Microlibrary in Indonesia

Learning Center – “Microlibrary Fibonacci”

Microlibrary in Indonesia

Learning Center – “Microlibrary Fibonacci”

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    Global Holcim Awards finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

    Microlibrary Fibonacci as an “urban ruin” in the middle of the lush park. The parametrically designed, spirally arrayed structure blends in while at the same time, stands out.

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    Microlibrary in Indonesia

    Each Microlibrary has a unique context and community. Some have become neighborhood icons, frequented by kids, teenagers, and locals for a variety of activities beyond just reading.

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    Holcim Awards 2017 for Asia Pacific prize handover ceremony, Kuala Lumpur

    Winners of the Holcim Awards Silver 2017 for Asia Pacific (l-r): Florian Heinzelmann and Daliana Suryawinata, SHAU, Bandung, Indonesia for Learning center, Bandung, Indonesia. Using simple construction, this microlibrary creatively promotes literacy and community across Indonesia.

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    Microlibrary in Indonesia

    The goal was to create welcoming, small-scale libraries, bridging the gap between mobile libraries and larger city institutions.

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    Microlibrary in Indonesia

    Microlibrary: front view.

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    Holcim Awards 2017 Silver winners for Asia Pacific

    Architects Florian Heinzelmann and Daliana Suryawinata from SHAU won the Silver Award in Asia Pacific and view the use of material and passive climate strategies as key to the project's sustainability.

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    Microlibrary in Indonesia

    Set within a park, the Microlibrary Fibonacci aims to raise literacy by offering attractive spaces for reading.

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    Global Holcim Awards finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

    With the concept of a modern urban ruin in the park, parametrically-designed, spirally-arrayed, curved concrete ribs are designed to hold a light-weight roof with a moss-textured finish. Opened to all sides.

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    Global Holcim Awards finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

    Microlibrary Helicoid, Babakan Sari: this microlibrary is designed with flowing geometry, that is a helicoid with dual-usage space while having a minimum footprint. Located in the middle of an urban plaza surrounded by a clinic, a school, a district office and a military base.

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    Holcim Awards prizewinner reception – Jakarta, Indonesia

    Presenting the Global Holcim Awards finalist certificate (l-r): project architect Daliana Suryawinata, SHAU receives the finalist certificate from Oepoyo Prakoso, Sustainable Development Manager, Holcim Indonesia; in the background Next Generation prize winner Andi Subagio, SASO Architecture Studio and Gunawan Tjahjono, Professor of Architecture, University of Indonesia.

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    Holcim Awards prizewinner reception – Jakarta, Indonesia

    How does sustainable construction support the Indonesian government to improve the quality of education? Q&A session with (l-r): Daliana Suryawinata, SHAU; Andi Subagio, SASO Architecture Studio and Gunawan Tjahjono, Professor of Architecture, University of Indonesia.

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    Global Holcim Awards finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

    1:1 partial mock ups of rib corners (12cm thickness) to demonstrate structural abilities, surface quality, and precision of the shotcrete construction.

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    Global Holcim Awards finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

    Microlibrary Lansia, Lansia Park: The second microlibrary in a lush park in the center of Bandung hosting public musholla and toilets. The façade uses PVC pipes of various diameters and lengths where the large pipes are positioned according to the program they represent.

  • Awards Silver 2017–2018 Asia Pacific
Using simple construction, this “micro” library by SHAU architects creatively promotes literacy and community in Bandung and across Indonesia. Set within a park, the social infrastructure project aims to raise literacy by offering attractive spaces for reading.

By Daliana Suryawinata, Florian Heinzelmann - SHAU, Bandung, Indonesia

The proposal is part of a larger project to construct a network of libraries across the country. It will be the fourth completed by the group, each with a unique, site-specific design. SHAU set up the program in 2012 to implement a network of community-run micro-libraries across Southeast Asia. This typology is intended to bridge the gap between mobile ‘books-on-wheels’ libraries and larger city-scale institutions.

Each micro-library is undertaken with different partners and funding models. It experiments with material, social and climatic strategies in architecture to address the needs of the community it is intended for. Eight of these micro-libraries have already reached various stages of completion; several more are on the way. By putting together simple components in a creative way, the project achieves complexity with minimal means.

Status: 8 Microlibraries Completed – 2024

Microlibrary in Indonesia

Project authors

Especially compelling is the specificity of each individual project – every building responds to the needs of the local community and the urban context. Holcim Awards 2017 Jury for Asia Pacific

"Lightweight & Passive" – Sustainable design by SHAU

Architects Florian Heinzelmann and Daliana Suryawinata from SHAU won the Silver Award in Asia Pacific and view the use of material and passive climate strategies as key to the project's sustainability. Set within a park in Bandung, this “Microlibrary” is part of a larger project to raise literacy via a network of libraries across Indonesia.

