Bamboo is one of nature’s beautiful creations. It is perceived as wood, rather, it is a grass. It is one of those materials that have a huge history of its own, which begins from its origin as a material in South Asian countries like China and Japan, first its use as scaffolding, then a six-story building in China, a hut in the Philippines, and then becoming one of the most important parts of the Japanese architecture industry – for the use as decorative elements in buildings such as fencing, fountains, grates, and gutters, or for making walls, etc., all due to the availability of quality timber.
1. Bahay Kubo-Nipa Hut
This is one of the first architectural structures built in the Philippines and was inspired by Spanish and Chinese architecture. It was itself an evolution from the previous use of bamboo in construction. Its design changed through time while remaining true to its hut heritage structures. It was prevalent among the upper or middle classes and combined nipa hut characteristics with the style, customs, and innovation of Spanish architecture. The nipa houses were constructed from split and woven bamboo.
Well after the nipa house, many individuals examined the material’s strength, weaknesses, impacts on the environment, and sustainability, and with the information gained about the ways of creating homes, buildings, and structures with the support of joints, nodes, and so on, many buildings were built one by one. The use of round bamboo poles for the building has grown in popularity in recent decades, owing to their sustainability. One construction that exemplifies this is Indonesia’s green school.
2. The Green School
John and Cynthia Hardy, environmentalists, and designers, wished to inspire communities to live more sustainably. They founded the Green School and its affiliates, which develops bamboo plantations by distributing bamboo seedlings to local rice farmers, and PT Bambu. The complex is powered by a variety of alternative sources of energy, along with a bamboo sawdust heated water and culinary system, a hydro-driven vortex generator, and solar panels.
The second structure is also a sub-part of the previous example, situated in Bali, Indonesia. It was an initiative towards a better, more sustainable life for villagers.
3. The Green Village
Situated within walking distance of the Green School, it was conceived and built using the same architectural ideals of ecological principles and artisan skills that helped establish the world-famous Green School campus. The key components of the green development area are Greene School, PT Bamboo Pure, and Greene Village, which are integrated to form a green zone that can maintain itself. The bamboo cottages are planned and built along the natural curves of each plot, providing unparalleled vistas of the riverfront and Bali’s volcanoes.
4. Bamboo Courtyard Teahouse by HWCD Associates
A floating bamboo patio teahouse constructed by Chinese designer Sun Wei, a partner of HWCD, may be seen in the ShiQiao park in Yangzhou, a city northwest of Shanghai. The design concept embraces traditional Chinese garden elements while integrating them into the natural surroundings. The tea house is one of China’s most valuable cultural heritages, and it has been popular for thousands of years.. The bamboo courtyard is an appropriate backdrop for a tea experience, stressing the significance of architecture and design.
5. Bes Pavilion
The BES pavilion is a service facility designed by H&P architects for an inclusive community that focuses on art and culture. BES (Bamboo + Soil + Stone) is a centrally located structure composed of natural materials and traditional construction methods that are centred on the principle of centralizing the users. The building’s users will also have a fantastic opportunity to approach and be taught about the building’s functions and impacts on nature and the surrounding community.
6. The Bamboo Hat Porch in Village
The bamboo hat porch may be seen close to the entrance of Shang Village, Jixi Countryside, and Xuan City in Anhui Province On the nearby mountains, many bamboos were naturally formed and may be utilized as the porch structure. Every villager contributes a single bamboo hat, which serves as both a means of communication and roofing material. And the little sky that protects one person merges into a large sky that protects everyone, even guests from all around the world.
7. Bamboo, Canopy, and Pavilion
This structure was developed by llLab and is situated in one of China’s most stunning locations. Instead, the emphasis switched to how novel therapies may help a pre-existing ailment. To complement what is currently there, the innovative architecture considered taking the materiality of bamboo and reorganizing it to make new space. Instead, it seeks to complement, if subtly, the neighbouring bamboo forests and hills.
8. Bamboo Stalactite
Because of its structural flexibility, bamboo allows us to complete this project with minimum resources (8 Vietnamese workers, with the support of Vietnamese and Italian architects and students to build the pavilion within 25 days). As a result, despite its tiny size, this bamboo area quickly becomes an icon in the city. The pavilion’s structural beams had previously been prepared in Vietnam.
9. Vedana Restaurant
The structure consists of two piled ring-shaped discs with a dome roof on top. The building’s widest radius is about 60 feet wide, and it climbs to a height of more than 50 feet, bringing it VTN architects’ biggest bamboo construction to date. The eatery will be tucked in the centre of a planned ‘flower forest,’ with 15,000 blooming trees to be planted soon.
10. Bamboo cladding surrounds houses in the Philippines, by Atelier Sacha Couture
The family house in Paranaque was created by the Philippines branch of Atelier Sacha Couture and is set in a private neighbourhood. The street-facing facade is a homogeneous expanse of vertical bamboo sticks with entrances to the garage and the main entrance. The material was processed to preserve it from mildew and vermin before being tinted and lacquered to enhance its organic tone and durability.
11. Urban Park Micro Renovation
The bamboo art installation’s design is drawn from bamboo’s remarkable tensile and bending qualities, and the bent bamboo itself may organically form a three-dimensional boundary of the area, which might give shade and shadows. By deforming and interconnecting 5 shell-like shapes in two directions in a variation of the Huanglong Waterfront Bamboo Passage, we create a shelter between both the village square and the creek, which might serve both the square and the rest area.
12. Bamboo Sports Hall
The Bamboo Sports Hall designed by Chiangmai Life Architects for Panyaden International School blends modern organic architecture, 21st-century technology, and a natural material — bamboo. The lotus blossom inspired the design since Panyaden International Site is in Thailand and incorporates Buddhist teachings into its academic course to instill values and explain the fundamental principles of the human mind.
13. Wind and Water Bar by Vo Trong Nghia
Steppingstones lead throughout the lake and into the Wind and Water Bar, which hosts music concerts, community meetings, and other activities. The building’s wooden construction is made from lengths of bamboo that have been tied together and twisted into arches. A circular aperture in the roof’s centre allows hot air to escape.
14. Prefabricated Bamboo Community Centre in Pakistan built by local people
Prefabricated bamboo community centre in Pakistan built by local people, which might give shade and shadows. By deforming and interconnecting 5 shell-like shapes in two directions in a variation of the Huanglong Waterfront Bamboo Passage, we create a shelter between both the village square and the creek, which might serve both the square and the rest area.
References:
- https://www.archdaily.com/968361/urban-park-micro-renovation-atelier-cns-plus-school-of-architecture-south-china-university-of-technology
- https://www.archdaily.com/877165/bamboo-sports-hall-for-panyaden-international-school-chiangmai-life-construction
- https://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/21/bamboo-cladding-surrounds-house-in-the-philippines-by-atelier-sacha-cotture/
- https://www.archdaily.com/323464/bamboo-courtyard-teahouse-harmony-world-consulting-design
- https://www.designboom.com/architecture/vedana-restaurant-vo-trong-nghia-vtn-architects-bamboo-vietnam-12-12-2020/
- https://www.dezeen.com/2012/09/03/wind-and-water-bar-by-vo-trong-nghia/
- https://www.archdaily.com/415838/bes-pavilion-h-and-p-architects
- https://www.archdaily.com/928020/the-bamboo-hat-porch-in-village-rural-culture-d-r-c
