BaleBio

Contemporary re-interpretation of a Bale structure and an expression of local regenerative building practices.

Location:
Mertasari Beach, Sanur, Bali

Completion Year:
2025

Area:
84 m2

Funder:
BMUV (German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action,
Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety)

Project Lead:
Bauhaus Earth

Design:
Cave Urban

Project Management:
Bamboo Village Trust

Photo Credit: Iwan Sastrawan

The BaleBio is an 84-square-metre pavilion that demonstrates the potential and elegance of regenerative architecture. It was designed both for and with the local community. Inspired by the Bale Banjar, a traditional meeting hall for social, cultural, and religious activities, found in every Banjar (local village organization) of Bali. It was developed as part of Bauhaus Earth's ReBuilt initiative which explores the concept of a regenerative built environment through four case studies in Berlin-Brandenburg (Germany), Cape Town (South Africa), Denpasar-Bali (Indonesia), and Paro-Thimphu (Bhutan).

Photo Credit: Iwan Sastrawan

The pavilion tests how regenerative construction can be implemented in Bali by using locally available natural and recycled materials to reconnect architecture with the ecological systems, communities, and landscapes that sustain it. As Bali's first example of structural laminated bamboo construction, the pavilion demonstrates a value chain that connects rural forestry cooperatives in Flores, to local manufacturing in Bali via Indobamboo, and urban construction practices. By uniting forest regeneration, rural livelihoods, local manufacturing, and sustainable architectural design within a single, interconnected system, BaleBio showcases presents locally sourced solutions for reducing the construction industry’s impact upon the natural environment.

The design of the BaleBio was informed by a process of consultation with local partners and community groups, reimagining the typology of the Bale Banjar; the traditional open-air meeting hall found in every Balinese village. The pavilion’s open form, raised platform, and generous roof utilize passive design principles to allow natural airflow and filtered daylight to move freely through the space. The curved laminate barrel-vault roof rises to a height of 8.5 meters over the shore of Mertasari Beach.

Photo Credit: Iwan Sastrawan

Bauhaus Earth engaged Eco-Mantra to conduct a Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) demonstrating a 110% reduction in Stage A carbon emissions compared to a conventional baseline building. While a standard equivalent structure would emit 59,722 kgCO2e into the atmosphere, BaleBio achieved a climate-positive, carbon-negative footprint of -5,907 kgCO2e. This reduction was driven primarily by the pavilion's production stage (A1–A3), where engineered bamboo successfully sequesters carbon, alongside optimized local transport (A4) and construction.