panyaden school by 24H-architecture, thailand

first image
'panyaden school' by 24h architecture, chiang mai, thailand
image © ally taylor

the 'panyaden school' located in the lush forests of chiang mai in northern thailand, educates its multicultural students through a fusion
of buddhist principles and ecological sensitivity with a bilingual curriculum that not only teaches the classic subjects, but also touches on
social and humanistic topics to help teach children how to live well-rounded happy lives. designed by dutch practice 24H architecture,
the campus seems to be built under a group of enormous fallen leaves, made of natural locally sourced materials and labor that create an
all around sustainable and comfortable low-impact facility. plentifully available bamboo rods of varying sizes are used for columns and
make up the entire roof structure with a playful interweaving of structurally sound geometries anchored into large rock foundations in
the ground. walls of compressed earth dotted with bottles delineate classrooms filled with natural light, with the large canopies hovering
over all the rooms for a shaded, ventilated and comfortable learning environment. the organic shapes and material palette bring the children
and teachers closer to nature in a tranquil atmosphere surrounded by rice fields. the premises is equipped to collect and recycle waste water,
grow it's own crop, and produce bio-gas.

entrance structure
image courtesy panyaden school

the school in chiang mai received a grand award in the overall category, and a gold award for sustainable at the 2012 design for asia awards 
during the business of design week in hong kong.

other DFA grand award winners include interdisciplinary creative works on asa's cultural creativity exhibition by FREEiMAGE DESIGN;
raas jodhpur by lotus praxis initiative (additional coverage here); GXR camera by ricoh company ltd.; pacific place by heatherwick studio;
daikanyama T-site by klein dytham architecture; palace hotel tokyo chapel by nomura co. ltd;

with DFA special award (technology, culture and sustainability) given to gardens by the bay by grant associates (additional coverage here);
DFA special award for culture given to asia society hong kong centre - revitalization of the former explosives magazine by todd williams billie tsien architects;
and DFA special award for sustainability given to soil cave house-transformation design for the farmers of west china by the
environmental design association of china artists association.

entrance structure
image courtesy panyaden school

campus structures connected by natural walkways and green areas
image © ally taylor

parking next to the school
image © ally taylor

gathering hall
image © ally taylor

image © ally taylor

image © ally taylor

swimming pool buildings
image courtesy panyaden school

image courtesy panyaden school

children's playground
image © ally taylor

smaller children's classrooms with glass facade
image © ally taylor

recycled bottles dot the walls for sustainable lighting
image courtesy panyaden school

older students' classrooms
image courtesy panyaden school

pivoting windows and doors allow ample ventilation
image courtesy panyaden school

colorful glass facade shades by overhanging canopy
image © ally taylor

image courtesy panyaden school

meeting
image courtesy panyaden school

bamboo tree columns anchored in large rocks support 
image © ally taylor

image courtesy panyaden school

smaller reeds provide the substructure like joists for the wooden roof tiles
image courtesy panyaden school

skylight
image courtesy panyaden school

children's classroom
image © ally taylor

image © ally taylor

nook in the wall
image © ally taylor

(left) bamboo canopy structure
(right) column base
images courtesy panyaden school

bird's eye view
image courtesy panyaden school

older students' classroom
image courtesy panyaden school

construction 1 of 5
image © CLC construction

construction 2 of 5
image © CLC construction

construction 3 of 5
image © CLC construction

construction 4 of 5
image © CLC construction

construction 5 of 5
image © CLC construction