Category: Home Design

My Apple TV is a blessing and a curse. I got that little black squared device with the sole purpose of bidding adieu to my cable bill. Instead, I’ve ended up with no monthly savings at all, and the equivalent of the Pandora’s box of distractions, always ready to suck all the free time out of my life. Yet, sometimes it delivers me the pleasure of discovering interesting ideas and perspectives about things that are usually taken for granted.

This weekend –after binge-watching all four seasons of OITNB and HBO’s Girls in a matter of one month– I resorted to the TED app looking for some deeper, or at least more thoughtful amusement. The search led me to meet architect Elora Hardy through her TED Talk Magical Houses made of bamboo, which was incredibly inspiring to say the least.

Elora is the founder of Ibuku, a Bali-based design/build firm that uses locally sourced bamboo to construct impressive, sustainable structures that resemble luxury tree mansions. Growing up as an ISLA girl surrounded by nature in the Sayan rice fields, being environmentally conscious came as a second nature to Hardy. She started working with bamboo after her father (jewelry designer John Hardy) and stepmother opened the Green School, a Balinese academy in Ubud that was built on a foundation (literally and figuratively) of sustainability.

Is working with bamboo safe? Is it lasting? When prepped responsibly… yes, yes, and more. Bamboo has been used for centuries for its strength and availability. It is remarkably eco-friendly given its grassy nature, which makes it grow, and grow, and grow faster than any other timber there is, at an average of three feet per day (depending on the variety). Its unique anatomy makes it highly resistant to impact (it can even sustain earthquakes!), weight, and pests (given the proper treatments), which makes it ideal for structural development. Furthermore, the natural beauty of bamboo turns ordinary items into design pieces with a tropical elegance like no other material can achieve.

Bamboo structures are designed the old-fashioned way, with scale models that help architects understand which poles will work better for each twist and turn. Each building is basically an artisanal, handmade structure that requires skilled craftsmen with a deep knowledge of the material at hand to assure it will last and hold properly. There is no heavy machinery involved in the construction; only hands and minds are hard at work creating unique spaces that are in balance with their surroundings.

These bamboo buildings are a majestic example of Balinese art and craftsmanship. Replicating these in other parts of the world may not be feasible yet, but hopefully as designers and engineers come to appreciate the versatility of this highly sustainable material, it will be used more often and the effect of timber-related deforestation will begin to subside.

Scroll on for more ISLA inspiration…