Technical Guidance Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Royal Government of Bhutan Prepared in collaboration between the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology and the World Bank This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. 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Technical Guidance Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Royal Government of Bhutan Prepared in collaboration between the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology and the World Bank Acknowledgement Bhutan. Bridge. Photo: Adam Singer/Flickr. 2017. This document was prepared by Gerald J Fleming and benefited from the peer review by Vladimir Tsirkunov, Lead Specialist, World Bank. This document was prepared under the World Bank- financed project ‘Strengthening Risk Information for Disaster Resilience in Bhutan (P175081)’ which is implemented by the Royal Government of Bhutan, including the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), and co-financed by the Climate Investment Fund and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)’s European Union-South Asia Capacity Building for Developing Countries and Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries. Editors: Susi Victor and Priya Susan Thom Graphic design: ULTRA designs, Inc. Cover photo: Dechen Tshering Back cover photo: Adam Singer/Flickr CONTENTS 1. Introduction. ........................................................................................................ 7 1.1 Geography and Climate....................................................................................... 9 1.2 A new Headquarters Campus for NCHM – the rationale......................................... 9 1.3 Some logistical and design considerations........................................................... 10 1.4 Location............................................................................................................11 2. Overview of the NCHM. .................................................................................... 15 2.1 The Secretariat.................................................................................................. 15 ......................................................... 16 2.2 Technical Standards and Research Division. 2.3 Cryosphere Services Division.............................................................................. 16 2.4 Meteorological Services Division......................................................................... 16 2.5 Hydrology and Water Resources Division............................................................. 16 3. Building for the Future..................................................................................... 17 3.1 Observing Infrastructure.................................................................................... 17 ............................................................................................. 19 3.2 ICT Infrastructure. 3.3 Services............................................................................................................20 4. Details of Required Accommodation.............................................................22 4.1 HQ Building......................................................................................................22 ..........................................25 4.2 National Weather and Flood Warning Centre Building. 4.3 Conference Hall. ................................................................................................30 4.4 Calibration Laboratory.......................................................................................32 ..............................................................32 4.5 Sediment and Water Quality Laboratory. ....................................................32 4.6 Stores and Equipment Maintenance Workshop. ............................................................................ 33 4.7 Vehicle Garage and Workshop. 4.8 Canteen/Restaurant........................................................................................... 33 ..................................................................... 33 4.9 24/7 Staff Accommodation Facility. ................................................................................................35 4.10 Sports Facilities. 4.11 Child-minding/Creche....................................................................................... 35 4.12 Weather-Related Scientific Observations............................................................. 35 4.13 Communications/Power Supply Area...................................................................36 4.14 Solar Field........................................................................................................36 ...................................................................................................36 4.15 Water Storage. 4.16 Vehicle Parking.................................................................................................36 4.17 Recreation Area.................................................................................................37 4.18 Waste Disposal Systems.....................................................................................37 5. Layout of the Building Blocks.........................................................................38 6. General Comments. ...........................................................................................40 Appendix 1 - Room and Building Sizes.............................................................. 41 List of Tables Table 1: ......................................................... 16 Staff numbers by division and by location. Table 2: Estimated total area and footprints of building..................................................38 List of Figures Figure 1: Site location at Yusipang outside Thimphu.........................................................11 .................................... 12 Figure 2: Site location, showing also nearby government facilities. Figure 3: Photographs of the proposed site for the NCHM campus..................................... 12 Figure 4: NCHM organogram following reorganisation..................................................... 15 Figure 5: Typical layout of a full synoptic weather observation site. ................................... 18 ......................................................................... 18 Figure 6: Weather balloon auto launcher. Figure 7: Schematic of a Meteorological Data Centre and technical ICT system................... 19 Figure 8: A reception area example.................................................................................22 Figure 9: An attractive and welcoming library space.........................................................23 Figure 10: Example of open-plan office area divided into different spaces...........................24 Figure 11: Example of a board-room type of meeting room................................................24 Figure 12: Operational forecast room in the Danish Met Institute (Note the ceiling height, the video wall, and the ‘standing’ desk)........................26 Figure 13: Overview of the operational forecast room, Muscat, Oman..................................26 Figure 14: Operational forecast room Muscat, Oman - Video wall. .......................................27 Figure 15: Operational forecast room Muscat, Oman - Looking back at the forecasters’ desks............................................................................................27 Figure 16: An informal seating space for accommodating school groups..............................28 ............................................................29 Figure 17: Possible layout of a 12-rack data centre. Figure 18: A bright and welcoming conference hall............................................................ 31 Figure 19: Conference hall with windows arranged for easy space division........................... 31 ..............................34 Figure 20: Housing apartments grouped around a communal courtyard. Figure 21: A more open arrangement of housing units around a shared outdoor space..........34 ..........................34 Figure 22: Duplex-style houses/apartments with deep overhang balconies. Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 7 1. Introduction T he National Centre for Hydrology and organisation. NCHM does not have access to Meteorology (NCHM) plans to develop a spaces designed for 24/7 operational work. It new campus on a “green field” site to act does not have the specialised facilities needed for as the headquarters and principal operations instrument maintenance and calibration. Overall, centre with technical and financial assistance from NCHM does not have adequate space for carrying the World Bank. The NCHM is mandated to observe out meteorological observations in compliance and understand the behaviour of the atmosphere with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) over Bhutan, its interaction with the cryosphere regulatory guidance. In order that its capacities and water bodies, the weather and climate of the may be fully used to the benefit of the citizens country, and the distribution of the country’s water of Bhutan and serve as a regional Centre of resources. The Centre is identified as the nodal Excellence on mountain meteorology, it needs to agency responsible for generation of information have facilities for education and outreach so that and delivery of products and services on weather, users can learn how best to take advantage of climate, cryosphere, and water resources in advanced forecast and warning information. Bhutan. It was formed as an autonomous scientific and technical agency in 2016, having previously It is evident, therefore, that NCHM, to fulfil its been a part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. varied mandates, needs to be housed in buildings The establishment of the NCHM has brought that properly accommodate its diverse needs and together into a single organisation the study of all requirements. Any meteorological and hydrological aspects of meteorology, climatology, hydrology, service is a complex amalgam of functions, from and cryosphere (glaciology and related science) making weather observations, to collecting and in Bhutan, as well as aviation meteorology. In communicating data in a time-bound manner, December 2019, the National Disaster Management delivering operational services, conducting Authority chaired by the Prime Minister designated scientific studies and research, maintaining, the NCHM as the National Hydromet Hazard repairing, and calibrating instruments, and so on. Early Warning Service Provider, pursuant to the If NCHM is to be properly housed, and to deliver Disaster Management Act 2013 to ensure clear high-quality services to the citizens of Bhutan, it is and systematic early warning and notification to urgent to plan for a new campus, built specifically vulnerable populations and government agencies to support the many and varied activities that flow of threatening hydrometeorological hazards, from its responsibilities. In making plans for this disaster situations or events in the country. new campus, it is important to consider not just NCHM’s current activities but also those activities At present, the NCHM headquarters offices are which it might carry out in the foreseeable future housed within the erstwhile Ministry of Economic and beyond. The layout and design of the new Affairs, now the Ministry of Energy and Natural campus of buildings should allow for expansion Resources complex, which is a suite of buildings and modification to accommodate the evolving designed for administrative work and not for needs of the organisation over the coming decades. the tasks of a science and technology-based Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank The vision, mission, mandates, and core values of the Centre are elaborated below. Vision Goals Centre of Excellence in Hydrology, Meteorology The NCHM goals are to and Cryosphere Science and Services. a. Improve results- based decision support Mission services for weather incidents and events that threaten lives and livelihoods; Monitoring and understanding of hydrology, b. Enhance climate services to understand and weather, climate, and cryosphere, for timely adapt to climate-related risks; provision of information and services to protect lives and property and support national c. Develop the capacity to provide integrated needs for ecologically balanced sustainable and coupled monitoring, detection, and development. forecast services to support assessment and management of water resources and water- Core values related hazards; a. Commitment and loyalty in delivery of d. Build competence to provide sector-relevant products and services information for socioeconomic development and support the development of integrated b. Integrity environmental services to foster healthy c. Professionalism in support of science, communities and ecosystems; and research, objectivity, impartiality, and e. Sustain a highly skilled professional excellence workforce equipped with training, tools, and d. Mutual respect, cultural sensitivity, and infrastructure to fulfil the mission. non-discrimination. Appendix 1 provides a table of indicative room sizes. The photographs of interiors are provided to stimulate thinking about possible options when a bespoke building for a specialised organisation can be designed. Thimphu river. Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 9 1.1 Geography and Climate Hydrology too has benefitted from a combination of careful observation and measurement and Located on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, improved theoretical understanding to deliver the altitude of Bhutan ranges from over 7,000 m in significant and meaningful benefits to society. In the north to about 200 m in the south; it therefore this case, it is the understanding and prediction experiences a wide variety of climatic conditions of water flows—water which is essential to life and is home to a diversity of ecosystems. Most in all its forms, but which can become such a of the human habitation is confined to the steep destructive force on occasion. Bhutan, with its valleys and gorges which are cut into the southern high Himalayan peaks, has the added challenges flanks of the Himalayas by fast-flowing rivers. presented by water in its solid or frozen state, as snow and glacial ice accumulate and then melt to Meteorology both straddles and encompasses feed fast-flowing and fast-flooding rivers. many facets of human knowledge and behaviour. Weather, which is the day-to-day manifestation of meteorology to the layperson, is shaped by the 1.2 A new Headquarters Campus for NCHM – landscape but it is also a force that shapes the culture and the livelihoods of the people who live the rationale there. Weather is a universal experience of the At present the NCHM HQ functions are accommo- poor, the wealthy, and the urban and the rural dated in standard office buildings within a gov- dweller; it is a constant presence in our lives and ernment compound close to downtown Thimphu. yet is ever changing. The weather experienced in a The forecast offices (meteorology and hydrology) country, region, or valley is an integral part of the are located in an adjacent building that has signif- identity of that country, region, or valley—just as icant drawbacks in regard to providing operational much as the native vegetation or the dwellings, spaces; the operations rooms are rather small, and which are themselves shaped by the prevailing are divided by supporting columns, effectively conditions. breaking up the working space into even smaller units. There are no laboratory facilities for the Meteorology, which is the scientific study of maintenance and calibration of equipment, much weather, offers a completely different facet less the sort of facilities that would be needed for and perspective. Meteorology seeks out the water quality work and sedimentation analysis. universal physical laws and forces which govern the behaviour of weather. These same laws The benefits that will flow from the provision of apply everywhere across the globe, although a well-designed HQ campus for NCHM are multi- their local manifestations are so different and fold. At an operational level, it will facilitate diverse. There have been tremendous scientific the provision of top quality meteorological and advances in meteorology over the past 75 years, hydrological products and services to the citizens bringing weather forecasting from the realm of Bhutan, including the critical early warning of magic and mystery into a realm of scientific services. At a broader level, it will support food rigour and reliability. Of all the physical sciences security, hydropower, transport, tourism, and it is the one which has been most focused on other key economic activities through facilitating translating theoretical insights into practical more extensive and more targeted meteorological products and services of immediate benefit to and hydrological services. These services will people and to society. Paradoxically, it has also help minimise the vulnerability of the Bhutanese brought us a deeper knowledge of the fragility of economy to shocks deriving from natural hazards. our environment and the depth of damage which At a technical level, the facilities will support we are inflicting on the seemingly boundless the operation, maintenance and calibration atmosphere. of equipment that comprises the essential Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 10 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities meteorological and hydrological observing network for sufficient staff that will guarantee resilient of the country. At an ICT level, it will provide a services. The campus should also allow for the “nerve centre” for the collection of meteorological siting of weather observing equipment, including and hydrological data, and its exchange with the provision for balloon launches to gather upper- global community. At a scientific level, it will air data. It would clearly be impossible to support excellence in meteorology and hydrology accommodate all of these diverse needs on the through providing opportunities for experts to existing site, and the space required will be such gather and exchange knowledge; indeed it could that a suitable site is unlikely to be found near the well host a Regional Centre of Excellence in centre of Thimphu. key subjects such as Mountain Meteorology or Glaciology. 1.3 Some logistical and design considerations There are no specific facilities for accommodating Any project to develop a new headquarters for educational groups, nor those for hosting meetings the NCHM Bhutan needs to be mindful of the and conferences. In short, the physical facilities diverse perspectives that surround the topics of do not, in any sense, support the very particular meteorology, hydrology, and weather. needs of a scientific and technical organisation that is focused on public services, services that As noted above, the buildings will need to should be underpinned by a strong organisational accommodate and support scientific work of identity and a very visible public presence. the highest order as well as experimentation, instrument maintenance, and calibration. They An added challenge arises from the need for will need to sustain not just the 24/7 operations resilient 24/7 operational services, and ensuring of weather and flood forecasting but also the that adequate staff are always available to sustain advanced technology and telecommunications that these services. Experiences during the COVID-19 connect national meteorological services (NMHSs) epidemic, in Bhutan and elsewhere, exposed the globally and facilitate the gathering of weather difficulties of maintaining operations during data, the ‘raw material’ of weather products and these interruptions to the normal functioning of services. The buildings will need to provide spaces society – interruptions that can also be caused by for education and outreach and offer an open and severe weather events, or seismic occurrences. welcoming experience for schoolchildren and These latter are precisely the occasions when other visitors. fully-functioning meteorological and hydrological services are most needed by society to ensure the Apart from addressing the technical and logistical safety and security of citizens. The clear inference needs, the buildings will need to incorporate the is that a sufficient number of NCHM staff should traditional architectural styles of Bhutan. They will reside in close proximity to the operational offices, also need to project the important place which the as the best way to ensure their availability and the NCHM has within the community in Bhutan, as a resilient provision of essential services. government agency focused on public service. It goes without saying that the buildings themselves These many considerations lead to the conclusion need to be resilient to natural hazards, including that a new, purpose-built, campus should be flooding, heavy rain, lightning, strong winds, and provided for NCHM, comprising specific buildings seismic events. devoted to administration, to operational service provision, to technical laboratories, to educational This brief will attempt to define, as completely and meeting spaces, to a variety of other support as possible, the different needs that must be functions, and to residential accommodation accommodated in the new headquarters campus Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 11 for the NCHM, ranging across a wide variety of that have evolved in Bhutan in response both to the requirements and context. The descriptions and physical environment and the cultural landscape. definitions will be grouped according to purpose; In addition, the planning and design will also be for example, the requirements for a conference guided by the Bhutan Building Regulations 2018, centre will be provided separately from the Building Code of Bhutan 2018, and respective local needs of the 24/7 operations centre for weather development control regulations where applicable. and hydrology forecasting; the accommodation requirements will also be separate. 1.4 Location The campus may be thought of as an assemblage of The site which has been identified as the most different physical buildings or as different functions favourable location for the new NCHM campus and requirements brought together in a group of lies about 15 minutes’ drive from Thimphu main connected buildings. The traditional architectural city, close to the Thimphu - Wangdue national styles of Bhutan incorporate many examples of highway. Land acquisition is in progress and the building complexes that house a multitude of Centre is pursuing relevant agencies and local functions, especially dzongs and monasteries. governments for the requisite permits. However, These styles may provide an inspiration, adapted the site is typical of any other in the vicinity of as necessary to the scientific and operational Thimphu in that it is steeply sloping and in an requirements which are paramount. The 2014 area of forest and scrub. The area of the proposed publication ‘Bhutanese Architecture Guidelines’ from site is around 5 acres. The altitude of the site is the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement around 2,800 m above sea level, which is 350 m provides a rich source of reference and guidance in higher than Thimphu. respect to the traditional building forms and styles Figure 1: Site location at Yusipang outside Thimphu Source: Google Maps. