Warak Kayu microlibrary – credit KIE/SHAUAn architecture firm is having fun building microlibraries across Java with playful designs that offer respite from the heat.
Envisioned as an excellent way to increase literacy, they attract children with the designs who then get to enjoy a reading environment that inspires imagination and creativity. They were recently profiled in a Guardian photo essay.
Warak Kayu microlibrary – credit KIE/SHAUThe Dutch/German firm SHAU uses a combination of local materials and passive cooling principles used for centuries among islands’ kingdoms to shave off several degrees from the tropical air.
Shading, cross ventilation, and the principle that air speeds up and chills down when forced through small openings help keep these spaces cool for students.
Ongoing since 2012, the project has completed 8 libraries across the country. FSC-certified wood and lightweight concrete feature heavily in their builds, but the designers are not afraid to think outside the box.
The facade of the Bima microlibrary in Bandung is made up of 2,000 locally-produced and recycled ice cream tubs with the bottoms cut out. The transparency and airflow they provide offer a mixture of reading light, shade, and breeze to those enjoying a book inside.
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The Warak Kayu microlibrary in central Java is set on stilts, allowing the breezes to pass underneath. Above and inside, the floor is a rope net.
The Bima microlibrary – credit KIE/SHAUThe partnership hopes to continue on in this way for the next 20 years until 100 of these microlibraries have been built.
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