Bamboo

Reframing Retail as Cultural Infrastructure: Unity Mall is conceived as an architectural response to a national question:Can retail infrastructure become an instrument of cultural integration, ecological sensitivity, and economic empowerment? Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, is the primary gateway to the state. The site, located within the emerging New Shillong Township, is part of a rapidly developing administrative and institutional zone. Transcending conventional definitions, Unity Mall is conceived not as a sealed container of commerce, but a civic landscape where craft, culture, tourism, training, and community converge. It is an infrastructural framework designed to strengthen the cultural and economic fabric of the Northeas... More

Located in the underdeveloped region of Lombok, Indonesia, this project represents the first phase of a broader master plan to revitalize an existing school campus. Responding to the region’s tropical climate and cultural heritage, the design integrates passive cooling strategies, locally sourced materials, and vernacular architectural principles to create a sustainable and contextually rooted living environment for students. UNFOLD PLANE UNFOLD PLANE The building orientation follows an east-west axis, minimizing direct solar exposure and reducing heat gain. The large, encompassing roof, constructed from bamboo and locally sourced straw thatching, serves as both shelter and facade, enhancing shading while allowing for natur... More

The design of the Fair Trade Zone understands circular economy as a spatial metabolism between architecture and landscape. Led by a women’s cooperative, the Fair Trade Zone in Akuse, Ghana, is based on an alternative model for integrated sustainable manufacturing, agriculture, and eco-tourism in Ghana. While the raw materials processed in the built interior grow outdoors in productive gardens, the buildings harvest rainwater and nourish the plants with ecologically purified production wastewater through the courtyard’s drainage channels and gravity-fed furrow irrigation. The result is a striated landscape composed of different biomes suitable for the diverging ecological requirements of a dye garden, a paper garden, a textile ga... More

Set within a green residential environment, this public building designed by RAU architects demonstrates how material performance and architectural expression can reinforce one another. The building’s monolithic appearance is defined by Yoroi; a deeply charred bamboo façade developed for projects where aesthetics, durability and certified fire safety are equally essential. Powerful architectural identityThe façade creates a calm yet powerful architectural identity. Its dark, tactile surface allows the volume to merge naturally into the surrounding landscape, while the refined markings of the charred bamboo introduce depth, texture and subtle variation. Under changing daylight conditions, the carbonised surface develops... More

Hway Ka Loke School, located in Mae Sot, Thailand, recently completed new classrooms for Burmese migrants and refugees on the Thai border. These classrooms were built using natural building techniques and locally sourced materials, including earthen bricks, as part of a project focusing on sustainable and culturally relevant design. Jonathan Wiedemann Jonathan Wiedemann Jonathan Wiedemann The project also included workshops to involve the community in the construction process, promoting both skills development and awareness of the complex political situation faced by Burmese migrants fleeing civil war. This initiative, supported by the Stiftung Deutscher Architekten and in collaboration with the school community, stands as a... More

Situated inside the old district of Shanghai, Da Niao YAKITORI is a restaurant branch that resides along Fenyang Road. The design seeks to capture the characteristics of the historical settlements, integrated with the ‘home’ concept campaigned by the restaurant, offering the urban residents a contemporary and bustling place for dinner and late supper. Located at the intersection of Fuxing Middle Road and Fenyang Road in Shanghai, the site is nested under the shade of French Platanus trees amidst a street with pleasant dimensions and slowly forwarded cars. The building surroundings trace back to different ages and constitute a contrasting urban scenario to the road. The site consists of irregular shapes and rough outlines reflect... More

Situated in the Cloud-living Mountain of Jiangxi Province, China, the origin of Zen culture, this project features a Zen-themed hotel comprised of four buildings. These include a reception center that houses a restaurant, gallery, and other communal areas; a tea house on the east side for tea tasting and meditation; and two guest room volumes located to the north, nestled against the foothill on different elevation platforms.  Atelier LI Atelier LI Atelier LI The buildings are spread throughout the mountainous landscape, some appearing to float above the ground, emphasizing a sense of lightness. Horizontal forms come from the original dorm of monks with the extreme simplicity. Local bamboo is utilized as a grille on the... More

