Lumi Shala

by Ibuku

Bali, Indonesia, 2023

About the project

Lumi Shala is a gathering, yoga and meditation space at the Alchemy Yoga Center in Bali, Indonesia. The building was intended from the outset to be a pioneering example of the incredible possibilities of the bamboo plant, using bamboo for almost every element of the superstructure as well as for fixtures, fittings and finishes wherever possible. Internally there are no columns, despite a 21m wide span, 23m length and 9m height. This is achieved through the efficient and intelligent use of bamboo in various structural guises, all working together to create the five interleaved saddles that span the space.

The process

Building on the achievements of the Arc Gymnasium and working again in collaboration with IBUKU and the local crafts people of PT Bamboo Pure, Lumi Shala further refined bamboo construction techniques. Substantial testing of materials, connections and systems informed a first principles approach to the engineering design process.  

Bamboo arches are built up from 6 adjacent culms of Dendrocalamus Asper bamboo that are spliced along their length to maintain minimum dimensions and have notches cut at regular intervals to allow the curvatures required (reb reb). The arches form the edges of each saddle and two arches for every saddle are then tied together with an anticlastic gridshell of bamboo splits. This double curvature works in tandem with the arches to distribute the high magnitude seismic and wind loads back to the foundations. Layers of flattened bamboo (plupuh) are then fixed to the top face of the gridshell to provide in plane shear stiffness as well as a surface to fix the waterproofing and finishes.

The outcome

This project can be seen as another stepping stone towards fully codified bamboo design and testing and a further advance in the close relationship between Atelier One and the bamboo specialist architects IBUKU. The research and knowledge gained will inform and inspire future bamboo projects.

Credits

Architect: IBUKU

Builder: Bamboo Pure

Structural Engineer: Atelier One

Landscape: Kul Kul Farm

Lighting & MEP: I Gede Arya Kuta

Press

Building of the Year Award, 2023 (shortlist), Dezeen