Words with Winners

SHAU’s Microlibraries project won a Holcim Foundation Award in 2018, recognized for its innovative and sustainable contribution to literacy and community engagement in Indonesia. By integrating these libraries into the community fabric, SHAU aims to not only promote literacy but also offer public gathering spaces that foster social engagement.

Microlibrary in Indonesia

Each Microlibrary has a unique context and community. Some have become neighborhood icons, frequented by kids, teenagers, and locals for a variety of activities beyond just reading.

We sit down with Daliana Suryawinata and Florian Heinzelmann, co-founders of SHAU, to explore the evolution of the Microlibraries, their design philosophy, and how the Holcim Foundation Award has impacted their practice and the communities they serve.

Holcim Foundation Awards 2025

Are you working on a project like this? Enter the Holcim Foundation Awards 2025 and join the ranks of industry-changing winners!

Holcim Foundation Awards Microsite

  • “We wanted to create infrastructure that is not just a place for books, but an interesting place for the community to gather and interact.”

    Daliana Suryawinata | SHAU, Indonesia

  • “Our goal with the Microlibraries is to create comfortable spaces without the need for air conditioning – using passive strategies to make the spaces comfortable in the tropical climate.”

    Florian Heinzelmann | SHAU, Indonesia

Project authors

Project updates

December 28, 2023 | Project Update | Bandung, Indonesia

SHAU’s Microlibrary promotes reading and social engagement in Bandung park

The open-sided Microlibrary Fibonacci appears like an ‘urban ruin’ in a public park, as if reclaimed by nature, a visual metaphor both playful and attractive in a city short on public amenities for the youth.

The project is part of a larger initiative known as the “100 Microlibraries” programme, created by the design firm SHAU. It seeks to help boost literacy in Indonesia by introducing small-scale learning facilities into dense urban contexts. SHAU set up the programme in 2012 to implement a network of community-run micro-libraries across Southeast Asia. This typology is intended to bridge the gap between mobile ‘books-on-wheels’ libraries and larger city-scale institutions.

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October 08, 2018 | Awards Celebration | Jakarta, Indonesia

Building sustainably to support education in Indonesia

Holcim Awards prizewinner reception – Jakarta, Indonesia

How does sustainable construction support the Indonesian government to improve the quality of education? This was the question addressed by two Holcim Awards winning teams at an event hosted by Holcim Indonesia at the Jakarta Design Center. A series of “Microlibrary” learning centers that aim to raise literacy by offering attractive spaces for reading by SHAU; and a school hub built using local materials that empowers local craftsmen by SASO Architecture Studio were showcased.

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January 19, 2018 | Awards winners' reception | Jakarta, Indonesia

Winners' reception in Jakarta for Awards winners from Indonesia

Winners' reception in Jakarta for Awards winners from Indonesia

Indonesia has an enviable record when it comes to the Holcim Awards – and the current cycle has been no exception with an Awards Silver, Acknowledgement prize and Next Generation prize all heading to Indonesia. In addition to a media conference, a forum attended by architects, students and construction professionals illustrated the positive impacts of sustainable design – and raised awareness of the Holcim Awards competition in the process.

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November 23, 2017 | Winners of the Holcim Awards 2017 for Asia Pacific | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Building sustainably to improve communities – Microlibrary wins Holcim Awards Silver

Holcim Awards 2017 for Asia Pacific prize handover ceremony, Kuala Lumpur

The promotion and dissemination of knowledge is a recurring theme in the Holcim Awards – and is reiterated within the project by SHAU from Bandung, Indonesia. Their pavilion in a park is as minimalistic as it is well conceived – providing not only a public library, but also storage facilities, public toilets, and a prayer room. “The project is open on all sides to the park surrounding it, inviting the community to enter and explore; it constructs a territorial landmark reinforcing literacy and defining community,” said the jury.

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July 01, 2017 | Regional Jury Report - Asia Pacific | Melbourne, Australia

“A territorial project reinforcing literacy and defining community”

Global finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

The jury was impressed by the project’s vision of a network of libraries across Indonesia. Especially compelling is the specificity of each individual project. Every building responds to the needs of the local community and the urban context. Here, the project opens on all sides to the park around it, inviting the community to enter and explore. This is a fresh approach to the library – typically, a rarefied, closed environment. Unconventional materials – in this case, a moss ceiling and artificial grass floor – also make the project an exploration in unorthodox textures and construction techniques. By multiplying small, inviting reading spaces without replicating a single design gesture, the project constructs a territorial project reinforcing literacy and defining community.

