有關環保議題 The Wat Lan Khaud

Recently I picked up a habit to read some international newspapers. I was fascinated by Thai and Khmer Wats when I first read about the wat built by bottles, thinking about visiting there someday.

From the Straits Times and the Designeroof website

Thu, Apr 02, 2009
The Straits Times

In a glass of its own

Discarded glass bottles enjoy a new lease of life as building material for this Thai temple

By bronek kaminski

Wat Lan Khaud, or Temple of a Million Bottles, has 20 buildings, including the main temple building that stands in an artificial lake. -- PHOTOS: BRONEK KAMINSKI


Buddhist monks in the Sisaket province of eastern Thailand have recycled more than one million bottles to build their temple complex in Khun Han near the Cambodian border.

Wat Lan Khaud, or Temple of a Million Bottles, shows just what can be created, with a little thought and ingenuity, from materials that are often discarded.

The monks began collecting the bottles in 1984 in an effort to help tidy up the countryside, improve the environment and show what could be achieved with locally sourced materials.

Initially, the bottles were used to decorate the monks' shelters. Then as news of their quirky project spread by word of mouth, they received so many bottles that they started building a temple with them.

The number of buildings within the complex has since grown to 20. The monks plan to continue building as long as they have bottles.

'The more bottles we get, the more buildings we make,' says a resident monk, pointing to a fresh stack of bottles destined for new construction.

A mixture of green Heineken, brown Chang beer and various soft drinks and vitamin drinks bottles have been used to create the structures. In addition to being eco-friendly as building material, the monks say, the bottles retain their colour, look good and are easy to clean.

Bottle caps are not wasted either. They are cut and laid into the walls to create impressive murals of Buddha's teachings.

Approaching the temple through the Thai countryside, it glistens like a monument to recycling as the bright sunlight bounces off its walls and roof tiles, all of which are made from bottles.

The main temple building stands in an artificial lake and is reached by a bridge of inverted green beer bottles that feel smooth and pleasant underfoot.

The bright, shiny walls are intricately crafted from small, brown rectangular bottles arranged in patterns. Inside, local people pray, showing that despite its unusual appearance, this is still a busy, working temple.

Exploring the leafy, shaded grounds, a visitor will find hidden among trees more buildings, all of which are constructed from used bottles.

The complex's 20 structures include the main temple building, a crematorium, a towering chedi (a structure containing Buddhist relics), prayer rooms, a hall, a water tower and tourist bathrooms. Several small bungalows sitting on glass stilts serve as living quarters for the monks.

Even the walls surrounding the temple grounds are built from recycled bottles.

As the bottles alone cannot support the weight of the structures, the buildings employ a reinforced concrete core to provide the strength and rigidity needed. The concrete is then covered in a creative mosaic of bottles that form a kaleidoscopic facade for the buildings, creating the illusion that the structures are made entirely of glass.

The Temple of a Million Bottles is also known locally as Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew. It is approximately 645km from Bangkok and can be reached by taking a train to Sisaket, followed by taxi or bus to the town of Khun Han.

A good selection of restaurants and basic accommodation is available in Khun Han or the nearby town of Kantharalak.

The Unesco-listed Khmer temples of Phreah Vihear are nearby on the Cambodian side of the border.

Bronek Kaminski is a freelance photographer and writer.