Ewe Jin Low, renowned architect behind the award-winning Green School and advocate for sustainable bamboo-based designs, shares his tips for seeing Bali beyond the usual
Photography: Shutterstock
I was a conventional architect until I accepted a job in Bali. It changed the trajectory of my life and pushed me to simplify the way I live. My wife and I stayed in a little place just outside Ubud and we went around the island on our motorbike. It was like being in our teens again. Then I started working with bamboo.
I had worked in England, Australia and Kuala Lumpur, and I was in the twilight of my career when I saw this job with Ibuku, a sustainable architecture firm in Bali. I ended up working with the firm as lead architect for five years and was involved in 50 bamboo buildings, including the Green School and Green Village. The whole experience changed me.
I love working with bamboo – it’s a sustainable resource we should be using more of. It has a positive impact on the environment and the possibilities of bamboo architecture are endless. Now we have an amazing opportunity to bring bamboo into the mainstream. I’m trying to do that across Asia, from Malaysia to the Philippines, with my firm, Tenten Design, and Better Bamboo Buildings. Although my home base is Melbourne these days, I always make time for Bali. Here are some of my top picks.
Ride for inspiration
I love driving around or riding my bicycle. Rather than going to places designed for Instagram, seek out the less trodden areas. Hop on a motorbike and ride from Keramas beach towards the interior and to places like Ubud. Or you can ride along the eastern coast all the way to the city of Singaraja in the north, maybe get lost along the way. That’s how you find the real Bali.
Indulge in the good stuff
Dapur Usada in Ubud is my current favourite. They serve Ayurvedic-inspired vegetarian food and every dish is a perfect harmony of flavours. Then there’s Alchemy, one of Ubud’s leading vegetarian restaurants. I love the unique veggie options, from pizzas and pastas to protein bowls.
Recharge and refuel
Monsieur Spoon is a wonderful French-style café for coffee, croissants, tarts and light meals. They have several outlets across the island but there’s one near the Monkey Forest in Ubud that I used to frequent. It gets quite crowded with café-goers but if you go in early, you might be able to enjoy a quiet cuppa.
Reconnect with nature
I love going to the village of Kusamba, where I rent a jukung (a traditional Balinese outrigger) and set off toward Nusa Penida, off Bali’s southeast coast. Once I’m in the middle of the sea, I’ll drop a line 300m down and wait for the fish to bite. It’s not just about fishing, though – it’s about just being out in the open sea and watching the sun rise over Mount Agung.
See sustainability in action
To see what humans can do with bamboo, visit Green Village and the Green School. With Green Village, Ibuku made these spectacular, million-dollar homes out of the humble bamboo. The Green School, on the other hand, offers a different perspective on education. Students don’t wear uniforms, there’s no fixed syllabus and kids learn how to plant rice, play native sports – they have mud wrestling as a subject – and practise yoga.
Make sure to visit Begawan too. They’re a private estate retreat that also offers training programmes in the areas of education, health and the environment. Some initiatives include reviving ancient rice variants by buying up rice fields and training farmers, so these varieties don’t disappear.
Witness the community spirit
Every month, there’s at least one ceremony that the whole community participates in. There’s one called tumpek landep, which happens every six months, where spiritual leaders bless your iron objects. It used to be your knives, for example, but nowadays they can bless your car, your laptop, your motorbike. The Balinese are very friendly and if you’re walking past, they’ll often invite you in. It’s an amazing example of what community means on the island.
Go further
Hideout is a lovely chain of boutique properties set in the rice fields. These jungle huts are made of bamboo so they’re sustainable. This is an adult- only property, making it perfect for a romantic weekend. They’re so popular that you must book up to six months in advance. I also love Bandido in Uluwatu, which is built with bamboo, recycled wood and local stone. I worked on these with my friend, Javier Díaz, who’s also an architect. Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, this nature-inspired property puts you at the doorstep of Bali’s best waves.
