Panyaden International School in Thailand was in need of a bigger assembly space and an indoor sports facility that would keep students from getting wet in the rainy season and keep them cool on hot summer days.
The project, designed by Chiangmai Life Construction, provides space for futsal, volleyball, basketball, and badminton as well as a stage. In addition to the standard size courts there are also game lines for three smaller mini-volleyball and badminton practice courts for younger students.
But it isn’t the space that makes the building unique, or the fact that its overall design resembles a rebel trooper’s helmet from Star Wars (the architect says the design concept originated from the lotus flower, which is a nod to the school’s Buddhist values). What makes the building unique are the materials used to create it. Or, more specifically, the material used to create it.
Photo courtesy of Chiangmai Life Construction.
The entire 8,417-sf structure was created from bamboo. Spans of 15 meters were created with bamboo trusses that were pre-built on the floor and lifted into place by crane. These 15-meter spans, with equal height, were created without any steel reinforcements. Two engineers calculated the loads, tensions, and sheer forces in order to design and build the structure according to 21st century engineering practices. The building can withstand high-speed winds and earthquakes.
The space is naturally ventilated and lit through openings between the three-layered roof. Adding to the project’s core mission of creating a green building, a zero-carbon footprint was achieved due to the bamboo absorbing more carbon than what was emitted during treatment, transport, and construction.
For more images, click here.
Related Stories
| Jul 17, 2014
A high-rise with outdoor, vertical community space? It's possible! [slideshow]
Danish design firm C.F. Møller has developed a novel way to increase community space without compromising privacy or indoor space.
| Jul 16, 2014
Check out this tree-like skyscraper concept for vertical farming
Aprilli Design Studio has stepped forward with a new idea for a vertical farm, which is intended to resemble a giant tree. It uses lightweight decks as outdoor growing space, adding up to about 25 acres of space.
| Jul 15, 2014
A look into the history of modular construction
Modular construction is more than a century old, and throughout its lifespan, the methods have been readapted to meet specific needs of different eras.
| Jul 14, 2014
Meet the bamboo-tent hotel that can grow
Beijing-based design cooperative Penda designed a bamboo hotel that can easily expand vertically or horizontally.
| Jul 11, 2014
Are these LEGO-like blocks the future of construction?
Kite Bricks proposes a more efficient way of building with its newly developed Smart Bricks system.
| Jul 10, 2014
BioSkin 'vertical sprinkler' named top technical innovation in high-rise design
BioSkin, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jul 10, 2014
New tool aggregates LEED project info for over 150 countries
The U.S. Green Building Council announced the launch of an expanded online data visualization resource that will allow any user to access aggregated LEED green building project information in the more than 150 countries with LEED projects.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jun 30, 2014
4 design concepts that remake the urban farmer's market
The American Institute of Architects held a competition to solve the farmer's markets' biggest design dilemma: lightweight, bland canopies that although convenient, does not protect much from the elements.
| Jun 30, 2014
OMA's The Interlace honored as one of the world's most 'community-friendly' high-rises
The 1,040-unit apartment complex in Singapore has won the inaugural Urban Habitat award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which highlights projects that demonstrate a positive contribution to the surrounding environment.