PANYADEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: A GREEN SCHOOL IN THAILAND

In our Education & Architecture series, we have featured previously some amazing kindergartens in Slovenia, Mexico, Japan, Sweden, South Korea and New Zealand. Also, you might remember our post about the Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten, an entirely outdoor preschool in Washington that combines nature and play.

Today we travel to Thailand and discover another amazing educational project with an extraordinary vision that combines innovative architecture with the love of nature: The Panyaden International School.

 

The Panyaden International School – designed and built by Chiangmai Life Construction– is an example of modern earth and bamboo architecture, and was conceived to provide an atmosphere that is peaceful and close to nature and where children are encouraged barefoot walking.

 

 

This green school  wants to demonstrate how to live an environmentally mindful life with a low carbon footprint. Therefore to facilitate green mindfulness Chiangmai Life Construction chose earth/clay, stones and bamboo as the main construction materials.

 

Panyaden International School aspires to “teach children that showing respect for our environment enhances the quality of our lives”.

 

Also, fruit trees and vegetable gardens through the school (including also mini-rice plots – how cool is that?) deliver a hands-on experience on how to grow food without the use of chemicals.

 

The campus design, by its layout and non-reliance on unnecessary resources or technologies, makes the school simple to use and easy to maintain.

 

Walls are built either from rammed earth or adobe bricks (clay mixed with sand and rice husk).  The earth walls are great insulators against heat and cold, as well as noise. The bamboo roofs are good heat insulators as well and are designed to facilitate air circulation, without the need for air conditioning.

 

The design concept of the Panyaden School Assembly and Indoor Sports Hall originated from the lotus flower as the school is still basing its core teachings on Buddhist educational principles.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Chiangmai Life Construction and Panyaden International School.

Photo credits of photos 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9: Alberto Cosi, Ally Taylor, and Markus Roselieb.

Photo credits of photos 3 and 4: Panyaden International School.