Palau, an island nation in Micronesia with around 340 islands, has a rich tradition of communal architecture all embodied in the bai—ceremonial meeting houses that form the social and political heart of each village.
This bai, located at the Belau National Museum, was constructed in the early 1990s using traditional methods after an earlier structure on the site was lost. The building’s steeply pitched roof and elaborately painted façade are defining features, with panels depicting stories from Palauan mythology and oral history.