Green Village, Ubud, Bali
Nestled into the banks of Bali’s Ayung river is a community of majestic, thoughtfully designed homes.
The Green Village is made up of 12 houses, hand made almost entirely from bamboo, one of the most sustainable and fastest growing building materials in the world.
The village is the sister community of the Green School, the brainchild of sustainability entrepreneur John Hardy.
Village tour
We did a tour of the Green Village, visiting two homes – the River House and Harmony House.
The River House
The River House is a magnificent 5 storey, 3-bedroom home looking out to the Ayung and surrounded by forest. As we approach I see its bronze leaf-shaped roof glinting in the sunlight.
We step through an oval shaped door into an open space with kitchen, living room and dining area. Beams of bamboo point upwards throughout the home, holding up the huge bamboo and bronze roof. The home is 99% bamboo, from the floorboards to the bedframes, cabinetry and balustrades.
Each of the home’s five storeys is linked by a bamboo staircase, with three levels containing bedrooms with ensuites. The lower level has a pool and permaculture garden.
Harmony House
We follow the path towards our second stop, Harmony House, a luxurious compound made up of a main living pavilion, and three self-contained homes, the Sun Villa, Moon Villa and Goddess Villa.
The main pavilion has a kitchen with walk in pantry, dining room, bathroom and a cosy loft accessible by a bamboo ladder.
A wraparound saltwater pool curves in between each home, alongside fountains and tropical gardens.
Sustainable design principles
Elora Hardy, John’s daughter and founder of IBUKU, a sustainability architecture practice, designed the homes in the Green Village master planned community.
The homes are situated to maximise the existing landscape – fully grown palm trees hold up homes and frame doorways.
The predominant use of bamboo throughout the village is a huge feat.
Bamboo is a versatile and sustainable material to build with because it:
· grows quickly
· is in steady supply
· is affordable and
· requires very little water.
Some species grow up to a metre a day!
The bamboo used to build the homes at the Green Village is Petung (Dendrocalamus Aspercan) bamboo, which can withstand rain and sun and is treated to protect against insects.
The community has sustainability at the forefront of its design and operation. There are permaculture gardens throughout, compost containers in every home, recycling collections onsite, single use plastic is not allowed, and the homes are designed to reduce need for air conditioning.
Find out more about the Green Village.