Microlibrary Bima

Microlibrary Bima by Shau is located at Taman Bima in Bandung, Indonesia. The neighborhood 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, making it rain protected and cover it in form of the floating library box.

  The building is constructed via a simple steel structure made from I-beams and concrete slabs for floor and roof. The stage was reworked in concrete and a previously missing, full-length stairs were added. As the building is located in a tropical climate, the aim is to create a pleasant indoor climate without the use of air conditioning. Therefore, it is important to use available facade materials in the neighborhood that were cost efficient, could shade the interior, let daylight pass and enable enough cross ventilation. The team choosed used plastic ice cream buckets that were being sold in bulk. This turned out for the better as they have a more positive image and are more stable when cutting the bottom open for cross ventilation.

Microlibrary Bima, Bandung, Indonesia
Program: library
Architect: SHAU
Design team: Florian Heinzelmann, Daliana Suryawinata, Yogi Ferdinand with Rizki Supratman, Roland Tejo Prayitno, Aditya Kusuma, Octavia Tunggal, Timmy Haryanto, Telesilla Bristogianni, Margaret Jo, Angga Rosiawan, Aistyara Charmita
Area: 160 sqm
Completion: 2017