School House in the Clouds
SCHOOL HOUSE IN THE CLOUDS - SIR EDMUND HILLARY VISITOR CENTRE
KHUMJUNG, NEPAL
Shortlisted for the NZIA National Award
In 1962 Sir Edmund Hillary fundraised and built a school for the Sherpa community in the small village of Khumjung in the Himalayas. The small classroom became no longer useful for the school and in 2018 we were asked to develop a visitor centre within this first Sherpa school house built by Sir Ed.
This visitor centre focuses on the many schools and hospitals Sir Ed built in the area for the Sherpa people, and the great work the Himalayan Trust continues to do. Human impacts to the Himalayan environment feature largely in this environmentally themed centre, as does the profound role this small school house – and education in general - had in advancing individuals and the whole Sherpa community.
Working with local ethnologists, artists and educators - some from the first classes at the school - the exhibition also focuses on the First Nations Sherpa culture and language in a bid to engender more relevance of the culture for younger generations in the future.
The historic building required extensive restoration – rebuilding the floors, foundations, walls and cladding, - and redesigning the 2 room interior making it fit for purpose as a single space visitor centre. With 3 days walk in altitude to get to site from Lukla airport, the logistics of printing and installing large scale graphics, 3D printed model from Germany, video and touch screen monitors from NZ, personally supervising the fit-out manufacture from Kathmandu and installation in Khumjung, as well as video uploads, became a significant factor.
The opening was celebrated as part of the 70th Everest summit celebrations on May 29th 2023.