Sustainable and earthquake-proof Bamboo Sports Hall is entirely made of bamboo

Bamboo Sports Hall withstands earthquakes with a lotus shaped organic architecture entirely made of bamboo

Chiangmai Life Architects completed the zero carbon footprint Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School in Thailand combining modern organic design with 21st century engineering.

Bamboo Sports Hall @ Panyaden School - Photos by Alberto Cosi; courtesy of Chiangmai Life Architect.

Bamboo Sports Hall @ Panyaden School – All photos by Alberto Cosi and Markus Roselieb; courtesy of Chiangmai Life Architect.

Thailand – Chiangmai Life Architects’ Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School few km away from the city of Chiang Mai is entirely made of bamboo. The 782 sqm earthquake-proof structure is a feast to the eye and an exhibition of masterly handicraft.

The design was based on the lotus flower, a Thai national symbol, as Panyaden International School uses Buddhist teachings to infuse values into its academic curriculum and teach the underlying mechanisms of the human mind.

The hall hosts futsal, basketball, volleyball and badminton courts, as well as a stage that can be lifted automatically. The backdrop of the stage is the front wall of a storage room for sports and drama equipment. On both long sides, balconies provide space for parents and other visitors to observe sporting events or shows.

The design and material enable a cool and pleasant climate all year round through natural ventilation and insulation. The hall was designed with the help of 2 independent engineers to modern safety standards of loads, shear forces etc. to withstand the local high-speed winds, earthquakes and all other natural forces.

The innovative structural design is based on newly developed prefabricated bamboo trusses with a span of over 17 meters without steel reinforcements or connections. These trusses were prebuilt on site and lifted into position with the help of a crane.

“The brief was to build a hall that should be big enough to hold the projected capacity of 300 students, but still smoothly integrates with the previous earthen and bamboo buildings of the school as well as the natural hilly landscape of the area. It should provide modern sports facilities and use only bamboo to maintain the low carbon footprint.” Explains Markus Roselieb at Chiangmai Life Architects.

Panyaden’s Sports Hall’s carbon footprint is zero. The bamboo used absorbed carbon to a much higher extent than the carbon emitted during treatment, transport and construction. The bamboo was all well selected for age and treated with borax salt.