Press Kit

Soft Opening

Kapal Bambu Restaurants

Ecolodge Bukit Lawang Cottages, Indonesien

Content

1. Media Release

2. Project Description / Architecture

3 Organisation / Team

4. Facts

5. Portrait about Lukas Zollinger / Architect

6. Pictures

7. Contact

1. Media Release

A landmark for Bukit Lawang

Sunday, December 20, the unique Kapal Bambu restaurant will

open in Bukit Lawang, situated on the border of the famous

Gunung Leuser Ecosystem, Sumatra, Indonesia. Among the

largest bamboo buildings in SEA, it l inks nature, sustainability

and culinary delights.

Upon months of joyful suspense YEL, Foundation for Sustainable Ecosystems,

invites for the soft opening of the Kapal Bambu restaurant on Sunday,

December 20, 2015 to be hold at the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang Cottages,

Sumatra, Indonesia. Kapal Bambu will enhance the mission of the Ecolodge

Bukit Lawang Cottages in promoting sustainable tourism, environmentally-

friendly hotel management and environmental education programmes for a

wide range of domestic and international visitors.

The unique bamboo building has been designed and built by Swiss architect

Lukas Zollinger in collaboration with the German-Columbian bamboo expert

Jörg Stamm. Design, material and construction focuses on sustainability in

accordance with the green vision of YEL. On the approx. 1000 square meter

plot of land, the architect has used predominantly natural materials. 90 % of

the building is from bamboo, which is found in sufficient quantities within 50

to 100 kilometres. While in principle this material is easy to manufacture, the

harvesting, preservation and subsequent cutting into the needed length,

shape and diameters involves considerable expertise and time.

In all 110'800 meters of bamboo with an average diameter of 15cm have

been processed.

The magic bamboo, poor man’s timber?

For many years, Indonesian people are accustomed to using bamboo for

manifold purposes of daily life, such as furniture, house walls, farm

equipment, crafts, musical instruments, even for food. Unfortunately, the

multiple benefits of bamboo are not in tune with the value of the bamboo

itself. Bamboo has very little economic value and is still regarded as the "poor

man's timber“.

By using bamboo for our new restaurant Kapal Bambu we hope to promote

bamboo as a cheap, strong and endurable building material and to improve

its image and reveal ist properties as a high-value construction material for

permanent buildings, handicrafts, furniture and other, a substitute for tropical

hardwood, which is increasingly scarce. „Bamboo for everybody”, that’s the

new message we want to launch!

Food, recreation and information

In the basement of the two-storey building there’s the eating area with

around 120 seats, the kitchen, as well as the bar, hotel reception, office and

shop. On the upper floor opens a large space of 450 square metres, which

we call „bamboo lounge“. That’s where you want to be!

With the help of flexible room dividers, functions such as seminars and

conferences can be accommodated. A book and video library offers

information on nature and environmental conservation, the nearby Gunung

Leuser Ecosystem with its unique flora and fauna, as well as the projects of

YEL and its NGO partners.

The soft opening of Kapal Bambu on Sunday, December 20, 2015 offers you

a great chance to make up your own opinion about the unique restaurant

there in Bukit Lawang.

The people in charge are happy to make themselves available for interviews.

Opera Batak presents: “Mencari Si Mina”

Originating from a traditional form of theatre, the Opera Batak group

performs a play of about 60 minutes, which the group has especially created

for the opening of Kapal Bambu. We would not like to disclose any more at

this stage: come, marvel and enjoy!

2. Project Descript ion / Architecture

Building

From afar we already discover the “Kapal Bambu” , which means “bamboo

ship” in English. It has almost become the new landmark of Bukit Lawang.

Traditional Batak architecture is marked by the characteristic boat-shaped

roof, which is said to symbolise the origin of the early settlers, who arrived by

sea, but also the shape of the water buffalo horns, emblems of force and

power.

Restaurant concept

The project includes the construction of a new restaurant-complex for the

Ecolodge Bukit Lawing Cottages, which is an integral element of the Bohorok

Environmental Education Centre (BEEC).

The Kapal Bambu restaurant is the new heart of the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang

Cottages. The ground floor eating area offers about 120 seats, as well as

harbours the bar, hotel reception, office and shop. The local kitchen team

adheres to authentic Indonesian cuisine but ventures also into European and

fusion cooking.

The upper storey, the “Bamboo Lounge” with book and video library

measures 450 square meters and caters to recreation, information and

entertainment. It is designed to serve as a multi-functional space for various

activities. With the help of flexible room dividers, functions such as seminars

and conferences can be accommodated. The furnishing with comfortable

chair cushions, hammocks and coffee tables provides for a relaxing

ambiance.