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 12 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Figure 2: Site location, showing also nearby government facilities Source: Google Earth. Some photographs taken at the site are provided below, to give an impression of the nature of the uneven, rocky ground. Figure 3: Photographs of the proposed site for the NCHM campus Source: Gerald Fleming. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 13 Considering the steep slope of the site and the The location of the site in a rural area, accessed by a constant seismic risks in Bhutan, in general road which is susceptible to blocking by landslides, none of the operational buildings should be more dictates that sufficient accommodation be provided than two stories in height. Movement between on site to ensure that the critical 24/7 work of the the principal buildings might be facilitated by NWFWC, the operational heart of the NCHM, can be protective walkways to shield both from heavy maintained by those living on site or nearby. The rains and intense sunshine. Efficient drainage location also dictates that access by car and bus will need to be provided to keep heavy rainfall and will be necessary and the campus design should flash floods from threatening the buildings with incorporate internal circulation roads, parking inundation, and it will be particularly important facilities, safe bus stops, etc. Given the altitude, it to similarly protect ducting for power lines and can be expected that winter conditions will bring communication links. It is of key importance that snow and ice, so road gradients will need careful this complex of buildings be as resilient as possible design to allow for this risk. to natural hazards, as it is precisely at the times of those hazards that the guidance and advice from the National Weather and Flood Warning Centre (NWFWC) will be most needed. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Small river in the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Photo: only_fabrizio. Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 15 2. Overview of the NCHM F igure 4 presents the organogram of the NCHM. A re-organisation in mid-2022 saw 2.1 The Secretariat the creation of the Technical Standard and The Secretariat is the top-level organisational Research Division, among other changes. The and administrative unit of the NCHM. Led by the approximate numbers in each location and their Director, the Secretariat encompasses a number work position, insofar as it is relevant to the design of cross-organisation functions such as finance, brief for the buildings, is given in Table 1. A brief human resource management, procurement, description of the divisions and their responsibilities stores, and administration. Office vehicle drivers is given in the following paragraphs. are also assigned to the organisation. Figure 4: NCHM organogram following reorganisation Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MoENR) (Secretary) Scientific and Technical Advisory Council (STAC) National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (Director/DG) Secretariat (Administration, Finance, HR, Planning, Procurement, ICT) Technical Standard Cryosphere Services Meteorological Services Hydrology and Water Resources and Research (TSRD) Division (CSD) Division (MDS) Services Division (HWRSD) Flood Warning Gol Program (Office of TMO) Technical Research Hydrological Hydrological Monitoring Information Meteorological Climate Weather Climate Data Aviation Hydrological Sediment Planning and and Forecasting Information and Survey Management Observation Services Forecasting Management Met Observation and WQ Standard Publication and Warning Management Section Section Section Section Section Section Section Section Section Section Section Section Section 24/7 National Weather and Flood Warning Centre (NWFWC) Regional Office (EAST) Regional Office (WEST) Bumthang Thimphu 1. Flood/GLOF EWS Control Rooms/Site 1. Flood/GLOF EWS Control Rooms/Site Office/Labs Office/Labs 2. Meteorological Stations 2. Meteorological Stations 3. Hydrological Stations 3. Hydrological Stations 4. Flood/GLOF EWS Station 4. Flood/GLOF EWS Station Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 16 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Table 1. Staff numbers by division and by location Technical Standards Cryosphere Weather and Hydrology and and Research Services Climate Services Water Resources Location/Function Secretariat Division Division Division Services Division Total Director/Chiefs 1 1 1 1 1 5 HQ - for 9–5 work 12 3 7 14 16 52 NWFWC shift work — — — 8 5 13 Paro Airport — — — 9 9 Laboratories — 3 — — 4 7 Drivers 8 — — — — 8 Other locations — — — 25 91 116 Totals 21 7 8 57 117 210 2.2 Technical Standards and Research Division 2.5 Hydrology and Water Resources Division This is a new division which will have responsibility This division is responsible for the weather and for ensuring that the appropriate technical standards hydrology observation network of the NCHM. relating to meteorological and hydrological work, Numerically, it is by far the largest division with as laid down by the WMO and others, are applied more than 100 staff members; however, the in all NCHM activities. The division also has the majority of these are stationed at the observing responsibility of coordinating all the research work sites across Bhutan. Around 26 staff members carried out within the organisation. of this division are based in the headquarters complex; this includes some based in the NWFWC and some working in the laboratories. 2.3 Cryosphere Services Division The more senior staff of the division are engaged in This is a small division of eight persons involved in overseeing the smooth operation of the observing research and understanding of the behaviour of the infrastructure and planning for replacements and cryosphere (snow/ice/glaciers) and to help predict improvements as they are needed. the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and similar hazards related to the cryosphere. Overall, the number of staff who will require to be accommodated at the new NCHM campus is 2.4 Meteorological Services Division somewhat less than 90, of whom about 57 will be working normal office hours while approximately This division is responsible for the preparation 13 will cover the 24/7 forecast operations— and delivery of forecast and warning services, and suggesting that 2 or 3 staff will be on duty at any some of the staff of this division support the 24/7 given time. There are also approximately 7 staff forecast operations. The total staff strength of the who will be based in the calibration and water division is 57, with 23 of these working in HQ; of quality laboratories and 8 drivers. these, approximately 8 work on a 24/7 shift basis in the NWFWC with the remainder working on a 9-to-5 basis. The division is also responsible for maintaining the climatological records of weather conditions in Bhutan and providing climatological services and products based on these records. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 17 3. Building for the Future I n designing a new campus for the NCHM, it is tion). Figure 5 depicts a typical layout for the very important to look at the future needs instrument enclosure of a synoptic station. of the organisation. The buildings which are b. Calibration laboratory for meteorological planned and constructed now may well provide equipment: a facility to support the repair, a home for the NCHM for a century or more. While maintenance, and routine calibration of mete- it is clearly impossible to foresee all the needs and orological observing equipment. requirements that might arise over such a long period, it is necessary to make provision for the c. Hydrology and sediment laboratory: a facility likely development of the organisation over the for repairing, testing, and calibrating hydro- coming decade at least. logical instrumentation and also for soil and sediment analysis. These developments can be anticipated through d. Upper-air balloon launch site. At present comparing the capabilities of the NCHM today there are no upper-air stations in Bhutan, a with the capabilities of National Meteorological significant gap in the meteorological observ- and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in small but ing infrastructure. As part of the design of the technically advanced countries such as Singapore; campus, a site for upper-air balloon launch- Hong Kong, China; Iceland; and Denmark etc. The es should be identified and designated and, if range of services provided by these NMHSs would possible, a building provided to accommodate be an appropriate goal for the NCHM in Bhutan, this activity. Alternatively, an auto-launcher and the new campus for the organisation should might be used; as illustrated in Figure 6, these provide the physical infrastructure that would are typically the size of a small shipping con- support this level of development. tainer. Some of the developments that can be anticipated e. Facilities for reception of weather satellite and that will need to be catered for in any new data, especially from the geostationary satel- campus for the NCHM are as follows: lites operated by EUMETSAT, HIMAWARI SAT, IRIDIUM SAT, and INSAT. Satellite re-broad- cast facilities such as EUMETCAST use stan- 3.1 Observing Infrastructure dard Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) satellite dishes (such as are used for TV reception by a. Synoptic station. Provision should be made satellite) which are small and easily mounted for the establishment of a full synoptic sta- on the roof or wall of a building. tion within the grounds of the new campus. The WMO recommends an enclosure of 25 m f. Weather radar. The local staff of NCHM and x 25 m, situated as far as possible from build- experts in radar meteorology should be en- ings, trees, and other possible structures that gaged to explore whether it would make sense might affect the meteorological parameters to set up a weather radar in Thimphu (given being measured (especially temperature, rel- the surrounding topography). ative humidity, wind speed, and wind direc- Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 18 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities g. Seismological equipment. It would be worth- h. The installation of equipment for air quality while to consult the Department of Geology monitoring should also be allowed for. and Mines in Bhutan to determine whether they might wish to locate some seismological equipment on the new NCHM campus. Figure 5: Typical layout of a full synoptic weather observation site NORTH 1.5 m 1.5 m 1.5 m 1.5 m Cup-counter Thermometer anemometer screen on slender 2 m pole 2m 100 cm Soil thermometer Second raingauge 1.5 m 1.5 m Raingauge WEST EAST 3m 1.5 m Recording raingauge Soil thermometer 30 cm Grass-minimum thermometer 60 cm 75 cm 2m Concrete slab Min. Soil thermometer therm. 1.4 m 1m 20 cm 10 cm 5 cm 5m Bare-soil minimum thermometer 1.25 m 2m Sunshine 1.5 m recorder on 2 m pillar Bare patch to be 1m kept weeded 1m 1m SOUTH Figure 6: Weather balloon auto launcher Source: www.vaisala.com. