Entry Title: "
Panyaden School"
Company:
24H architecture
,
Netherlands
Category: Professional, Build
Designer(s): Olav Bruin
Entry Description:
In the lush green surroundings of a former fruit
orchard, where Thailands highest mountains
meet the flat rice fields, Panyaden School
contracted 24H to design its environmentally
friendly school buildings.
Located south of the city of Chiang Mai, this
5,000 m2 primary school consists of an informal
arrangement of pavilions (salas), organized along
pathways inspired by the shape of the tropical
antler horn fern.
This original design has since evolved organically
to its final form which is still in keeping with its
original purpose of creating buildings from earths
elements and shapes that are an ode to natures
beauty.
There are two main types of buildings:
- The classroom pavilion type has load-bearing
walls from rammed earth, dividing the building
into 3 classrooms. The outer walls are made of
adobe. Glass windows framed by recycled local
hardwood, glass bottles and washing machine
windows bring natural light into the classrooms.
Cupboards and shelves are all integrated in an
adobe wall curving around the sanitary block. The
curved contours of the bamboo roof structure
mirror the mountains at the horizon of the site.
- The sala pavilion type is used for common
functions such as the assembly hall and the
canteen. Columns consist of bamboo bundles
reaching up to the bamboo canopy from their
stone foundations, giving a feeling of walking
through a majestic bamboo forest.
Other salas designed and created by the local
team (playground, around the swimming pool,
Buddha sala etc) resemble birds or leaves
elements found in nature and in daily Thai life
(such as the paper umbrellas made in Chiang
Mai).
The entire school has been built from local earth
and local bamboo that has been naturally treated
to withstand the elements. Organic vegetables
and rice will be grown on school property.
Environmentally friendly waste water treatment
and food waste recycling producing organic
fertilizers and biogas for cooking, round up the
picture of an environmentally friendly school with
a negligible carbon footprint.
Panyaden is a private bilingual school with a
Buddhist approach that will accommodate 375
students including 10- 20 percent of local Thai
kids funded by scholarships.
The students will be the ambassadors to
introduce green living into the lives of their
communities.
In addition to the Thai and native English
speaking teachers, they will be supervised by
experts in various arts, creativity as well as
traditional wisdom such as local agricultural
methods, specialists in tropical forest plants, cloth
weaving and northern cuisine etc.
Panyaden School aims to deliver a holistic
education that integrates Buddhist principles and
green awareness with the highly regarded,
International Primary Curriculum. |