The playground originally consisted of a big concrete floor with no shading and no games. The design weaves itself around the two existing trees on the site into an infinity-shaped structure. Within the structure, we articulated a series of games, which, combined, creates an infinitely long obstacle course. The games go in the following order: bamboo jungle; fishing net; monkey bars; swings; Myanmar-style hopscotch and repeat itself. The entire structure is made from bamboo, three different species were used, Dendrocalamus giganteus for the frames, bundles of Oxytenanthera albocialiata Munro for the curved elements, and Thyrsostachys siamensis for the bracing and roof beams. Nyan Zay Htet Nyan Zay Htet Nyan Zay Htet Within b... More

The school asked us to design and build a bamboo canopy which would bring shading to the bleachers along the sports field and create a space in the back which would welcome events in the evening, proper lighting was therefore considered. The design was based on several key factors from the site. Nyan Zay Htet Nyan Zay Htet Nyan Zay Htet The overall grid of the structure was fit perfectly in place to allow for unobstructed circulation, alignment with existing walkways in the garden, the shape of the green spaces, and accessibility. The dimensioning of the overhang was shaped to maximize coverage over the bleachers throughout the year. Because the space allocated to the structure was linear, this became an opportunity to play... More

This structure is multifunctional, it serves both as a shading device for the elementary school playground and creates a cultural event space. The parameters which guided the design came from both the site and the client. The school wanted the structure to create as much shade without stepping into the actual courtyard. All footings had to be placed outside onto the grass. Nyan Zay Htet Nyan Zay Htet The structure was designed to maximize shading, we used ladybug on grasshopper to calculate the percentage of direct light exposure to guarantee performance. The outline of the courtyard has a singular curvature which we used to determine the overall layout, and which inspired the curvy movements of the structure. Nyan Zay Htet... More

AYURU is inspired by the principle of arriving and landing in a territory of ecological relationships in a light and gentle way. AYURU is a species of bird. Inspired by the fluid movement of these animals, the forest temple is based on the principle of arriving and landing in a territory of ecological relationships in a light and gentle way. With a height of 8m and an external diameter of 16m, the Ayuru space offers a flexible area for different uses in events and practices. Externally, on the East and West sides we have two squares, thus extending the possible program of uses, as well as parking spaces, bathrooms, storage and support kitchen, accessed by stone paths that articulate access to the entire complex. The space blends into the l... More

The innovative Monteparis Residence Home for the Elderly, in Madrid's Salvador neighborhood, is a home project conceived with the warmth of bamboo supplied by our company. Its U-shaped floor plan design embraces the exterior and ennobles the interior environment with an arrangement for a distinctive bamboo slatted ceiling that accesses all spaces. Luzestudio Luzestudio With a floor area of almost 1000m2, the common and service areas are highlighted with this bamboo louvred ceiling system generated by solid boards. The slats follow the curve of the building thanks to an innovative bending method that combines temperature and water vapor.  Luzestudio At the same time, we supply part of the interior carpentry with our doo... More

Arquitectura Mixta has designed a group of structures for the Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets hotel, drawing on the distinctive natural setting of its site. Positioned at the southern end of Isla Mujeres, near Garrafón Natural Reef Park, the Bamboo Temple Hotel takes advantage of its location to offer views of the Caribbean Sea, where both sunrise and sunset can be seen. Biomimetic design and innovation Occupying 593 square meters, the Bamboo Temple Hotel is composed of four bamboo structures that reflect the colors and biodiversity of the Mexican Caribbean. Though differing in form and size, the buildings share a consistent architectural language, shaped by their flowing rooflines, translucent qualities, woven surfaces, and the... More