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 19 3.2 ICT Infrastructure a. The NCHM lacks a fully functioning Meteo- also with the WMO Information System net- rological Data Centre which would act as the work), a forecast operations database, data vi- collection and storage hub for meteorologi- sualisation systems (for the forecasters to use), cal data and products. A Meteorological Data a meteorological production system, a data Centre would comprise a number of elements archive, a Climate Data Management System such as servers to collect Automatic Weather (CDMS), and a High Performance Computing Station (AWS) data, servers to automatical- (HPC) facility for the running of local-area ly collect synoptic station reports, servers for numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. weather satellite reception and processing and Figure 7 provides a schematic of the different for weather radar reception and processing, an elements that may comprise a Meteorological integrated file and message switching system Data Centre. (to handle data communication internally and Figure 7: Schematic of a meteorological data centre and technical ICT system AWS AWS AWS AWS AWS AWS AWS AWS Synop Rain Upper Server Report Gauge Air Server Server Server Comms DDM / NEC / MoEA / Airports, etc. Server/File Climatology and Message Archive Switching RTH Delhi / GTS / WIS Database System Weather Weather Radar Satellite Server Receiver Forecast Operations Database ECMWF Local GFS Global Area Models Models Nowcasting System Forecast Office Visualisation Forecast Office Visualisation Website / Apps / Radio / TV / DDM / Social Media, etc. Note: AWS = Automatic Weather Station; ECMWF = European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting; GFS = Global Forecast System; WIS = WMO Information System; GTS = Global Telecommunications System; RTH = Regional Telecommunications Hub; MoEA = Ministry of Economic Affairs; DDM = Department of Disaster Management; NEC = National Environment Commission. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 20 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities b. The collection and distribution of weather data forecasters would have easy access to all the should be a 24/7 activity. Thus, trained infor- data and facilities made available through the mation and communication technology (ICT) new Meteorological Data Centre. At the very technical experts should ideally be available to least there should be an aviation forecasting oversee this operation and to take corrective contingency desk located in the NWFWC to act actions should there be interruptions to the as a back-up to forecasting operations at Paro. data flows. They will need to be accommodat- b. A close working relationship must be main- ed near the data centre. tained with the National Emergency Opera- c. Similarly, the hydrologists will need to be able tions Centre (NEOC). The new building that to collect and view data in real time from the will house the NWFWC will need an area for gauges and other measurement devices placed the conduct of teleconferences with the NEOC in rivers and streams. and district-level bodies engaged in emergen- cy management. d. The need for resilient 24/7 operations also demands the provision of a back-up gener- c. Broadcast services will also need to be facili- ator and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) tated within the NWFWC, allowing live radio facilities on site to maintain ICT and forecast and television broadcasts to be provided from office operations in the event of a general the centre in addition to the possibility of re- power outage in the locality. Associated with cording forecast segments, podcasts, and oth- the back-up generator will be the need for a er material suitable for dissemination through secure area for fuel storage surrounded by a the internet. bund to contain any fuel leaks etc. d. While flood warnings are currently issued by e. Similarly, communication links need to be the NCHM on a detect-and-warn basis, rou- duplicated (for example, fibre broadband and tine forecasts of river levels are not dissemi- microwave links or two fibre broadband links nated. It is noteworthy that Bhutan has a very that are physically separate and routed to dif- significant hydro-electrical sector; forecasts ferent telecom suppliers) to ensure the con- of water levels in rivers are also of significant tinuous flow of essential data. interest to other sectors such as agriculture, construction, road engineering, and tour- f. In addition to the specialised needs of the NW- ism as well as for day-to-day water resource FWC, there will be a need for an email server, management. The new complex should make a shared file server, print servers, and similar provision for a continuously manned desk to equipment that support normal office work- oversee river levels, examine the output of ing. Appropriate ICT security systems, such as flood models, and issue routine advisories on firewalls, will also need to be accommodated. river water levels as well as flood warnings when these are necessary. 3.3 Services e. Monthly and seasonal forecasting. As a mem- a. Aviation services. Such services will maintain ber of the South Asia Climate Outlook Forum 24/7 meteorological watch over the airspace of (SASCOF), the NCHM has access to extensive the Bhutanese Flight Information Region (FIR) research and guidance on climate forecasts in and provide forecast and warning services to the monthly to seasonal range and dissemi- aviation including TAFs, TRENDs, SIGMETs, nates these to many users. There is also an and aerodrome warnings. While it may be pos- increasing amount of such guidance freely sible to locate these services at Paro Airport, it available from global NWP centres such as the may be more practical and more efficient to ECMWF. This area of service requirement is locate them in the NWFWC where the aviation likely to grow significantly in the coming years Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 21 as the skill of the model guidance at these time An important area of activity of the NCMH is that ranges increases, potentially providing more of public education and outreach. This covers valuable guidance to many key users. many aspects, ranging from visits of schoolchil- dren through to international high-level academic f. Weather observing. The complex is intend- conferences on themes related to hydrometeorol- ed to include a new synoptic observatory and ogy. The design will need to take these activities an upper-air balloon-launch facility; the staff into account, providing for a range of spaces where who operate these services will need office ac- groups of different sizes can be accommodated commodation within the campus. and which can support audio-visual presentations Most of the above services will need to be and other important educational and conference accommodated in the new ‘operational’ building facilities. In addition to the more traditional forms that will house the staff to provide 24/7 forecast of learning, a facility incorporating design com- and warning services, the ICT infrastructure to puters, 3-D printers, and similar technology will support NCHM operations and communications be required to host hackathons and other forms of (both within the country to the regional office and collaborative, hands-on learning and innovation the observing network and outside the country opportunities. to the WIS and to other NMHSs in the region), and the staff to monitor and oversee all the ICT The practical daily needs of staff must also be activities. considered. A canteen or restaurant facility will be needed, with the capacity to cater for meals to A substantial number of other staff need to be approximately 60 staff. This should have an open accommodated, who will normally work on a and pleasant aspect to help the staff relax during ‘9:00 AM to 5:00 PM’ pattern. These include the time away from the desk. As some of the staff senior management and the planning and admin- work on a 24/7 roster, they will require accom- istrative staff of the organisation, those engaged modation on the campus to facilitate their rest in research and development, engineers, hydrol- periods. Sports and recreation facilities should be ogists, meteorologists, climatologists, glaciolo- provided to encourage informal mixing of staff gists, systems analysts and application developers, and healthy outdoor pursuits. instrument specialists, sectoral specialists (such as agro-meteorologists), and so on. It will ultimately Substantial storage areas will be needed; this be a matter of discussion between the client (the campus will be the headquarters for the national NCHM) and the design team how to distribute organisation and thus the point of delivery for the housing of ‘operational’ and the ‘non-oper- many supplies, not just for the on-campus activ- ational’ staff in different buildings, but for the ities but for the various regional offices and purposes of this design brief, we will assume that observing stations all over Bhutan. the NWFWC building will house all the operational activities, together with some educational spaces, The campus itself will also need to be protected, and that a separate building will house all of the maintained, and cared for and the design should “9:00 AM to 17:00 PM” staff. incorporate appropriate facilities for caretakers, cleaners, maintenance staff, gardeners etc. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 22 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 4. Details of Required Accommodation 4.1 HQ Building be controlled for security purposes via the use T of a door operated via a swipe card, fingerprint his building should accommodate the staff of recognition system, or similar. The Entrance the Secretariat together with the other senior Hall may also be used for permanent or tem- officers and the planning and research staff porary exhibition of posters and items relevant of other divisions who do not need routine to the work of the NCHM, and therefore some interaction with the operational work of the display area might be included in the design. NWFWC. b. Director’s Office. This office should be large enough to accommodate a desk for the Direc- a. Entrance hall/reception area. This building will tor in L-shape configuration with approximate incorporate the main reception area for visitors. dimensions 2m by 1.8m. The room should have This reception area should be a generous space, space for a separate table with at least six chairs sufficiently large to allow groups of 20-30 to suitable for hosting small or informal meetings. congregate together with a reception desk. Access from the entrance hall/reception area An anteroom to the Director’s Office should be to the remainder of the building will need to provided, to accommodate a desk and work- Figure 8: A reception area example Source: www.dezeen.com. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 23 ing space for the Director’s personal assistant important responsibilities of an NMHS. Many (PA). There should be two means of entry to of these observations are preserved in paper the Director’s office: one via the office of the records, some of which can be fragile. Thus PA and another directly from the corridor. The it is important that a suitable storage area be offices between them should be suitable for provided, equipped with temperature and hu- accommodating extensive storage of files. midity control and a suitable shelving system to accommodate these records and to allow c. Library/Reading room. Provision should be them to be easily and safely accessed with- made in the HQ building for a small library out undue disturbance to surrounding records. and reading room to facilitate the study of The room should be sized with a view to ac- academic texts, journals etc. This should be commodate future as well as existing records; located in a part of the building benefitting a space of at least 40 m2 is suggested. from good natural light. It should be sized to accommodate four to six persons working/ e. Chief’s offices. Each of the four divisional reading simultaneously. The library should be chiefs will need an office similar in scale to designed for comfortable browsing and read- that of the Director, allowing for a large work- ing and should also be equipped with WiFi or ing desk and a separate informal meeting area similar services for those using laptops. equipped with a table and four to six chairs. f. Other office space. The HQ building will also Figure 9: An attractive and welcoming need to accommodate between 50 and 60 staff library space working in regular ‘9 to 5’ (non-operation- al) positions. An open plan office is preferred, with informally divided spaces that can ac- commodate (typically) six to eight staff mem- bers. All working desks should be provided with four electrical socket outlets and network connec- tions with Cat6 cabling. The working spaces should be sized to accommodate at least one storage press and one filing cabinet for each of the working desks. The design should allow for approximately 9 m2 for each working area, to include space for a desk, chair, filing cabi- net or other storage, and circulation. To contribute to a quiet working environment, some consideration might be given to provid- ing small ‘machine rooms’ to accommodate the base units of personal computers (PCs) and workstations, connected to the working desks via KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) extenders, Citrix connections, or similar. This would help Source: www.dezeen.com. ensure a quiet environment for the staff and a clean, dust-free environment for the comput- d. Climatological archive. The preservation of ing equipment, to the benefit of both. records of meteorological, hydrological, and glaciological observations is one of the most Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 24 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Figure 10: Example of open-plan office area divided into different spaces Source: www.dezeen.com. Figure 11: Example of a board-room type of meeting room Source: www.dezeen.com. