By Rutvi Ashar
Photography: Sanrok Studio;
courtesy SHAU
Read Time: 2 mins
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A
floating library constructed out of 2000 ice-cream buckets as part of the ‘100 Micro-libraries’
program in Indonesia is a source of pride for its low-income populace.
The
Micro-library Bima, Sumur Bandung, Indonesia by SHAU recently won both, Jury
and Popular Choice awards in the Architizer A+ Awards 2017. SHAU, a
multi-awarded rising architecture practice started a mission to rekindle
interest in books by offering a designed place for reading, pairing it with
multiple community activities.
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The ‘100 Micro-libraries’
program was initiated to fight the high illiteracy rate in Indonesia and provide
reading facilities to make learning attractive and reachable. As the current
infrastructure does not support to improve its Human Development Index, many
eager students lose out on reading; hence, the idea of bringing libraries
closer to homes emerged. More micro-libraries
are under construction/planning in 13 different neighbourhoods and parks in
Bandung. Each micro-library is uniquely designed to fit programmatic demands of
each site and community.
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‘Micro-library
Bima’ is the first realized and sponsored prototype in a neighbourhood that consists
of diverse middle and lower-income residents. The building is situated in a
small square with a pre-existing stage that was already used by the local
community for gatherings, events and sports activities. The planning intention
was to add rather than take away, so SHAU decided to enhance the open stage by
shading it, protecting it from the rain in form of a floating library box.
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With
a budget of 40,000 Euro, the construction was done with I-beams and concrete
slabs. Previously missing, full-length stairs were added and a pleasant indoor
climate without the use of air conditioning was created. Thus, intelligently
using the available, cost efficient, plastic ice-cream buckets as a façade
material opened the space to natural light and ventilation. Incorporating the
Mayors message, ‘books are the windows to the world’, the buckets are arranged
as zeros (opened) and ones (closed), thus giving the possibility to embed the
message in the façade in the form of a binary code!
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Currently,
the activities and teaching are supported and organized by Dompet Dhuafa
(Pocket for the Poor) and the Indonesian Diaspora Foundation; ultimately, they
hope to enable locals to organize the content and maintain the communal space.
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Fact File:
Name of client: City of
Bandung
Architects: SHAU
Sponsors:
Dompet Dhuafa (Pocket for the Poor); Urbane Community Indonesian Diaspora
Foundation (IDF)
Area: 160 sq. m.
Location: Taman
Bima, Bandung, Indonesia
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