Imagine you were the fortunate citizen of a lush tropical island, say Bali, and financially privileged enough to afford an extraordinary home built according to your most daring desires. Ideally, renewable materials would be used almost exclusively so that your new residence became a sustainable and thus environmentally friendly affair. Bamboo is one of these resources – abundantly available locally, easily cultivated and growing back rapidly. It is light yet sturdy, albeit a little stubborn when it comes to delivering reliably straight rods: No two poles are alike and creative thinking is required on a permanent basis in order to come up with a feasible design. In Elora’s case, her enigmatically shaped edifices are the surprising result of these given twists and curves. Bamboo structures can now last a lifetime. Whereas formerly they used to get eaten away by insatiable termites and bugs, this building material receives treatment with a boron solution, a natural salt despised by hungry insects.
Elora Hardy is the creative director of Ibuku, a team consisting of skilled artisans, architects, engineers, and designers who create homes, structures, and interiors crafted of bamboo. Together they are striving to develop a balance of ancient and new ideas by implementing modern engineering for highest standards. ibuku.com
Header image: Palm Villa, ©errol-balihigh/Ibuku.