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 25 g. Meeting rooms. A small conference room/ separate work positions with generous circulation boardroom with accommodation for approx- space. The work positions should all face the video imately 20 persons should be located in the wall and should ideally incorporate curved/L- HQ building close to the Director’s Office. This shaped desks with ample space for mounting up room should be equipped with audio-visual to four widescreen monitors side by side. (monitor facilities and connectivity to facilitate remote sizes can be up to 27”, typically 61cm wide). The access to meetings held there. six work positions are designated as follows: Three other small meeting rooms should be a. Weather Forecast One provided within this building, of varying siz- es—from a room to accommodate 4 persons b. Weather Forecast Two up to a room to accommodate 10 persons. All c. Flood Forecast One the rooms should be equipped with audio-vi- d. Aviation Forecast Contingency sual equipment and connectivity to facilitate remote access to meetings held there. e. Emergency Forecast Desk f. ICT Oversight and Monitoring. h. Toilet/washing facilities. The building should be provided with toilet/washing facilities suit- Each desk should be supplied with eight electrical able for the use of 60 staff. power sockets and network connections with i. Cleaning and storage space. Some rooms will Cat6 cabling. It should always be borne in mind need to be set aside for cleaning and build- that a 24/7 office will suffer wear and tear at ing maintenance staff to store equipment and approximately four times the rate of a standard tools etc. In particular, cleaning staff will need ‘9 to 5’ office, so the materials specified for floor access to a sluice sink or similar facility and coverings, finishes, and furnishings should be space to store cleaning equipment. hard-wearing and resilient. 4.2 National Weather and Flood Warning The forecast room will typically be of significant interest to visitors as the operational ‘heart’ of the Centre Building organisation. There is a need to strike a balance This building will accommodate all the 24/7 between allowing guests (ranging from school operational functions of the NCHM, including groups to ministers or other VIPs) to visit the weather and flood forecasting and warning room and allowing those assigned to operational services, together with the communications tasks to carry out their important work without and computing data centre which will be the interruption or distraction. The design may wish central collection and processing facility for to address this balance through provision of a meteorological and hydrological data. It will also space where the room can be viewed by visiting provide standard office accommodation for some groups without unduly disturbing the forecasters. of the support staff. The first photograph below (Figure 12) shows Operational forecast room. This room will the operational forecast room of the Danish Met accommodate all the weather and flood forecasting Institute (DMI) in Copenhagen. This is situated in operations. The room will need to be designed to a ‘normal’ office building and not especially built take a video wall for the display of multiple screens for DMI. The following three photographs (Figure of information, so it will need a clear ceiling height 13 to Figure 15) show the operational forecast of at least 3.5m (not including any ceiling voids or room in Muscat, Oman, where the meteorological raised flooring for the provision of services). The service was able to commission a specially room should be large enough to accommodate six designed building for its activities. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 26 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Figure 12: Operational forecast room in the Danish Met Institute (Note the ceiling height, the video wall, and the ‘standing’ desk) Source: Tim Hewson. Figure 13: Overview of the operational forecast room, Muscat, Oman Source: Kieran Commins. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 27 Figure 14: Operational forecast room Muscat, Oman - Video wall Source: Gerald Fleming. Figure 15: Operational forecast room Muscat, Oman - Looking back at the forecasters’ desks Source: Gerald Fleming. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 28 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities This latter example provides a good idea of what should be at least 6m by 5m but it could be larger is possible if a building/room can be designed if it is to double-up as a training room. from scratch to accommodate the requirements of operational weather and flood forecasting. Note Education space. The NWFWC building should that the Muscat office is ‘double height’ with a incorporate a dedicated education space capable viewing gallery/mezzanine in the rear, allowing of accommodating school class visits and similar visitors to view the room without disturbing the groups. The space should incorporate audio-visual forecasters. Note also the generous curved desks and other facilities that may be used in educational that are used. activities. This can be an enclosed space or designed as more open, perhaps with a view to the Studio/presentation room. A space adjacent to the Operational Forecast Room (although in that case Operational Forecast Room will be needed for the there would need to be good sound-proofing to preparation and delivery of weather broadcasts, avoid the inevitable noise of schoolchildren that preparation of video inserts for publication on could be a disturbance to the operational work). the NCHM website and on social media, and for remote connection to deliver weather briefings to The educational space should be welcoming and the NEOC. This space should be sound-proofed informal in nature, with space for group activities and should, like the operations room, have at as well as more formal presentations. It would least a 3.5m ceiling height to accommodate studio be useful to locate toilet and washroom facilities lighting. One wall will house a display screen or adjacent to this educational space. chroma-key area. The dimensions of the room Figure 16: An informal seating space for accommodating school groups Source: www.archdaily.com. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 29 Data centre. This room will house the servers and a raised floor of 45–50cm above the concrete other computer equipment for the organisation, and base. Cabling can be handled through cable trays will be the centre of communications for receiving that are either underfloor or overhead (or both). weather data of national and international origin. Fire suppression systems are also generally fitted It will also house networking equipment such (either sprinkler systems or using inert gasses) as routers and switches, IT security equipment and the pipework for this will also need to be such as firewalls, storage areas for backup/tape or accommodated. As with the Operational Forecast archival storage, power and networking cabling, and Room, a ceiling height of at least 3.5m above the extensive ducting for air conditioning and cooling. raised floor will be required. ICT equipment is generally mounted in freestand- An office space overlooking or connected to the data ing rack cabinets for ease of access and efficient centre should be provided to facilitate monitoring cooling. The standard rack size, known as the 42U of the many computing and communication rack, is 2m high, 60cm wide, and 96 cm deep (6’ 7” processes that will be carried out. Access to the high, 24” wide and 38” deep). The racks are gen- data centre should be controlled by swipe card, erally arranged in rows interspersed with cooling fingerprint recognition, or similar systems to equipment housed in racks of similar dimensions. ensure full security. The Meteorological Data Centre should be capable of accommodating at least 16 racks, arranged in It must be stressed that the detailed design two rows of 8 racks each. Generous space is needed parameters of the hydromet data centre will need at the rear of the racks to facilitate cabling etc. to be agreed with specialist engineers to ensure that all the technical requirements of this complex Air handling is critical in a data centre and some part of the building can be included. designs call for underfloor air ducts, which imply Figure 17: Possible layout of a 12-rack data centre Computer Room Sliding door Operations Centre Rack 1 Rack 7 CRAC 1 Rack 2 Rack 8 Rack 3 Rack 9 Sliding door Telecom Room 20 ft Rack 4 Rack 10 Monitoring of access switches Rack 5 Rack 11 CRAC 2 Rack 6 Rack 12 Sliding door Entrance Room Access Main Dist Area providers (Routers, Backbone LAN/SAN Switches PBX) 30 ft Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 30 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Kitchen facilities. As this building will be used very low temperatures, and strong winds. Note by staff on 24/7 shifts, a small kitchen/eating that flooding can often be caused by internal area will be required where staff can prepare factors such as leaking or burst pipes; the design and consume food without leaving the vicinity of of the mechanical and electrical systems should be their operational working areas. This will need such as to minimise this risk. Ideally the computer to incorporate dishwashing facilities and some systems should be replicated or backed up either at storage lockers for personal effects. another data centre site owned by the government or in the ‘cloud’. The option of maintaining Other office space. The NWFWC building will also the capability to provide forecast services from need to accommodate approximately 8 support another site (perhaps at Paro Airport?) should be staff working in regular ‘9 to 5’ (non-operational) considered if the entire building or campus site is positions. These should be accommodated in an compromised in any way. open-plan working area with groups of office desks. All working desks should be provided with four electrical socket outlets and network 4.3 Conference Hall connections with Cat6 cabling. The open-plan The conference hall should be capable of fulfilling area should be sized to accommodate at least one multiple functions. Set out in conference mode, it storage press and one filing cabinet for each of the should be able to accommodate an