distinctive type of fortified monastery (, , ) architecture found mainly in Bhutan and Tibet. The architecture is massive in style with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices, and monks' accommodation.

thumb|[[Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu]]

Characteristics

Distinctive features include:

  • High inward sloping walls of brick and stone painted white with few or no windows in the lower sections of the wall
  • Use of a surrounding red ochre stripe near the top of the walls, sometimes punctuated by large gold circles
  • Use of unique style flared roofs atop interior temples
  • Massive entry doors made of wood and iron
  • Interior courtyards and temples brightly colored in Buddhist-themed art motifs such as the ashtamangala or swastika

Regional differences

Bhutan

Dzongs serve as the religious, military, administrative, and social centers of their district. They are often the site of an annual tsechu or religious festival.

Typically half of the rooms inside a dzong serve administrative purposes (such as the office of the penlop or governor), while the other half is dedicated to religious purposes, primarily the temple and housing for monks. This division between administrative and religious functions reflects the idealized duality of power between the religious and administrative branches of government.

Tibet

thumb|[[Gyantse Dzong]]

Tibet used to be divided into 53 prefecture districts also called dzongs. There were two dzongpöns for each dzong, a lama and a layman. They were entrusted with both civil and military powers and are equal in all respects, though subordinate to the generals and the Chinese amban in military matters, until the expulsion of the ambans following the Xinhai Revolution in 1912.

In the United States, this style became known as Bhutanese Revival and Neo-Bhutanese Revival. The style was first introduced in America in 1917 by El Paso architect Charles Gibson using photographs from an article on Bhutan in the April 1914 issue of the National Geographic Magazine. Upon the suggestion of Kathleen Worrell, the wife of the dean of the State School of Mines and Metallurgy (today's University of Texas at El Paso), Gibson's initial designs appeared on the front page of El Paso newspapers. The governing board of the University of Texas System purchased the designs from Gibson and awarded them to the architectural firm of Trost & Trost. Henry Trost, assisted by the school's faculty, completed the final designs of four Bhutanese Revival buildings at the school's Paso del Norte campus.

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Image:UTEP CampusBldngs1.jpg|To the left is the College of Business, to the right the College of Engineering

Image:UTEPAcademicServicesBldg.jpg|UTEP's Academic Services Building

Image:UtepLibrary.jpg|UTEP Library

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UNESCO tentative listing

In 2012, the Bhutanese government listed five dzongs to its tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription in the future. The five dzongs are Punakha Dzong, Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Paro Dzong, Trongsa Dzong and Dagana Dzong.

See also

  • Architecture in Tibet
  • Architecture of Bhutan
  • Driglam namzha

References

Further reading

  • Dzongs of Bhutan
  • Designs for Trashi Chhoe Dzong Precinct, Thimphu, Bhutan