Bamboo Pavilion
Bamboo Reimagined: Crafting a 50 m² Pavilion That Can Travel Anywhere
Project Type
Conceptual Module Design
Designers
Desume Studio
The Brief in a Nutshell
The objective of the studio was to design a pavilion of 50 sq m to understand how different materials interact with each other. Bamboo being the primary material, design a pavilion of 50 sq m. Those two lines shaped our entire process. We set out to create a universal kit of parts that would: maximize accessibility, making it easy to build with basic tools and community labor; use bamboo as the structural and spatial generator, so bamboo does all the heavy lifting; celebrate flexibility with modules that rotate, slide, or detach, letting the pavilion breathe and adapt; leverage active and passive cooling through orientation, shading screens, and air-flushing panels that keep the micro-climate comfortable without mechanical aid.
Concept: A Living, Breathing Module
The Bamboo Pavilion is a module design that reflects user-interactive spaces which adapt and transform as per the requirement of use. The basic intent was to formulate a module which has a small footprint and provides a good, widespread cover. Think of the pavilion as a hinged shell. Each panel pivots around a bamboo king-pin, turning inside out to blur the boundary between interior and exterior. When opened, the doors create porosity, inviting breeze, framing views, and instantly expanding usable space. When closed, they cocoon users in dappled shade. The bamboo-cut panels craft a dramatic play of light and shadow through the day, almost like a living sundial.
Why Bamboo?
Strength-to-weight champion with tensile strength comparable to steel yet light enough for two people to maneuver; rapid renewability, as mature culms can be harvested in three to five years, keeping embodied energy low; local sourcing that minimizes transportation emissions and supports regional economies; ease of joinery using traditional lashings, dowels, and fish-mouth notches, perfect for quick, reversible assembly.
Construction Logic
Pre-fab panels: Each 1.2 m × 2.4 m panel is a sandwich of primary bamboo culms, secondary split members, and diagonal bracing. Panels nest within standard truck beds for easy shipping. Pivot and lock: Stainless-steel pins at the base and top allow panels to swing a full 180 degrees. A bamboo dowel drops into a socket to lock the panel at any angle, eliminating specialized hardware. Plug-and-play footings: Screw anchors or small concrete foot blocks receive vertical posts. Once the posts are true, wall panels slot in, and the roof lattice caps the frame in under a day.
Comfort by Design
Passive ventilation pulls warm air through clerestory gaps while low-level openings usher in cooler air. Dynamic shading allows users to rotate individual panels to block harsh sun or invite winter warmth. Thermal-mass add-ons such as clay pots placed in wall pockets provide evaporative cooling when watered.
A Pavilion for Many Places
Because the system is module-driven, it can shrink for a vendor kiosk or expand into an outdoor classroom. Community workshops can customize infill panels with woven bamboo, translucent polycarbonate, or clay-plastered lattice, responding to climate, culture, and budget. The benefit of using bamboo material is that it can be dismantled and reassembled in various places with different context and different active spaces.
Takeaways
Scalable sustainability shows that true green design is not only about materials but also about how easily a structure can be reused and adapted. Hands-on craft reasserts the value of local artisan knowledge. Lightness of being proves that a minimal physical and carbon footprint can provide more flexibility, comfort, and connection to nature. In a world of fast-paced construction, this bamboo pavilion invites us to slow down, harness local wisdom, and build architecture that can evolve as gracefully as bamboo itself.
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