audience of 150 working desks. persons in total as well as providing a raised dais and lectern for speakers etc. The conference hall The design should include provision for one or two must incorporate excellent audio-visual facilities small meeting areas capable of accommodating six and should allow proceedings to be filmed/ to eight persons. All the rooms should be equipped live-streamed as well as facilitating delivery with audio-visual equipment and connectivity to of presentations to the audience from speakers facilitate remote access to meetings held there. located remotely. Toilet/washing facilities. The building should be In alternate modes, the conference hall should be provided with toilet/washing facilities suitable for capable of subdivision into two or three smaller the use of 15 staff. As these facilities will be in spaces that could be used for either formal constant use, seven days a week, they should be meetings or more informal purposes such as school designed so as to be easily and quickly cleaned. group activities. Each of the two or three spaces should be equipped with independent audio-visual Cleaning and storage space. Some rooms will facilities, including connectivity to facilitate remote need to be set aside for cleaning and building engagement. The smaller spaces should ideally maintenance staff to store equipment and tools not be of equal size, to comfortably accommodate etc. In particular, cleaning staff will need access to different sized groups. For example, the space a sluice sink or similar facility and space to store might be divided into three areas with provision cleaning equipment. for approximately 30/50/70 persons, which would enable different spaces to be configured for group Disaster resilience. The data centre and the sizes of 30, 50, 70, 100, 120, or 150, depending on Operational Forecast Room will be the ‘nerve the combination of spaces employed. centre’ of the NCHM, and the equipment in it will be valuable, as will the data stored there. It The conference hall should incorporate an informal is therefore very important that this building is gathering area or foyer with standing room for protected against potential damage such as that 80 persons, and it should have integral toilet/ caused by flooding, earth tremors, very high or washing facilities adequate in scale to cater for the Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 31 Figure 18: A bright and welcoming conference hall Source: www.dezeen.com. Figure 19: Conference hall with windows arranged for easy space division Source: www.dezeen.com. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 32 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities maximum possible number of attendees. As this with ventilation ducting and services above this facility may be used for hosting school groups, a height if these are to be connected from the ceiling. proportion of the toilet/washing facilities should be suitably sized for children. 4.5 Sediment and Water Quality Laboratory 4.4 Calibration Laboratory A separate laboratory space will be required to analyse sediment samples and water quality. The maintenance and calibration laboratory will The size (floor area and ceiling height) should be a space where meteorological and hydrological be similar to the maintenance and calibration instruments can be reconditioned, maintained, laboratory, and both facilities can be housed in and calibrated. It will need to accommodate the same building. Given the somewhat different some workshop equipment as well as specialised, nature of the activities to be carried out in the delicate, and precise equipment such as a cali- sediment and water quality laboratory, the bration chamber for temperature and humidity principal extra requirement will be for safe and instruments, a stirred liquid bath for tempera- convenient handling of water with sinks and ture calibration, a rain gauge calibration unit, a water baths built into the laboratory benches. A pressure controller for calibration of barometric fume cupboard should also be provided, with fume equipment etc. extraction rates which are compliant with the relevant standards. The building will need to be equipped with laboratory-type working benches and intervals of A safe and secure area for the storage of chemicals clear floor space to accommodate floor-mounted should be provided within the sediment and water equipment. The building should accommodate 8 quality laboratory. This should be in the form of to 10 separate working spaces for the different a walk-in storage room with suitable shelving; items of specialist equipment; the indicative size the space should be well-ventilated and should is 9 m by 14 m or similar. Dividing the space into offer suitable fire protection. The access should two rooms should be considered, to keep the more be through a security door and frame with double delicate and precise equipment separate from the locks. heavier workshop-type equipment; in this case, the overall floor area may need to be larger. A wide As with the calibration and maintenance entry door, equipped with a roller-shutter door or laboratory, it should be possible to access the similar and with a threshold flush with the floor sediment and water quality laboratory via a wide level will be required to facilitate the moving of entry door, equipped with a roller-shutter door or heavy equipment in and out of the building using similar and with a threshold flush with the floor a motorised pallet truck or comparable equipment. level, suitable for accommodating a motorised pallet truck or comparable equipment. The same The laboratory benches should be supplied with external door can be used to provide access to both stabilised mains power supply. Because of the facilities if this can be conveniently incorporated precise and delicate nature of the calibration into the design of the building. work, it will be important for the workbenches to be of solid construction to minimise any possible external vibration or other factors which may 4.6 Stores and Equipment Maintenance interfere with the activities. Workshop Generous ceiling heights should be specified for This space will provide for the storage and the calibration laboratory—at least 3.5 m clear distribution of all equipment and consumables Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 33 required for the routine operations of the filter changes, lubrication, tyre changes, safety NCHM. The stores will need to carry a stock of checks etc. This should be sized to accommodate meteorological equipment (such as specialised two vehicles simultaneously or one vehicle and a charts and maps, spare instruments, consumables boat trailer. One of these two spaces should have for upper-air observations etc.) as well as provision for safe working on the underside of the normal office supplies such as paper and the vehicles, either through the provision of a stationary, printer supplies, office furniture and hydraulic lift or a service/inspection pit (with easy the like. The store will need to be equipped with access). An area adjacent to the vehicle workshop metal racks or similar on which the items can be should be designated for secure parking for these placed. The building should comprise the storage vehicles and boat trailers. area itself and an office for the storekeeper and supporting staff; office space should be designed There are seven drivers attached to the NCHM, to accommodate at least three persons. and they will need some office space and a small kitchen adjacent to the car garage and The space made available for storage should be workshop areas. Toilet/washing facilities will also somewhat larger than that designated for the be required. Keeping in mind that working on laboratories; perhaps 150 m . This excludes space 2 vehicles inevitably generates a degree of oily dirt for offices and toilet/washrooms. The storage and grease, the cleaning/washing facilities should area should be accessible from outside via a wide cater to this requirement. entry door, equipped with a roller-shutter door or similar and with a threshold flush with the floor level, suitable for accommodating a motorised 4.8 Canteen/Restaurant pallet truck or comparable equipment. The same Around 60 staff are likely to report for work at the external door can be used to provide access to both campus on any given day; this may be augmented facilities if this can be conveniently incorporated with groups attending conferences or workshops. into the design of the building. A canteen or restaurant facility will be required to provide these workers with food (at the very The area allocated for stores can be incorporated least a midday meal but possibly also a breakfast into one of the other buildings on the campus if and evening meal service). This facility should be this fits within the overall design concept, or it located in a stand-alone building with both indoor can be a stand-alone building. Given its purpose, and outdoor seating provided. Kitchen facilities the stores will need to be located on the ground should be up to full professional standards and floor if it is to be incorporated into a building should comply with all the relevant hygiene and which also accommodates other functions. public health regulations regarding food storage and preparation, ventilation etc. The building should incorporate two sets of toilet/washroom 4.7 Vehicle Garage and Workshop facilities: one for the canteen/restaurant staff and The NCHM makes use of approximately 10 another for the users. A seating capacity of 40 government pool vehicles to facilitate its work; persons at any given time is proposed as a guide. these are primarily 4x4 pick-up type small trucks. It also has the need for a small boat to facilitate water sampling and other hydrological work, 4.9 24/7 Staff Accommodation Facility together with a boat trailer for transport. The NCHM has the responsibility to provide uninterrupted services to the citizens of Bhutan There is a need for a workshop to enable routine 24/7. To provide this level of reliability and maintenance of these vehicles, such as oil and resilience, some of the key operational staff will Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 34 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities Figure 20: Housing apartments grouped around a communal courtyard Source: www.archdaily.com. Figure 21: A more open arrangement of housing units Figure 22: Duplex-style houses/ around a shared outdoor space apartments with deep overhang balconies Source: www.archdaily.com. Source: www.archdaily.com. