Recycled ice cream tubs for walls of elevated Microlibrary

The Microlibrary is a small community library in Bandung, Indonesia. Local firm local firm Shau designed it in a particular way. Its walls are made of two thousand ice-cream tubs.

The Microlibrary is situated in a small public square in the city and provides a space for teaching and other activities. Its aim? Combatting the country’s high illiteracy and school dropout rates! Shau architects tried to find an affordable, locally available material that would provide shade but also air and natural light to reach the interior. Since the plastic is semi-transparent, sunlight shines through the buckets during the daytime. That’s why the façade is covered in ice-cream tubs.

The initial idea was to use white and translucent plastic jerrycans, but these were not available in the quantities required at the time of construction. Used ice-cream tubs provided the eventual solution.

The plastic tubs are fixed to vertical steel ribs and are angled outwards to provide an effective rain screen. Sliding doors can be closed to create a completely impermeable facade during  tropical storms. The architects decided to arrange the tubs forming a pixellated surface of closed or hollow elements. This system was used to depict a message from Bandung’s mayor. “Buku adalah jendela dunia”, “books are the windows to the world”.

“Not only does the facade give additional meaning to the building, but the buckets also generate a pleasant indoor light” said Shau.

Not only they created a space for the community which is part of consciousness to revive interest in book by offering special place to read and learn, they recycled a lot of plastic saving the environment saving the environment from pollution. Also, they saved a lot of money (US$19,000 total)!

Photo credits by Shau