Materialisation:

The materialisation of construction and infrastructure focuses on

sustainability. The choice was quickly made up for bamboo and clay. These

natural and ecological materials are found in sufficient quantities in

immediate and broader environs of Bukit Lawang. Moreover the local

communities can be involved in the purchase, preservation, manufacture

and maintenance of bamboo.

Facades, roofing, stairs, railings, lighting and furniture are all produced from

bamboo, with the exception of the floor of the basement, which is a polished

terrazzo cement floor, the bar counter, a beton moulding, and the walls,

made from clay.

All the bamboo luminaires have been designed by the architect and

produced in the workshop on the spot. They are positioned in a way to

highlight the structural framework oft he building.

Most of the bamboo originates from within a radius of 60 kilometres of Bukit

Lawang. It was pulled by water buffaloes out the forest to reach the trucks,

be uploaded and transported to Timbang Lawang’s bamboo preservation

centre.

Some of the remaining materials originate from close surroundings, such as

the river stones and gravel, as well as the clay. Cement and iron for fittings

such as railing were purchased in Medan, while the bamboo shingles came

from a bamboo factory in Bali and the special bamboo, „bambu duri“, for the

indoor railing from East Java.

3. Facts

Architecture:

Construction time: one year

Construction costs: approx. 300’000 EUR

Construction plot: 50 000m2

Ground floor: 530m2

Height: 13 m

Depth: 16 Meter

Roof: 1305m2

Open facade: 438m2

Closed facade: 184m2

Origin of material: Indonesian

Restaurant:

Restaurant: Approx. 200 seats

Bar: approx. 20 seats

Kitchen: Indonesian, some European and fusion cooking

Kitchen team: Local

Hotel:

Management: Zefri Chandra

Staff: 37 employees

Rooms: 32 rooms to accommodate 100 guests

Room charges: 350'000 - 400'000 Rupiah/IDR

 

4. Organisat ion / Team

YEL, Foundation for Sustainable Ecosystems

The Indonesian Foundation YEL (Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari, Foundation for

Sustainable Ecosystems) was founded in early 2000. The Board of Directors

includes Swiss and Indonesian members. YEL is the partner organization of

the Swiss Foundation PanEco and responsible for the collaborative Sumatran

Orangutan Conservation Programme SOCP. In addition to the SOCP YEL is

active in environmental education, organic farming and eco-tourism,

including the Bohorok Environmental Education Centre with the Ecolodge

Bukit Lawang Cottages and Kapal Bambu restaurant, which are contributing

significantly to the income of YEL and thus to the funding of its projects.

Physician and YEL founding member Dr. Sofyan Tan became widely known

beyond the borders of Indonesia due to his pioneering school that

incorporates a multicultural approach. Today he is a Member of Parliament

at the seat of the central government in Jakarta, where he probes his political

impact to promote conservation and environmental issues.

Regina Frey

(Founding member und member of YEL Board of Directors)

Regina Frey was born 1948 and passed an idyllic childhood in the small Swiss

winegrowing village Berg am Irchel, where she still lives and works until

today. Berg am Irchel is also the seat of her foundation PanEco for

Sustainable Development and Intercultural Exchange, which she founded in

1996. Upon finishing her studies in biology at the University of Zürich in 1974,

her involvement began for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan

and his habitat, the Sumatran rainforest. Indonesia with its fascinating nature

and culture would capture her for a lifetime. After first years of nature

conservation work in the field, Regina Frey came to the conclusion, that

responsible behaviour towards nature and the environment can only

develop, if young people receive the right incentives within the family

environment or through the educational system. The foundation of one of

the first Indonesian environmental NGO, “Green Indonesia Foundation”

(“Yayasan Indonesia Hijau”) 1978, establishment of the first Indonesian

Environmental Education Centre in Seloliman, East Java, in 1991 and of one

of the first certification agencies for organic agriculture in 2008 are

pioneering achievements due to her initiative. The explosive expansion of

palm oil plantations over the last decades has reduced Sumatra’s rainforests

to approximately 10% of their original size. The urgency to conserve this last bit of rainforest with its irreplaceable biodiversity determines her actions.

Lukas Zollinger

The Swiss architect and qualified carpenter, Lukas Zollinger is co-owner of

Zollinger Brunner Architects in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. He has the

restaurant project designed and accompanied as a project manager for one

year on site Bukit Lawang. Zollinger studied architecture at the ZHAW in

Zurich and Winterthur.

Jörg Stamm

The German carpenter and bamboo architect Jörg Stamm has built bamboo

projects all over the world. He is widely considered as the eminent "bamboo

architect".

In Columbia he has been invited to contribute to the gigantic bamboo

pavilion for the EXPO 2008 in Hannover, Germany. Another milestone was

the invitation to the technical university of Pereira in Columbia to be a

consultant for a GTZ project to realise a bamboo bridge construction training

course for craftsmen and architects.

