As we begin to pay more than lip service to sustainability in daily life, so too do architects and interior designers in their work. Many are beginning to explore avenues that impact the environment in a positive way. Bali villa constructors are using eco friendly materials more and more. It reflects the bio-diversity of a locale when constructing Bali villas or any type of building on the island. A perfect example of this is an all natural restaurant in Nusa Dua that was built right next to the famous spa and Bali villa Kayumanis complex in 2004.
The architect chosen to design and construct this project was a local Indonesian by the name of Budi Pradono. The restaurant is based on the idea of a taring or tetaring. This is a Traditional Balinese structure that is built as a temporary ceremonial pavilion. It consists of three parts with two light pavilions made out of bamboo and glass and one heavy structure that is built from clay.
The entrance lobby is situated in the solid rammed earth structure. A long, thin, impermeable building, it separates the open to the public restaurant from the privacy of the Bali villa complex. Attached are two semi transparent pavilions that house the reception, dining, and drinking spaces. The bearing structure is in steel clad in bamboo as an external skin, as an internal skin for the ceiling, and as a shading device on sliding vertical panels on the sides. The result is a simple but refined building that is at once contemporary and tropical.
“In this project I wanted to bring bamboo into modern architecture by combining it with other elements such as acrylic, polycarbonate, glass, and steel,” explains Pradono. “And to make the bamboo look more modern, I used bamboo pins as joints instead of rope.” He goes on to add that bamboo offers an ecological viable alternative to timber for construction, as it is extremely fast growing, and unlike with other trees, bamboo plants are not killed by harvesting thereby avoiding erosion problems. Also, by utilizing clay as do some of the Balinese in their homes, Pradono was able to achieve a conceptual whole that juxtaposed light with heavy, fragmented with solid.
“The massive material I selected is clay, while the fragmented one is bamboo,” he explains. The rustic, uneven textures of both are combined with various irregularities in the space planning, so that an architectural rhythm is achieved. In addition, natural light filters through seemingly floating ceilings and walls and breezes are ever-present as the whole complex is built around a reflecting pool.