The Many Faced-Cane: Five Projects that push the boundaries of Bamboo in Design

25 Mar

As a widely known ecologically beneficial and culturally rooted building material in Asia and parts of South America, Bamboo has led the steady economic and infrastructural transformation of many local craftsman communities into enterprises in the rural to peri-urban areas. Its marvellously adaptive nature makes it suitable for a variety of different building elements - all the way from scaffolding and formwork, to foundations, walls, and roofs. Here are five case studies that portray Bamboo at its functional, aesthetic, and structural best:

Bamboo Hostels China by Studio Anna Heringer

"Bamboo Hostels China / Studio Anna Heringer" 04 Nov 2020. ArchDaily.

This campus of 3 hostels located in Lishui, China, truly embodies the spirit of natural and earthy material connected to the place - mud and bamboo, that serve as the ecologically conscious choice. Furthermore, the project instantiates cultural continuation by mindfully reflecting the shape of the Baoxi ceramic vessels in built form while the construction techniques are inspired by traditional Chinese craftsmanship in basket weaving.

2. 'PANNAR Sufficiency Economic and Agriculture Learning Center' by Vin Varavarn Architects

"PANNAR Sufficiency Economic & Agriculture Learning Center / Vin Varavarn Architects" 11 Nov 2021. ArchDaily.

This project is a learning centre located in Nai Mueang, Thailand, built to inspire people while challenging the boundaries of manifesting traditional local craftsmanship with Bamboo as a material to create modern geometry and forms suited to the present-day lifestyle.

3. Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School by Chiangmai Life Construction

A sports hall located in Hang Dong, Thailand, explores cutting edge engineering techniques with bamboo to create clean organic geometry executed as a project with net-zero carbon footprint! Its impressive structural design boasts prefabricated bamboo trusses spanning over 17 metres devoid of steel reinforcement or joinery details! The spatial planning is climate-sensitive and the exposed structural craftsmanship, visually exquisite.

4. Bamboo Lodge / QAD

A project that looks at the use of Bamboo for interior design for a hotel located in Yibin, China - a brilliant example of using bamboo in a variety of forms and textures across many elements. From strips and skins weaved with a mild curvature on the interiors’ to crisscrossing bamboo canes in the corridor to bamboo weaved flat for the staircase.

5. New Pastoralism Lecture Hall / SYN architects

The first pastoral complex of its kind in China, located at Yangshan, Wuxi, manifests a distinguished irregular triangular form supported by a very lean and light bamboo vertical structure. Furthermore, the design also incorporates bamboo canes as hanging lamps and the facade after its specialised treatment to improve quality and durability - celebrating the local material, reducing maintenance costs, and ecological sustainability.

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