Covers the possibility of bamboo being used as a high tech material

1. Bamboo
and the infinite possibilities it
offers..
Radhika Munshi
Erugu Chandana

2. Though bamboo as a building material carries
connotations of ancient Asiatic architecture, the
widely available wood is enjoying a resurgence
in experimental design. Architects the world
over are unearthing vernacular techniques and
mining contemporary parametric capabilities to
produce bamboo structures that fit today’s
tastes for both the organic and awe-inspiring
compositions.

3. In history, architecture evolved from two
different type of spaces: the cave and the nest.
A bamboo building is a very direct translation of
the nest.
A new movement led by architects Vo Trong
Nghia, nARCHITECTS and Ove Arup Partners is
putting bamboo construction back in the
spotlight.

4. • The strength and hardness of bamboo makes
it a great material of modular structural
systems. The strength of bamboo according to
its weight is comparable to the behaviour of
steel. And it still has a natural appearance.

5. • Another reason why people are drawn
towards bamboo these days is that most of us
are constantly surrounded by steel and glass.
But when we see a building or structure,
which is made of bamboo, we think about the
natural environment, where it is built and that
creates a certain campfire romanticism of
being off the grid for a while.

6. • That it is flexible, easily available and easy to
work with is leading to its increasing
popularity.
Use of bamboo as modular structural unit or its
combination with parametric high tech designs
is opening up new possibilities of bamboo
architecture making it primitive and high tech at
the same time.

7. • Use of bamboo as a
structural unit
Kon Tum Indochine Café
The challenge of the project is to respect the
nature of bamboo as a material and to create a
distinctive space unique to bamboo.

9. • Use of bamboo in parametric designs. Flexible
and easily bendable.

10. Bamboo Reinforcement
Preparation of Bamboo
• Sizing. Splints (split culms) are generally more desirable than whole
culms as reinforcement. This is more desirable than cutting the
bamboo since splitting will result in continuous fibers and a nearly
straight section.
• Seasoning. The bamboo should be cut and allowed to dry and
season for three to four weeks before using.
• Bending. Bamboo can be permanently bent if heat, either dry or
wet, is applied while applying pressure.
• Waterproof Coatings. When seasoned bamboo is used as
reinforcement, it should receive a waterproof coating to reduce
swelling when in contact with concrete. Native latex, coal tar, paint,
dilute varnish, and water-glass (sodium silicate) are other suitable
coatings.

11. Bamboo Structure
by Pouya Khazaeli Parsa

12. • A total of 70 freshly-cut bamboo trunks were
torqued into a gentle curve, which is held in
place with the reeds left over from the rice
harvest. With a low cost of $1,000 per unit,
the ability to be constructed by non-
professionals, and resistance to strong winds
and earthquakes, the structure makes for a
sustainable housing option in multiple
contexts beyond hotels.

15. Canopy
by nARCHITECTS and Ove Arup & Partners

16. • The architects embedded the simple canopy
typology with indentations to produce a range of
shadow densities across the courtyard, while
certain sections arched all the way downwards to
create "rooms" of varying microclimates. The
design and construction process required the
team to employ a mix of technological ingenuity
and unprecedented precision: Over six weeks of
on-site testing, a phasing sequence was
developed that optimized bamboo's inherent
strength and minimized breakages.

17. Pulse Pavilion by USJ University of St
Joseph
Name: Pulse Pavilion
Location: Plaza Sai Van, Macau SAR,
China.
Design: Third- and fourth-year
undergraduate architecture students
from the University of St Joseph
Dates: On display 1–10 June 2013.

18. • Using an array of digital and parametric
programs to help them decide on the design
and structure they decided on a bamboo
structure of rods, interwoven fabric panels
and an interactive LED lighting system. The
LED lights change intensity depending on the
amount of people flowing into the space.

19. • The bamboo has been split down its length
and connected and interwoven with fabric
panels. This latticed framework is lined with
an interactive LED system that changes colour
and intensity as people move around and
through the pavilion.

21. Forest Pavilion
by nARCHITECTS
Location: Hualien County, Taiwan
Architects: nARCHITECTS
Bamboo Fabricator: Amis tribe
(Taiwanese people)
Area: 300.0 sqm
Project Year: 2011

22. • The geometry consists of eleven vaulted
parabolic arches displayed in two rings,
following the pattern of a sectioned tree. The
parabolas were used because they can
generate endless configurations. The pavilion
is noteworthy by its technological innovation,
apparent by the use of freshly cut green
bamboo.

