Location: Baan Paa Kor Dum School
Chiangrai, Thailand
Project Type: Architectural Design
Completion: 2016
Sponsors: Nawarat Pattanakarn with the supporting fund raised by Design for Disaster
Coordinator: Design for Disaster
Organizer: The association of Siamese Architecture
Design team: Pitupong Chaowakul with Sujinda Khawkum and Kasidis Puaktes

Photograph: W Workspace

bamboo school

When a 6.4 Richter earthquake rocked Chiang Rai in early 2014, it left a trail of devastation in its wake. Enter the architects: a fearless team coordinated by Design for Disaster, ready to rebuild. Supermachine Studio was among them, assigned to Baan Pa Kor Dum School in Mae Loaw. The mission? To replace a crumbling two-story building with something stronger, smarter, and resilient.

We didn't just rebuild; we revolutionized. Our weapon of choice: bamboo. Inspired by traditional wooden tribal houses that withstood the quake, we crafted a structure tougher than any bamboo architecture seen before. The goal? To give students more time to evacuate during future quakes and make repairs easier and faster than with concrete.

Three formidable trees stood at the heart of our designated site. Did we cut them down? No. We adapted, bending our design around them. The result: two distinct buildings, split and connected by a dynamic common area under a sweeping curved roof. This space wasn't just functional—it was transformative, promoting learning outside as much as inside the classrooms.

We flooded the garden-facing walls with windows, erasing the line between indoors and outdoors. This isn't just a school; it's a bold statement of what education can be—a space where nature and learning coexist, and resilience is built into the very structure.

The Bamboo School isn't just a response to disaster; it's a defiant stand against it. It's a testament to innovation, adaptability, and the relentless pursuit of a better, safer future for our children. This is architecture reimagined, rebuilt, and reborn.