Dutch-Indonesian architecture and design firm Shau has constructed an incredible microlibrary in the city of Bandung, Indonesia that features a cooling facade made up of over 2,000 recycled ice cream containers made of plastic.

The library was constructed using a simple steel structure of I-beams in combination with concrete slabs for the floor and roof. As the building is located in a tropical climate, creating a pleasant indoor climate on a tight budget without the use of air conditioning was essential to the brief. The architects thus looked for a locally available facade material that was cost efficient and could shade the interior, while also allowing daylight to pass through and enabling sufficient cross ventilation.

Shau initially looked at the possibility of using jerry cans with their bottoms cut open to form a breathable facade. Ultimately however, jerry cans in the required quantities were not available. Instead, they opted for ice cream containers, which they bought online from a seller. It turns out to have been a good move as the design team are of the opinion that ice cream containers have a more positive image and further to this, these plastic containers were easier than jerry cans to cut open as part of achieving the necessary cross ventilation through the facade.

To form the facade, the containers were attached to vertical steel ribs and tilted outward to shed rainwater. To accommodate for more harsh tropical storms, translucent sliding doors are located inside that can be temporarily closed.

The unconventional construction was not without its challenges. Mounting 2000 buckets, making the fixtures and punching out the bottoms of the containers proved to be highly time consuming. Local craftsmen however devised their own punch out cutting tools that cut very quickly while maintaining and sharp and clean edges. The buckets spell out ‘books are the windows to the world’ in binary code, which is the language computers use to interpret information. The bottom of the buckets form the ‘ones’ while the tops are ‘zeroes.’

The use of ice cream buckets not only adds meaning and gives interest to the facade, but the buckets in addition generate a lovely light ambiance by scattering direct light and furthermore acting as natural light bulbs. At night, the illuminated facade takes on a magical appearance.

Project architect Florian Heinzelmann explains that besides reducing waste, finding uses for recycled materials fosters awareness in of Indonesia’s growing amount of plastic waste plaguing local waterways and beaches.

The cost of the entire project incredibly came came in under 35,0000 EUR.

A Microlibrary Legacy for Indonesia:
The illiteracy and school dropout rate in Indonesia has remained high over the past year, with interest in books and reading declining in interest. A major aim of this project was thus to rekindle interest in books by offering a dedicated place for reading and learning.

The result is a library like no other that is helping to encourage local passion for books and reading while also providing a community centre where people can socialize and read together within a truly delightful environment.

Project Credits:
Size: 160m
Construction Costs: 35,000 EUR
Location: Taman  Bima, Bandung, Indonesia

Architect:
SHAU Bandung
Florian Heinzelmann, Daliana Suryawinata, Yogi Ferdinand with Rizki Supratman, Roland Tejo Prayitno,  Aditya Kusuma, Octavia Tunggal, Timmy Haryanto, Telesilla Bristogianni,  Margaret Jo
Contractor:
Yogi Pribadi, Pramesti Sudjati
Signage Graphic:
Nusae
Client:
Dompet Dhuafa, City of Bandung
Photos:
Sanrok Studio
Supported by:
Dompet Dhuafa, Urban Community, Indonesian Diaspora Foundation