A former gudang (storage unit) located 20 minutes North of Ubud, Bali has been transformed into a modern low-energy office for Begawan Foundation. The building has 3 private offices and open-plan office area, a large meeting room, kitchen, shower facilities and ample mezzanine storage space that also provides opportunity for future expansion. A predominantly East/West facing building, it has offered great potential for TGAG to ‘walk-the-talk’ by introducing low cost measures to reduce the demand for air conditioning, including:
- Efficient LED lighting
- Glass block windows maximising natural daylight whilst obscuring the view into and out of the office and reducing solar heat gain
- Sky lights increase natural daylight into the offices
- Natural ventilation strategy that utilises low level air bricks, ceiling fans and high level cyclones encouraging air flow
- Trellis for growing vegetation and shallow ‘moat’ to cool air passing into the building
- Newly serviced air-conditioning units ensure efficient operation
- Natural materials and re-use of antique furniture throughout
- Bamboo screening to protect the office from the road
- External landscaping to improve surface water run-off
Indonesian tradesmen carried out the remodelling works, completed in December 2011. To honour the local community, it includes some traditional Balinese features and a blessing ceremony was held to respect local custom.
Based on measured consumption in first quarter, energy consumption is anticipated to be less than 90 kWh/m2/yr (ASEAN standard is 200 kWh/m2/yr).
The Begawan Foundation was established in 1999 by Bradley and Debbie Gardner. Their experiences developing the award winning Begawan Giri Estate on Bali, Indonesia, inspired them to initiate programmes that would benefit local people, especially in terms of conserving the natural environment and satisfying their needs in the areas of education and healthcare.