A key experience for him was the encounter in Sumatra with the forest

people, the "orangutans". To look into the eyes of an orangutan is an

interpersonal encounter of a special kind. Therefore, when Regina Frey asked

him for help with the new bamboo restaurant in Bukit Lawang, she did not

have to ask twice! Together with architect Lukas Zollinger, Stamm has been

involved since the early start of the design of the bamboo construction. He

calculated the statics of the entire building and helped Zollinger with his

expertise in developing details.

Two characteristics mark all his endeavours: the drive to convey bamboo

craftsmanship to manufacturers and academic institutions and second the

promotion of bamboo as a durable and sustainable construction material to

replace tropical hardwood timber, because the tropical rainforest must

survive!

Markus Klitsch

The German carpenter Markus Klitsch supervises the bamboo workshop

(Bamboo Preservation Center) in Timbang Lawang, where the bamboo is

delivered, preserved and manufactured. His task is the training of local staff in

developing precautionary measures for “safety at work”, the planning and

monitoring of bamboo manufacture for construction and split floor

production. Moreover, he was responsible for the establishment and

operation of the wood-bamboo processing machines. Since 2008 Klitsch has

been working on various bamboo construction sites around the world.

5. Portrai t of Lukas Zoll inger

From Switzerland to Sumatra’s jungle

One and a half years ago, Lukas Zollinger arrived in Bukit Lawang lying on

the edge of the Sumatran jungle. The start of a big adventure for the 32-year

old Swiss carpenter and architect. He was to replace a ramshackle restaurant

from brick and timber with an ecological architectural landmark! The local

NGO YEL, Foundation for Sustainable Ecosystems had mandated him for the

challenging task of building a new restaurant for the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang

Cottages from sustainable materials.

“I immediately knew that this was a big chance for me!”, says Zollinger. For a

long time he has been looking for an opportunity to find a meaningful task.

That’s how he happened to come to Bukit Lawang, first as a civilian service

person, then to continue as a volunteer to build the Batu Kapal.

Now his task is almost completed. It takes only a couple of days until the soft

opening of Kapal Bambu. Zollinger stands in midst of the construction site.

When he tells about his experiences, he becomes nostalgic: “It has been an

incredible time for me.” He and his team have experienced many ups and

downs during the last months. These were altogether new challenges, which

Zollinger had to come to turns with on the edge of the jungle. Above all the

cultural differences proved to be discomforting and hard to overcome:

“Communication works completely differently here”, he tells.

Moreover, it renders work difficult if you cannot communicate directly with

the workers, but through an interpreter. Two members of the construction

team speak English well. “Donnie and Moses are both very smart and have a

good grasp of the work here”. They are the ones who transmit his orders to

the 55 manufacturers.

The poor quality of the Chinese tools represented another challenge for the

architect. In response, Zollinger and his team had to be creative. “We

improvised tools from all sorts of material which was readily available!” E.g.

upon half a day, the concrete grinder broke. “I had to wait four months for

the spare parts, while the work had to go on…” We experimented with a

variety of solutions.

When Zollinger looks back, these are the moments which make this project

so special for him. “The growing skills and support from the workers are

great and make me proud!” Every day, he challenges them and they in return

challenge him! “They really work hard and offer me increasingly valuable

inputs.”

In his year at Bukit Lawang, Zollinger found his new love: bamboo! He

discovered this exciting material: “Bamboo has lots of advantages and there’s

still a lot more to be discovered.” So far, hardly any houses are built from

bamboo in spite of the fact, that there’s lots of bamboo around. “With Kapal

Bambu I hope to open the eyes of the Bukit Lawang community for the

multiple benefits and uses of bamboo.” It’s his big hope that Sumatran

farmers and builders will acknowledge the true value of bamboo, giving it a

new economical significance. In order to draw attention away from palm oil

to focus on the establishment of bamboo plantations! Because palm oil is

responsible for one of the biggest man-made disasters, the destruction of

tropical rainforest.

Zollinger will leave Sumatra at the end of December. “I hope that my work

will prove to be useful for the people and the whole community here.” But

he cannot let go of Bukit Lawang completely; he would like to continue

building houses from bamboo and in his had is already birthing some ideas…

6. Pictures

You may use the following picture for the press.

We are happy to e-mail them to you, as well as more of them upon your

request.

Lukas Zollinger, the architect

7. Contacts and Informat ions

Regina Frey 

contact@reginafrey.ch

+41 79 419 12 22

Contact in Indonesia:

contact@reginafrey.ch

+62 813 7581 4823

Further information:

www.paneco.ch

www.sumatranorangutan.org

www.yelweb.org

www.orang-utan-coffee.com

Facebook: Ecolodge Bukit Lawang Cottages