Microlibrary built with 2,000 recycled ice cream buckets tackles illiteracy in Indonesia

An adorable micro library constructed with no fewer than 2,000 used plastic ice cream buckets popped up on a small square in Indonesia. Architecture firm SHAU Bandung assembled the buckets using a binary code to embed a secret message into the Taman Bima Microlibrary's facade. Can you figure out the code?

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The project was realized as the first built prototype of a series of small libraries planned for several locations throughout Indonesia. It aims to address the issue of declining literacy among the population of Indonesia and rekindle interest in reading. By offering a dedicated space where people can read, learn and have access to different media and courses, the building will act as a popular destination and cultural hub in the neighborhood.

Related: Tiny, adorable mobile libraries pop up in Seoul

The Microlibrary was built using simple construction techniques. The first floor of the steel structure made from l-beams and concrete slabs is clad in an unlikely material-ice cream buckets. The buckets were placed in-between vertical steel ribs and slightly tilted towards the outside to repel rainwater.

Thanks to a mild climate, there was no need to include air conditioning. The 2000 buckets were a cost efficient solution which lets daylight reach the interior and facilitates natural ventilation. This was achieved by combing open and closed buckets in a specific pattern that conveys an embedded message in the form of a binary code. The Mayor of Bandung, Ridwan Kamil coined the message “buku adalah jendela dunia”, which means “books are the windows to the world”.

Source: archdaily.com