Heart of School building

Photo by PT Bambu © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

Environmentalists and designers John and Cynthia Hardy wanted to motivate communities to live sustainably. Part of that effort was to show people how to build with sustainable materials, namely bamboo.

Bamboo structure roof of the Heart of School

Photo by PT Bambu © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

They established the Green School, and its affiliates: the Meranggi Foundation, which develops plantations of bamboo plants through presenting bamboo seedlings to local rice farmers; and PT Bambu, a for-profit design and construction company that promotes the use of bamboo as a primary building material, in an effort to avoid the further depletion of rainforests.

Bamboo structure of the Heart of School

Photo by Ahkamul Hakim © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

The Green School, a giant laboratory built by PT Bambu, is located on a sustainable campus straddling both sides of the Ayung River in Sibang Kaja, Bali, within a lush jungle with native plants and trees growing alongside sustainable organic gardens. The campus is powered by a number of alternative energy sources, including a bamboo sawdust hot water and cooking system, a hydro-powered vortex generator and solar panels.

Kul Kul Bridge

Photo by PT Bambu © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

Campus buildings include classrooms, gym, assembly spaces, faculty housing, offices, cafes and bathrooms. A range of architecturally significant spaces from large multi-storey communal gathering places to much smaller classrooms are a feature of the campus.

Kitchen of the PT Bambu School

Photo by PT Bambu © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

Local bamboo, grown using sustainable methods, is used in innovative and experimental ways that demonstrate its architectural possibilities.

Night view of the mepantigan

Photo by Ahkamul Hakim © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

The result is a holistic green community with a strong educational mandate that seeks to inspire students to be more curious, more engaged and more passionate about the environment and the planet.

Interior view of the mepantigan

Photo by Ahkamul Hakim © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

Classrom

Photo by PT Bambu © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

Interior view of a classroom

Photo by PT Bambu © Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Published on January 24, 2011.

Site plan

© PT Bambu . Published on January 24, 2011.