Bamboo Forest *
“ A pure bamboo structure has multiple green pods on ”
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Program: Pavilion
Area: 100m²
Completion: October, 2015
Design: VTN Architects (*Niko worked as a partner)
This bamboo pavilion is constructed for the 30th anniversary exhibition “The Asian Everyday: Possibilities in the Shifting World” at TOTO GALLERY MA, one of the most influential galleries for architecture and design, located in Tokyo. VTN Architects chose a species of bamboo local to Vietnam to illustrate the accustomed process of realizing their bamboo structures. The bamboo stalks were treated using traditional methods in Vietnam, then assembled into the pavilion in Japan. Throughout 3 weeks of the construction period, 4 Vietnamese staffs collaborated with 50 international volunteer students in Tokyo, demonstrating how to create bamboo structures without any metal joints, using only bamboo pegs and ropes.
The pavilion is a pure bamboo structure composed of three elements. Grid: intersecting 2 grids define the entire volume. Arch: 11 arches are inserted into the grids to make an open space to stroll through the pavilion. Box: 31 boxes are installed to solidify the whole structure and plant living bamboo. The pavilion embraces greenery of living bamboo planted into the boxes, expressing the designer’s important pursuit of bringing greenery back to the city. During 2 months of the exhibition period, the pavilion, as it was recognized from the street, encouraged not only visitors but also passers-by to consider the great potential of bamboo as building material and envision what it may be like to have greenery incorporated into architecture in the city.
GALLERY
© Photograph by Hiroyuki Oki