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 35 be required to live on the campus within easy 4.11 Child-minding/Creche reach of the NWFWC in all climatic conditions. Therefore, the campus must include some staff A space will need to be provided for a creche/ accommodation facilities. These should be at some child-minding for the younger children of staff distance from the office buildings so that staff can who are on duty. The design should consider fully enjoy their rest periods. A mix of single- accommodating around 20 young children and person and multiple-person accommodation will should be a bright, airy space with integral toilet/ be needed, to allow for the relevant staff to be washrooms (suitable for young children) together housed with their families. with some basic kitchen facilities (such as sink, microwave, fridge, and associated work areas). It is proposed to provide nine separate accom- The creche could be incorporated into one of the modation units within one or more buildings. Of other buildings (such as the canteen or the HQ these, four should be designed as two-bedroom building) or it could be a separate structure. accommodation, with en-suite facilities, kitchen, and living areas included, with the remaining designed as three-bedroom units. The accom- 4.12 Weather-Related Scientific Observations modation units should be self-contained, each As noted earlier, space should be reserved in the with their own door to shared circulation space. campus for the establishment of a full synoptic An enclosed garden space should be provided station for meteorological measurements. The with the units for the use of the residents. WMO’s recommendations are that this area be 25m x 25m; securely fenced; and, insofar as The choice of housing styles should follow local possible, away from trees, buildings, walls, or building and design conventions. A few illustrations other obstructions. of possible housing arrangements are shown below but these are just to stimulate thinking as to the A separate area should be set aside for the possible layout of accommodation (for example, launching of upper-air balloons, an activity which as separate dwellings, as apartments within a is not yet practiced by the NCHM but which is single building block, or as some other variant). planned for the future. Balloons can be launched Given the (rather limited) size of the site that is manually or via auto-launchers; in either case a likely to be available for the accommodation units, hydrogen gas generator is required to provide the they will need to be designed carefully so as to balloon with suitable buoyancy. As hydrogen gas maximise the internal living spaces while not is extremely flammable the site for launching the taking up too much of the site. balloons should be at some distance from other buildings, to minimise the possible impacts in case of an accident. 4.10 Sports Facilities Some sports facilities should be included on the An area of 15m x 15m should be set aside for campus to encourage the healthy recreation of the possible future installation of a facility for staff during their rest periods. While these will the launching of upper-air balloons (see Figure largely revolve around outdoor activities, a sports 6 above). Both this area and the area for the pavilion should be provided that would incorporate synoptic station, as mentioned above, should changing rooms with locker and shower facilities. be provided with electrical power through The pavilion might also incorporate a viewing underground cables and also with suitable ducting area facing the sports ground, some lounge or for telecommunication and telemetry cables which recreation area, and facilities to provide light should all run back to the operational ICT room refreshments to the staff. within the NWFWC building. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 36 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 4.13 Communications/Power Supply Area It is therefore envisaged that a communications tower be provided on a suitable area of the site, away The provision of highly reliable power and from the main buildings and connected to all of communication facilities to the NCHM campus them with underground ducting suitable for com- will be essential. munication cabling. It will be very important that the communications and power supply areas are Given the size and the probable requirements for fenced and have other adequate security measures. electrical power, it is likely that a medium-voltage connection will be required with the Bhutan Power Corporation (BPC). Therefore, a suitable site will 4.14 Solar Field need to be set aside for the connection point and The NCHM plans to derive substantial electricity transformer station to take in the electrical supply from a solar panel farm located on-site. An area and to transform it into 230V single-phase or 400V of 1 acre (0.4 ha or approximately 65 m x 65 m) three-phase supplies to the various buildings on should be set aside for this purpose, and suitable the NCHM campus. Underground wiring ducts and ducting for electrical cables should be provided to suitable access points should be provided from join this facility with the power supply areas as this connection point/transformer to the different mentioned above. buildings and other relevant places around the campus. It is also planned to generate electricity on site 4.15 Water Storage using solar panels. The connection to the BPC dis- A raised water storage tank, facilitating gravity tribution network will therefore need to provide for feed, will be required to ensure the continuous the possible two-way flow of power into and out of supply of water to the many buildings on the new the NCHM site in cases where the power generation NCHM campus. The capacity of this water storage capacity of the solar panels exceeds the immediate tower should be at least 15 m3. requirements of the buildings on campus. To ensure the resilience of the power supply, a gen- 4.16 Vehicle Parking erator will be required together with an array of Extensive car parking will be required, both for batteries to sustain electrical power during the gen- the staff attending daily and for those who may be erator start-up phase; together the generator and attending events at the conference centre. Parking battery array constitute an Uninterruptible Power will also be required for buses and minibuses Supply (UPS) system. A fuel tank will be required which may be used to bring school children to feed the generator and this will need to be sur- on visits to the campus. Suggested car parking rounded by a bund to contain any spillage etc. provision should be as follows: The communication facilities that will be required n 70 parking spaces for cars. Of these, at least (and which will need to be duplicated for resilience) 5 should be designated for disabled access and may consist of a mix of cable/fibre broadband and sized accordingly. microwave links. Besides connections to the broader internet and telephony network, it is likely that one n Parking space for large (52-seater) buses. or more microwave links will be needed to facilitate The design of the bus parking bay, togeth- reception of weather observations, for example, from er with the entry and exit roads, should allow the proposed weather radar site on high ground to for easy and safe manoeuvrability for buses, the southwest of Thimphu. There will also be a need keeping in mind that the presence of buses on to locate satellite reception dishes to facilitate the the campus will often be accompanied by the collection of data from weather satellites. presence of small children. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 37 n 3 parking spaces for minibuses (15 to 22 seat- nature of the terrain (which makes it difficult er). As with the larger buses, the parking bays, to construct adequate soakage pits/percolation entry, and exit roads should be laid out to al- areas for the output of standard septic tanks), a low easy manoeuvrability and with safety in commercial wastewater treatment system will mind. most likely be required. These systems treat the sewage within closed tanks and use a combination This level of car parking (which may well be of mechanical agitation and biological processes overestimated) together with the associated roads to break down the waste matter and deliver output for circulation etc., would occupy a considerable which can conform to the appropriate health and portion of a 5-acre site—perhaps as much as 30%. safety standards in relation to biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Given the steeply sloping nature of the site and to total suspended solids (TSS) and levels of e-coli. aid safe and efficient handling of vehicular traffic, it may be sensible to organise the internal roads in It will be imperative to have a separate drainage a one-way system. This would reduce the area to system for rainwater (including runoff from roofs be paved and add to the safety of the circulation. and the like) to ensure that rainwater cannot enter the wastewater system and overload the system 4.17 Recreation Area during episodes of heavy rain. The design of the campus should incorporate For more general waste, it would be useful to have an informal park-like recreation area, oriented a range of waste receptacles so that individuals and laid out to take advantage of the physical could deposit waste in one of four containers. characteristics of the site, including existing and new planting. The recreation area should be easily 1. Organic matter such as food waste etc. accessible from the two main buildings (NCHM 2. Recyclable materials such as paper, card- HQ and NWFWC) as well as the conference centre board, plastic etc. and the restaurant/canteen. 3. Glass 4. Other waste, which typically will go to either 4.18 Waste Disposal Systems landfill or incineration. Any building project must take into account the safe and sustainable disposal of waste material Given the proximity of the proposed site to that will be generated by the people occupying the the national agriculture and food research and buildings. The types of waste generated will also development centre, it is possible that they may be linked to the nature of the activities for which use the organic waste to make compost. For the the buildings are provided. other categories of waste, a joint approach between the two government-owned centres to organising The biggest challenge will be the safe treatment and funding appropriate recycling or disposal and disposal of sewage. As the site is very would most likely provide the most economical unlikely to be serviced by a public sewer system, and environmentally sustainable solution. arrangements will need to be made for an on-site sanitation system. Such systems often combine There will be certain other waste disposal/ the treatment of black waste (toilet effluent) with recycling issues on a smaller scale (such as the grey waste (from sinks, washing machines, and safe and appropriate treatment of waste oil from the like). Given the number of staff who will be vehicles) which will require more specialist and accommodated at the site and the challenging bespoke solutions. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 38 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 5. Layout of the Building Blocks I t is, of course, not possible to provide a detailed the horizontal and vertical dimensions. Thus, plan for the layout of the buildings without an there are three ‘large’ buildings (HQ, NWFWC, and accurate survey of the site, and in particular its conference hall) and three lower-profile buildings contours. The detailed layout will be the task of (laboratories, stores/garage, and canteen) which the architect commissioned to design the buildings together form the heart of the new NCHM campus. and the campus and will need to take into account The staff accommodation and creche should ideally also such considerations as where the access roads be located at a distance from the office/technical will be. However some early proposals can flow buildings, to allow for reasonable privacy. The from an overview of the different buildings, their communications mast and adjoining buildings functions, sizes, and footprints. and the generator/power supply area, should be located as far as possible from the office / technical Appendix 1 provides an indicative guide of the buildings and the residential accommodation to sizes of the individual rooms that will be required. minimise the impact of noise etc. Adding up the total area of the rooms and making allowance for corridors and other circulation A possible configuration would be for the larger spaces allows a first-order approximation to be made of the building sizes. Then, depending on buildings to be positioned around three sides of a the number of floors in each building, the footprint rectangle, forming a semi-enclosed green space can be arrived at. Table 2 provides indicative between the buildings which ideally would have figures for the sizes and footprints of the different a southerly aspect. This arrangement would also buildings. facilitate the provision of