RTA explores avenues to sustain their future programmes

In order to sustain their future programmes, the Royal Textile Academy (RTA) will lease 30,000 square feet office space and will earn Nu. 18 M rent annually from the fully-leased complex. The building, which is a phase three project of the RTA, will be ready to lease in April.

Currently, the structure is under construction, and once complete, it will be a cash cow for the Royal Textile Academy, a Civil Society Organisation, which supports in promoting and preserving Bhutanese textiles. With 30,000 square feet and a parking space for over 70 cars, this is the first-ever customised project a CSO in the country has taken up.

“The phase 3 is different in the sense that the income that we generate from the building will be used to sustain the activities of the RTA.  Our academy is a civil society organization and we are totally dependent on donor funds for our functioning,” said Kuenga Lhendup, the Deputy Director of RTA.

The Deputy Director said they also take pride in the architectural grandeur of the building which can contribute to the beauty of Thimphu city. “When the land was given to the RTA back in 2008, we were given with a lot of expectations and that we would develop this into a cultural space. This is exactly what we are trying to do in the long run,” added Kuenga. “We have phase 1, 2 and 3 already up and in the 4th phase we will have international conference centre.”

The current structure is mainly supported by the donors and friends of Royal Textile Academy. For this phase alone, Nu 280 M was spent. The Academy, in their next phase, will build a thousand-seater cultural heritage centre.

Source: BBS