Bandung Inaugurates Microlibrary Built from 2000 IceCream Buckets

TEMPO.CO, Bandung - Residents of Jalan Bima, Kelurahan Arjuna, Cicendo Subdistrict, Bandung, may be proud of a microlibrary that is uniquely built from 2,000 used ice cream buckets. The cubical library is designed by Daliana Suryawinata and Florian Heinzelmann from SHAU Architecture.

“We designed it so that it can be useful. We use the recycled materials to make it more valuable and interesting,” said Daliana who was accompanied by Florian when met at Bima Park on Saturday, September 5.

The 100-square-meter elevated building was built in only three months costing Rp520 million. The fund was collected from the Dompet Duafa donation. The space underneath the library can be used to hold social gathering, making it multifunctional building.

“This idea is unique and becomes the first time in the world. The building process took longer because [we] waited for the ice cream buckets to be collected,” Daliana explained the design.

The library’s walls, which is made from hollowed ice cream buckets, have through holes that people can see through the interior from the outside. Daliana said that the holes is to facilitate air and light circulation so that it would not need air conditioner installation.

Other fun fact is that the holes form a pattern of binary code that says ‘buku adalah jendela dunia’ (books are windows to the world).

“It can’t be displayed obviously. But if you have time to record letter by letter, it can be coded,” Diana added.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil inaugurated the Microlibrary on Saturday, September 5, saying that the city needs 150 more microlibrary if it is to get the title ‘City of Book’ in 2017.

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