Bamboo is an incredibly versatile material, which is why environmentalists and designers John and Cynthia Hardy wanted to showcase it in their gorgeous Green School in Indonesia. The remarkable campus of buildings is constructed completely from sustainably-harvested bamboo and is powered by renewable energy systems. Located in Bali, The Green School is as much a school as it is a holistic community, and it has recently been shortlisted for the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture for its sustainable merits.

The Green School was established side-by-side with the non-profit Meranggi Foundation, which develops bamboo plantations by presenting seedlings to local rice farmers. The project also harnessed the talents of PT Bambu, an architecture firm specializing in bamboo architecture. PT Bambu is responsible for the bamboo portion of the Green School’s campus, which consists of four classrooms, a drop-off center, faculty housing, offices, cafes, bathrooms, a gym, and the Heart of the School, a spiraling, multi-story building for school functions.

Along with the beautiful bamboo construction, the eco-school’s curriculum focuses on sustainability and offers many scholarships to local Balinese children. The campus also includes an organic garden and utilizes a number of renewable energy systems, including a bamboo sawdust hot water and cooking system, a hydro-powered vortex generator, and solar panels. Local sustainably-grown bamboo was used exclusively throughout the beautiful campus.