after meeting in indonesia, john hardy and his wife cynthia conceived of the ‘green school,’ an educational village community amongst the
jungle and rice fields of bali, to spread their sustainable altruistic message through an alternative education system to locals and foreigners alike.
they called on balinese practice PT bamboo pure to work out the technical design aspects of the entirely bamboo structure.
the plentifully supplied asian wood was utilized to benefit from the potential of all its properties to become structural, decorative,
recreational, used as flooring, seating, tables and several other fixtures. the local vernacular finds a new relationship fused with contemporary
design strategies throughout the assembly of the components that make up the entire campus.
the design of the ‘heart of green school’ finds itself anchored around three lineally located nodes from which all other programmatical
elements radiate in a spiraling organization. at each anchor point, interweaving bamboo light columns span the full height of the structure
ending in a wooden ring framing a skylight with intricately ornate mullions. a fluid helical thatch roof stems from each main
vertical support corkscrewing to allow light to reach every space, with deep overhangs to protect the open air interior. three main
staircases serve three floors with multi-functional areas and varying levels of privacy to accommodate the various activities.
several rice fields, gardens, a fish pond and compost toilets allow the institution itself to become a teacher of sustainability for the village.
international and regional artists who visit often times organize activities in which the structure and spaces are decorated, and in a sense designed,
by the students; a harp was even installed on several of the wood columns converting them into musical instruments for anyone to play,
making the entire construct an integrative experience directly resonating with its educational principles.
the newest addition, the mepantigan event center, is a common hall for the school and community to hold festivals, reunions and activities.
the large oval footprint is delineated by natural stones on a compacted earth ground forming three tiers of seating in an arena-like fashion.
a bamboo structure extends from the ground supporting a large canopy split longitudinally by a skylight for ample illumination.
for additional photos of the construction, see the green school’s flickr page here.
