A Study on the Spatial Organization of Floor Plans of Traditional Bhutanese Houses in Two Villages Chuba and Atsuo, Paro Dzongkhag, Kingdom of Bhutan

Abstract

This study aims to understand spatial organizations inside traditional Bhutanese houses through an empirical survey in Paro, Western Bhutan, on the uses of rooms and their names in Dzongkha. The results indicate that the main floor includes an intermediate space (Bako in Dzongkha), a living room (Youkha), and an alter room (Choshom) with an inner altar room (Tshamko). The window side in the Youkha is the primary place for the view and breeze, and traditionally had precedence. Some local Dzongkha room names differ from English names in that they express the spatial placement of rooms rather than their functions.