ZÜNGO is a modular knowledge centre designed for the Apatani tribe in Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. The project responds to the gradual loss of traditional practices such as wet rice cultivation, bamboo weaving, salt-making, and tattooing by creating a decentralised space where knowledge can be documented, practised, and shared across generations.
Rather than functioning as a conventional library, ZÜNGO combines archival, learning, and community spaces within a cluster of adaptable modules that support workshops, research, craft demonstrations, and gatherings. Built using locally sourced timber and bamboo, the design draws from regional construction techniques while incorporating passive ventilation and a lightweight, climate-responsive structure.
Its modular system allows the centre to expand over time and be adapted to other tribal and rural contexts. ZÜNGO is envisioned not as a museum for preservation, but as a living framework that enables communities to sustain and evolve their knowledge systems through continued practice and exchange.