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March 21, 2017 | Project Submission | Bandung, Indonesia

Microlibrary as a program to empower users: the power of small, attractive, and many

Global finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

In 2012, we initiated the Microlibrary program, with a mission: to make learning attractive and reachable for Indonesia and beyond. Though the economic forecast for Indonesia is optimistic, the current infrastructure does not support to improve its Human Development Index. Eager-learning students are hindered by the lack of facilities; libraries are far from being popular. The role of beautiful design can make libraries attractive again. Instead of positioning libraries in the city centers, why don’t we bring libraries closer to their homes? In 2016, two microlibraries have been built in Bandung. Four more are in planning, one is the Fibonacci Microlibrary. Each microlibrary is uniquely-designed to fit programmatic demands of each community’s and site’s potential.

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Related information

Related information

  • SHAU

    Bandung, Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia

Location

pin Bandung, Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia

Bandung, Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia

News

Project Update

SHAU’s Microlibrary promotes reading and social engagement in Bandung park

Bandung, Indonesia

Holcim Awards prizewinner reception – Jakarta, Indonesia

Awards Celebration

Building sustainably to support education in Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia

“A micro-Bilbao effect!” in Fifth LafargeHolcim Awards – Sustainable Construction 2017/2018

Article – 5th Holcim Awards

“A micro-Bilbao effect!”

Bandung, Indonesia

Global finalist entry 2018 – Microlibrary

Global finalist entry

Bandung, Indonesia

Winners' reception in Jakarta for Awards winners from Indonesia

Awards winners' reception

Winners' reception in Jakarta for Awards winners from Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia

LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for Asia Pacific prize handover ceremony, Kuala Lumpur

Winners of the Holcim Awards 2017 for Asia Pacific

Building sustainably to improve communities

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Learning Center, Bandung, Indonesia

Regional Jury Report - Asia Pacific

“A territorial project reinforcing literacy and defining community”

Melbourne, Australia

Learning Center, Bandung, Indonesia

Statements on the sustainability of the project by the author

Project Entry 2017 for Asia Pacific

Bandung, Indonesia

Videos

SHAU Microlibraries, Indonesia | Words with Winners

A unique approach to providing accessible reading spaces in densely populated urban areas comes courtesy of a series of smart Microlibraries.

SHAU Microlibraries, Indonesia | Words with Winners

A unique approach to providing accessible reading spaces in densely populated urban areas comes courtesy of a series of smart Microlibraries.

How building sustainably can support education in Indonesia

[Language: Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles] Two Holcim Awards winning teams examined how sustainable construction can improve the quality of education at an event hosted by Holcim Indonesia. The projects were: “Microlibrary” learning centers by SHAU that aim to raise literacy via a network of small and accessible libraries; and a school hub built using local materials that empowers local craftsmen by SASO Architecture Studio.

How building sustainably can support education in Indonesia

[Language: Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles] Two Holcim Awards winning teams examined how sustainable construction can improve the quality of education at an event hosted by Holcim Indonesia. The projects were: “Microlibrary” learning centers by SHAU that aim to raise literacy via a network of small and accessible libraries; and a school hub built using local materials that empowers local craftsmen by SASO Architecture Studio.

"Lightweight & Passive" – Sustainable design by SHAU

Architects Florian Heinzelmann and Daliana Suryawinata from SHAU won the Silver Award in Asia Pacific and view the use of material and passive climate strategies as key to the project's sustainability. Set within a park in Bandung, this “Microlibrary” is part of a larger project to raise literacy via a network of libraries across Indonesia.

"Lightweight & Passive" – Sustainable design by SHAU

Architects Florian Heinzelmann and Daliana Suryawinata from SHAU won the Silver Award in Asia Pacific and view the use of material and passive climate strategies as key to the project's sustainability. Set within a park in Bandung, this “Microlibrary” is part of a larger project to raise literacy via a network of libraries across Indonesia.

Microlibrary: Silver 2017 Asia Pacific

Learning Center in Bandung, Indonesia – Set within a park, this “micro” library aims to raise literacy by offering attractive spaces for reading. The proposal is part of a larger project to construct a network of libraries across the country. Basic construction methods are easily achievable in the local context. By putting together simple components in a creative way, the project achieves complexity with minimal means.

Microlibrary: Silver 2017 Asia Pacific

Learning Center in Bandung, Indonesia – Set within a park, this “micro” library aims to raise literacy by offering attractive spaces for reading. The proposal is part of a larger project to construct a network of libraries across the country. Basic construction methods are easily achievable in the local context. By putting together simple components in a creative way, the project achieves complexity with minimal means.