The Sakti dining room at Fivelements. (Courtesy of Fivelements)

Designers are turning to a traditional material for some of the resort island'€™s trendiest new lifestyle establishments.

Bamboo has not been regarded as the most glamorous of building materials but all that seems to be changing in Bali. Some incredible structures have brought a new sophistication to this traditional material.

Coincidentally, the new structures center around the south of Ubud set in the lush lowland forests that border the River Ayung and hidden inside a new wave of bamboo enclaves that have revolutionized perceptions of this material.

Bamboo is a fast growing material and is incredibly durable. Anyone who has traveled around Asia would have noticed that a lot of scaffolding is made of bamboo, as it is as strong as steel.

It also grows at a very fast rate and you can have a plot of fully-grown bamboo in seven years. A bamboo pole can be used in a structure after three years. It is therefore perfect building material that is also a sustainable and renewable resource in Bali.

The use of bamboo in Bali is not new, as there are many stunning bamboo buildings sumptuously erected on the island of gods. And the following two destinations embody a new attitude and philosophy toward bamboo, using it to build small communities that can bond with nature.

The basket bathroom at Green Village. (Electra Gillies)

The Green Village

It is an amazing and magical place in Sibang, a sustainably built village that redefines the concepts and parameters of bamboo.

It was smartly designed by the Ibuku team, headed by Elora Hardy, daughter of John Hardy of The Green School - a highly skilled set of artisans that have produced masterpieces curving into the
forest.

Each house is specifically designed according to the wishes of the client and their needs are taken into account. There are a range of different shapes and sizes dotted mystically through the rice terraces.

The incredible detail that goes into each home is the mesmerizing thing about this place. Your eyes will always be constantly drawn to new detail that has been carefully thought through, from a nest as an office space, a basket bathroom or a little tranquil corner with a built in seat to relax and take in the sound of the Ayung flowing and the trees.

Ibuku not only puts together the amazing architectural structures of the houses. The furniture was also made at its bamboo furniture company, as well as the details of the stunning interiors, such as copper baths and black bamboo flooring.

However, the truly remarkable thing about these houses is they are completely sustainable and renewable because of the use of bamboo.

'€˜'€™Green Village has redefined the potential of sustainable materials. It is a place where people connect with nature,'€ said Hardy.

'€œWe built light on the land. With very few resources or attention, a bamboo shoot can become a structural column within three years, and houses can stand strong for a lifetime.

'€œThe care we put into designing the homes and the skill of the local craftsmen is a statement of the potential for human innovation and ingenuity for the future,'€ she added.

You can visit the village by itself or as part of a tour that takes you to the Green School and the bamboo workshop.

Come during harvest season and you can see them harvest the bamboo and move on to the workshop to learn how to make a perfect little bamboo model that all the houses are based on.

It is a unique and special place that is well worth the trip to see innovation and beauty.

Fivelements Puri Ahmisa

If it is a bamboo retreat you are after, Fivelements lies further up the river just outside the small market town of Mambal.

Hidden in a village is this healing hotel that also uses its bamboo structures in a unique way and nurtures the soul.

The Sakti Dining Room is a restaurant that not only serves the most incredible creations, but is a warm and inviting place, crafted out of bamboo with a gently undulating roof to mirror a banana leaf, the traditional '€œplate'€ in Indonesia.

Bamboo is used throughout: in the sumptuous rooms with outdoor bath tubs that back into the river, in the spa that is also based on the river and the studios used for yoga and as meditation spaces.

These '€œmandalas'€ are constructed like spirals from bamboo that keep the air moving and let the heat in or out depending on the weather. It is as if these beautiful bamboo buildings are breathing with you as you immerse yourself within them.

A smaller bamboo building that is reminiscent of a pagoda is used for Balinese ceremonies, where a local priest oversees a number of ceremonies. Combined with a traditional Balinese altar in the same space it is redefining traditional spiritual structures.

Twice a month within this sacred space there is an Agni Horta ritual performed, which is a ceremony of fire from the ancient Hindu Vedic texts. It practice stopped around 350 years ago, but it has experienced a revival within Bali and around the world.

Bamboo is used at Fivelements both for its sustainability and for its closeness to nature. It is about redefining the boundaries of inside and outside.

The spa specializes in healing treatments by a selection of local Balinese healers in rooms constructed from bamboo. Again, it was designed to use the natural and holistic elements of the bamboo and open air, so you can hear and connect with the flowing river below and the sounds of the forest outside.

Here, the architects worked with this material to use it in alignment with the healing aspect of the ethos of Fivelements, to create unique spaces using bamboo to reconnect, heal and maintain sustainable practices.

The rooms are built with natural materials with a heavy emphasis on bamboo furnishings both indoor and outdoor, creating sumptuously comfortable suites.