covered walkways or similar paths linking the buildings. The conference hall, while only one storey, will need to have a high roof so that the large space The laboratories and the stores/garages could be inside has an appropriate relationship between located behind the central building, perhaps in an Table 2: Estimated total area and footprints of building Total Area Footprint Building (m2) Floors (m2) Headquarters 1,134 2 567 National Weather and Flood Warning Centre 592 2 296 Conference hall 415 1 415 Laboratories 279 1 279 Stores and garages 261 1 261 Canteen/restaurant 114 1 114 Staff accommodation 935 3 312 Creche/Child-minding 60 1 60 Communications/Power supply 47 1 47 Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 39 ‘L’ shape, forming a second courtyard which could Providing space for a synoptic observatory and provide some natural enclosure and shelter. allowing for a possible auto-launcher for balloon ascents would take up approximately 800 m2. The canteen might be located adjacent to the conference hall (indeed it might be incorporated Surface car parking could consume a lot of into it in some manner). The canteen should take space. Based on providing parking facilities for full advantage of the panoramic views over the approximately 70 cars and one bus, together with valley to the east and south, to provide a pleasant access roads, up to 7,000 m2 would be required. and relaxing environment for staff to enjoy during The site layout should be such that car parking their time away from their desks. is located close to the entrance, to minimise the length of the internal roadway. For the staff accommodation projections, it is assumed that all the residential units (estimated Adding everything together it seems that, of the as nine in the calculations) will be provided in one 20,000 m2 of the site, up to three-quarters of the physical building. If a different arrangement—such total area, or 15,000 m2 in all, could be taken up as a courtyard-style development—is preferred, with the buildings, car parking, solar field, and then the area required will be substantially weather observatory. Not included in these figures greater. The assumption is that this building can is the area for the wastewater treatment plant, rise to three stories (which is typical in Thimphu) but these are frequently located below the surface but if two stories are preferred, the footprint will where possible. also need to be greater than indicated. The space requirement that could be reduced most Adding all the building footprints together brings easily is that for car parking, either by designing a total of approximately 2,500 m . To this should 2 for fewer cars (may be possible if coordinated be added another 500 m2 for access and connecting bus transport to the site from central Thimphu footpaths, giving 3,000 m in all. 2 is arranged) or by building a two- or three-story parking garage. The NCHM has indicated that it wishes to reserve 1 acre (0.4 ha) for a solar field. This would take up 4,000 m2. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 40 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 6. General Comments A s has been mentioned, the design team In general, the buildings should be designed to be as will have the freedom to propose different energy efficient as possible, making use of natural solutions to the overall accommodation heating and ventilation where this is possible. The needs of the new NCHM campus. When Operations and Data Centre areas will certainly a detailed site survey has been prepared and require climate control/air conditioning given the allowance made for the necessary services to be nature of their use; other areas may not need this installed, the overall layout of the buildings on to the same extent. The accommodation needs, the 2 ha site can then be considered, attempting as above, do not specify any details around items to balance the practical and logistical needs with like plant rooms and circulation spaces (corridors, the particulars of the site (aspect, slope, etc.) staircases, etc.) as these will be determined by the to provide a harmonious assembly of structures design decisions taken by the relevant architects capable of accommodating the many diverse and engineers. needs outlined above. Only then will it be possible to proceed to the detailed design of each building. It is likely that the development of this campus will not take place in one phase but will be divided It is important that the buildings are designed among several phases so that the buildings with resilience in mind and protected as much as can be erected as budgetary conditions allow. possible from natural hazards such as flooding, Nevertheless, it is important that a ‘master plan’ and landslides and safety measures incorporated for the campus should be developed as the first to better resist earth tremors, and lightning. The design task, to be followed by the detailed design work of the NCHM is especially important during of the buildings to be constructed in Phase 1. These periods of natural hazard and the operations must are likely to include the NWFWC, the HQ building, be able to continue uninterrupted through these and the accommodation units for staff, together challenges. with the necessary facilities for supplying water, power, and communications. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 41 Appendix 1 - Room and Building Sizes No. of Room Description Persons Floor Area ICT Etc. Comments HQ Building - Priority One Entrance hall/Reception area 1 6mx8m Cat 6 points 1 desk, some informal seating Director’s Office 1 4mx6m Cat 6 points Director’s desk, separate meeting table, projector/screen Director’s Administrator 1 4mx3m Cat 6 points Opening into Director’s Office as well as corridor Library/Reading room 6 6mx8m WiFi preferred Good natural lighting needed Climatological archive 2 5mx8m Cat 6 points Needs temperature and humidity control plus suitable shelving Chief’s Office (four of these 1 4mx6m Cat 6 points One desk; separate meeting table required) Open plan office spaces for up to 60 540 m2 Cat 6 points Space for up to 60 desks, divided 60 persons informally into spaces for 6 to 8 people. This can be housed on different floors or as a series of separate spaces. Meeting room/Boardroom 15 4 m x 10 m WiFi preferred Projector/screen with teleconference facilities Meeting room 10 4mx8m WiFi preferred Projector/screen with teleconference facilities Meeting room 6 4mx6m WiFi preferred Projector/screen Meeting room 4 4mx3m WiFi preferred Projector/screen Toilet/washing facilities 4 m x 3.5 m One each, male and female; Suitable for circa 60 persons Cleaner’s rooms 3mx2m One per floor, with sluice sink and space for cleaning equipment Storage rooms 3mx6m One per floor Total Floor Area (to include 15% 1,134 m2 extra for corridors etc) Number of floors 2 Building footprint 567 m2 National Weather and Flood Warning Centre - Priority One Operational Forecast Room 6 12 m x 12 m Multiple Cat 6 Needs a high ceiling—at least 3.5m. points at each Needs hard-wearing desks, fittings, and desk surfaces as it will be occupied 24/7. Studio/Presentation Room 2 5mx6m Cat 6 points; Needs a high ceiling (for studio possibly lighting). Needs to be soundproof, with also video no natural light. Full teleconference connections facilities. continues Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 42 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities No. of Room Description Persons Floor Area ICT Etc. Comments National Weather and Flood Warning Centre - Priority One (cont.) Education Space 30 6 m x 10 m Projector/screen children plus 4 adults Data Centre 2 8 m x 10 m Main comms A raised floor will be required and a hub. generous ceiling height. Needs a high level of cooling and air handling/ Main internet filtering. Needs controlled access. connection Open plan office space for 8 8 72 m2 Cat 6 points Space for eight desks/working areas persons Meeting room (one or two 6–8 4mx6m WiFi preferred Projector/screen required) Kitchen facilities 4 3mx4m WiFi preferred Some kitchen fittings such as sink, fridge, and microwave plus some food lockers would be required. Toilet/washing facilities 3mx4m Suitable for circa 15 persons; perhaps separate toilet facilities for visiting school groups Cleaner’s rooms 3mx3m One per floor, with sluice sink and space for cleaning equipment Storage rooms 3mx6m One per floor Total Floor Area (to include 15% 592 m 2 extra for corridors etc) Number of floors 2 Building footprint 296 m2 Conference Hall - Priority Two Main conference hall 150 12 m x 24 m WiFi preferred Projector and screen. Room should be easily divisible into two or three separate spaces. Conference hall foyer 100 12 m x 6 m WiFi preferred Toilets/washing facilities 3mx4m Suitable for circa 20 persons; separate male and female facilities required Total Floor Area (to include 8% 415 m2 extra for corridors etc) Number of floors 1 Building footprint 415 m2 Laboratories - Priority One Maintenance and Calibration 10 9 m x 14 m Cat 6 points Ceiling heights of 3.5m Laboratory Sediment and Water Quality 6 9 m x 14 m Cat 6 points Ceiling heights of 3.5m Laboratory Toilets/washing facilities 2mx3m Suitable for circa 4 persons Total Floor Area (to include 8% 279 m 2 extra for corridors etc) Number of floors 1 Building footprint 279 m2 Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 43 No. of Room Description Persons Floor Area ICT Etc. Comments Stores and Garages - Priority One Stores 10 m x 15 m Cat 6 points Storekeepers’ office 3 4mx6m Cat 6 points Toilet/washing facilities 2mx2m Suitable for 1 person Car garage and workshop 2 6mx8m Generous ceiling height plus service pit vehicles or hydraulic jack etc. Kitchen 4 3mx4m Some kitchen fittings such as sink, fridge, microwave plus food lockers would be required. Toilet/washing facilities 2mx2m Suitable for circa 2 persons. Total Floor Area (to include 8% 261 m 2 extra for corridors etc) Number of floors 1 Building footprint 261 m2 Canteen / Restaurant - Priority Two Canteen dining area 40 5 m x 12 m WiFi preferred Ceiling height of 3 m minimum Canteen kitchen 6 5mx6m Assumes a fully professional catering kitchen Toilet/washing facilities - Guests 3mx4m Suitable for around 4 persons Toilet/washing facilities - Kitchen 2mx2m Suitable for 1 person staff Total Floor Area (to include 8% 114 m2 extra for corridors etc) Number of floors 1 Building footprint 114 m2 Staff Accommodation - Priority One Two-bedroom apartment/house 3 or 4 75 m2 Staff accommodation should follow the (four required) guidelines and standards established by the National Housing Development Three-bedroom apartment/house 4 to 6 110 m2 Corporation. (five required) Total Floor Area (4 x 2-bed, 5 x 935 m2 3-bed; 10% added for stairs and so on) Number of floors 3 Building footprint 312 m2 Creche / Child-minding - Priority Two Space for creche/child-minding 20 small 7mx8m None Integral toilet/washroom and simple children kitchen facilities will be needed. plus 4 adults Total Floor Area 60 m2 Number of floors 1 Building footprint 60 m2 Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank 44 Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities No. of Room Description Persons Floor Area ICT Etc. Comments Communications / Power Supply Area - Priority One Electricity transformer building 3mx3m Back-up generator and oil storage 4mx5m Communications tower/ancillary 3mx6m building Total Floor Area 47 m2 Number of floors 1 Building footprint 47 m2 Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank Technical Note for Establishment of National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology Head Quarter, National Weather, and Flood Warning Centre and Scientific Facilities 45 Agricultural landscape in Eastern Bhutan. Photo: UlyssePixel. Prepared in collaboration between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank