Genius loci has been described as "the spirit of place". The main interest in considering an urban monastery program is to create a place that embodies the spirit and culture of Tibetan Buddhism in the context of urban Washington, D.C. Given Tibet's unique culture that has developed over centuries without much Western influence, and it recent history of Chinese rule, religious persecution and infiltration of its language, culture and environment, the challenge of this program is to represent the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism in a modern language of architecture.