Excerpt: Takhmau Boarding School by Bloom Architecture combines a robust concrete skeleton with an organic bamboo skin, that filters the tropical sun. The building is designed with sustainability as its main criteria. A concrete skeleton was chosen for its sturdiness, and a bamboo enclosure is made as transparent and porous as possible to prioritise natural ventilation while providing intimacy for the students.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] This educational facility was designed by Bloom in 2021 for a NGO that permits young girls to access education. It combines a robust concrete skeleton with a light and organic bamboo skin, screening the inside from the view and filtering the tropical sun.
The new building responds to the geometry of the campus to create a common courtyard. A main planted alleyway will provide a green atmosphere from the entrance. The building is designed with sustainability as its main criteria. A concrete skeleton was chosen for its robustness, and a bamboo enclosure is made as transparent and porous as possible to prioritise natural ventilation while providing intimacy for the students.
Bamboo is a material that is underused in Southeast Asia, where it is mostly used to make scaffolding for small-scale buildings. The designers were inspired by these three-dimensional structures and how they can be incorporated into a building, expanding the interior spaces.
Flexibility was key in this project, as the needs of the NGO are evolving very quickly. The support functions are grouped on the two opposite corners for ease of distribution and to free up internal space.
While the eastern side, which will be cooler, will host the dormitories, the western side will be kept for the common area with a beautiful view over the sunset and the horizon. An amphitheatre that links the two floors and serves as a social hub.
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