Take A Look Inside The Amazing 'Lotus Flower' Made Entirely From Bamboo

Chiangmai Life Architects (CLA) designed a sports hall in Thailand made entirely from bamboo – and it reportedly has a zero carbon footprint. Could this be the “greenest” fitness center in the world?

Bamboo Sports Hall at Panyaden International School

A holistic, bilingual primary school in the Hang Dong Subdistrict of Thailand is getting an all-organic, hand-crafted dream sports hall. The new Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School was constructed in the shape of a lotus flower – the traditional flower of Buddhism – and features prefabricated bamboo trusses that span over 17 meters without steel reinforcements or connections.

This new organic, modern design “smoothly integrates with the previous earthen and bamboo buildings of the school as well as the natural hilly landscape of the area,” and adheres to the school’s “green” mission. With a projected capacity for up to 300 students, the sports hall will provide modern sports facilities, such as basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts, as well as observational balconies for parents.

The design of the 782 square-meter hall was supervised by two independent engineers to ensure “modern safety standards of loads, shear forces etc. to withstand the local high-speed winds, earthquakes and all other natural forces,” says CLA. The all-bamboo design allows for natural ventilation and cooling, providing year-round climate flexibility.

Chiangmai Life Architects specializes in modern bamboo and free-flowing earth architecture, and emphasizes the structural flexibility and resiliency of using the woody grass in design work. With an aim to bring structural design closer to nature, it seems they have created the perfect lotus sports hall that will last nearly 50 years.

Want more green design? Check out the world’s greenest, ‘healthiest’ building here.

Scroll down for more photos of the new Bamboo Sports Hall

About the author

Amber C. Snider

Home & Design Editor

Amber was born in Washington, D.C. and relocated to NYC in 2007. She received an M.A. degree in Liberal Studies: Women's Studies, Gender, and Sexuality from CUNY's Graduate Center and University, and an honors B.A. in English from The City College of New York. Before coming to Culture Trip, she was the executive editor for Metropolitan Magazine, a boutique luxury lifestyle and arts publication, as well as the editor for ResidencyNY Magazine. In 2015, she also started her own company, ACS Media Services, and has over 8+ years experience as a writer/editor in the NYC area. As one of the original employees in Culture Trip’s New York City office, Amber focuses on three verticals: Design, Architecture, and Home and Interiors, exploring how creativity and design influences our contemporary social landscape. She lives in Brooklyn with her typewriter.