branching off from john and cynthia hardy’s Green School in bali, which has grown to encompass the green village (IBUKU) and The Kul Kul Farm, his children elora and orin have created the Bamboo U Design and Build— bamboo university — to share their love and knowledge of bamboo culture. beyond an educational intensive workshop, the courses offer a holistic approach to sustainable design featuring what is arguably one of the world’s most sustainable and versatile materials. ‘bamboo u’ is based in the enchanting balinese landscape where students are immersed in inspiration, taught by the very minds and hands that conceived the Green School back in 2008. 

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
all photos courtesy of Bamboo U

 

 

beginning as a workshop held once a year, Bamboo U is a collaboration between IBUKU design studio run by elora hardy and The Kul Kul Farm headed by Orin Hardy, which aims to submerge its students into a physical and sustainable education. during the 11-day course this august, the soon-to-be graduates will get a hands-on, turn-key experience designing and building a structure out of bamboo from harvest to construction with the help of local and international designers, engineers, and scientists. the goal is to provide its participants with more than knowledge and enrich the once-in-a-lifetime experience with guest lectures, cultural experiences spiced up with local cuisine in a lush forest.   

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
what began as an annual workshop is intended to expand into a year-long opportunity for any participant. Bamboo U now offers several courses this year opening it’s doors for those eager to participate.

 

 

during a typical course, students take a design from concept to fruition, along the way learning the life-cycle of bamboo, the various environmental and sustainable issues surrounding it’s growth and harvest, its preparations, and its construction.  the course is ideal for a slew of designers and thinkers, from architects to engineers, interior designers and horticulturalists- anybody with an interest and mindset to learn about the plant will take something away from the experience.  

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
each course offers a range of auxiliary events, from musical performances to lectures by some of the world’s leading designers and engineers. 

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshoplocal designer  putra wiarsa (left), atelier 1‘s neil thomas (center) and elora hardy (right) discuss last year’s project.

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop  
local master builders teach the fundamental carpentry skills used in bamboo construction

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
students will learn how to use hand tools and traditional methods to work with the versatile building material 

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop   The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop  
small-scale models reveal the various design and engineering challenges that might be met during a full-scale build

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshopThe Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
the final project will have bestowed lessons in building structure, sub-structure and finishes, all with the use of bamboo.

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
above | a 1-day retractable bamboo yurt build

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshopThe Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshopThe Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop
at the local factory, harvested bamboo is treated and stored according to size and type

The Kul Kul Farm and IBUKU open their doors for sustainable Bamboo U workshop

 

 

be sure to check back in for more news as designboom joins the Bamboo U team in august for the next course.