From the mid twentieth century forward there has been a dramatic rise in the establishment of Tibetan Buddhist centers for practice and study outside the Himalayan region. The movement of the relevant form of Buddhism, the Vajrayana, the ?Diamond vehicle,? outside its origin of cultivation brings with it the continued cultural practices of Lamaism, Tibetan Buddhism. The founding of these centers in the U.S.A. has been a part of this widespread dynamic. The growth of these centers over recent decades often necessitates expansion. Expansion plans and construction realties are often interwoven with the intent to model new buildings after traditional Tibetan Buddhist designs. These architectural outposts serve as memories to their prototypes and counterparts in the Himalayan region. They also serve as repositories for a vast spectrum of history, by way of storing religious texts and housing continued practices and teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism. A result is significant contribution to the preservation and vitality of Tibetan religious, cultural and architectural traditions and the transmission of a building typology to a profound global scale.