23. Mechanical Property Symbol Value (psi)
Ultimate compressive
strength
8,000
Allowable compressive stress s 4,000
Ultimate tensile strength 18,000
Allowable tensile stress s 4,000
Allowable bond stress u 50
Modulus of elasticity E 2.5x106
Table I. Mechanical properties of bamboo reinforcement

25. Futuristic Structures using
Bamboo

26. Cocoon-Like Vertical Bamboo Towers Are High Tech and
Primitive...
Designed by Saint Val Architect

27. •Concept - both primitive looking and high tech
•Design Inspiration - Traditional basket weaving
- using natural plant fibers from the local habitat
a I to mold a cocoon shape
•These towering vertical bamboo houses caught our eye with their
impressive mix of natural and renewable materials with high tech
engineering and design
•Bamboo Housing is an exploration
into a new housing typology that
breaks out of the box of
traditional square homes
Introduction

28. • Bamboo poles are connected together with high tech metal
"X" joints to create the exoskeleton of the home.
• Bamboo poles and metal joints form the frame of the five
story home with living quarters accessed by a central spiral
staircase
• Round platforms serve as the floors, which are accessed by a
circular staircase that wraps around a central support
member.

29. • Finally the whole structure is wrapped in canvas to seal the inside in.
Structural elements
Bamboo as Skeleton
Metallic ceiling
Secondary Structural elements
Central Staircase
wooden slats
Glass pannels
wrapped in canvas

30. • Wooden slats and glass panels curve up the exterior in a double helix
to let in light and encourage ventilation.

31. • The ground floor serves as the entrance and contains a bathroom
and small kitchen
• The next three floors (R+1,R+2, R+3) are used as bedrooms
• The top floor helps distribute heat up and out and serves as extra
living space.

32. Details of Bamboo installed with metallic joints

34. BLOSSOM GATE

35. • Penda founders Dayong Sun and Chris Precht won a design
competition in 2013 with their Blossom Gate proposal, which is
designed as the gateway to the largest myrtle flower garden in
the city of Xiangyiang, Hubei Province.

36. • Overlapping lengths of bamboo would create the
outlines of the two large petal shapes, concealing a
zigzagging internal framework.

37. • Blossom Gate by Penda
• Staircases at the base of the structure would
double up as seating areas
• Allowing the gate to be used for talks,
performances
• Penda also
suggested
hosting a
Sunday market
underneath.

38. One With
the Birds

39. One With the Birds was developed by Penda
– a design collective based in Vienna and Beijing
– for the AIM Legend of the Tent competition in China, which challenged
architects to develop low-impact tent-themed hotels
offering a closer connection with
the outdoors

40. • Came up with a concept for a flexible bamboo structure that can be
easily expanded horizontally and vertically.
• Inspiration from Native American tipis for the structure, which would
be built with X-shaped bamboo joints that hold horizontal bamboo
rods in place.
• The horizontal rods support the flooring, and the joints could be
multiplied horizontally and vertically to increase the width and height
of the structure.

41. • "The span of each structural grid is 4.7 metres, so quite narrow, and
eight sticks of structural beams are combined at each joint, so the
system will be able to hold a lot of weight," Precht said.
• "The great thing about a flexible grid is that you can add structural
beams when necessary, so if there is going to be more load on one
part of the structure, more bamboo can be added.“
• Joints would be tied together with rope, rather than fixed with nails,
keeping the bamboo
intact so it could be
disassembled and reused
in other projects.

42. • Penda chose bamboo for its availability and flexibility in China.
• "The focus was to create a connection which leaves no impact on the
site, nor any harm on the bamboo itself, so after the temporary hotel
is deconstructed, the materials can be re-used as scaffolding on a
construction site or reused as another temporary hotel on a different
location," said Precht.

43. Plans

44. • "The system can be used wherever there is a need for a temporary,
flexible structure," he said. "As designers, we like to give people a
framework which they can use however they want. We don't need to
tell them what to do, because they know best. That's the beauty of a
flexible grid."