THE FABRICATED BAMBOO FOREST

I N H A B I T A B L E W A L L S E G M E N T

Fall 2022

INSTRUCTOR: TOMMY YANG

COORDINATOR: LAURA GARÓFALO

The Bamboo Forest is located in the Indochina Lowland Forests, with a Sub-Tropical Wet Forest biome. As a studio, each student was assigned a wall segment which will be connected together as a connected space.

For my part in the project, I created a wall segment that reacts to the hot climate of the environment as well as create a symbol for the interconnected natural biome. The intricate weaving between the bamboo sticks is meant to create shading to the heated climate in the biome while allowing space for wind to travel through for its inhabitants. The arrangement of bamboo sticks and strings also creates an almost maze-like space for people to interact with where visitors, human and animals alike, may climb upon the strings and utilize it as a resting zone similar to a hammock.

The curve of the wall creates enclosed spaces within the wall to provide more private spaces for its users. In contrast, the height of the bamboo sticks vary with the intention to provide more shading to sunnier areas where the taller columns will provide more shading and longer strings. By doing so, the bamboo arrangements also create a randomness that is fitting for the natural environment.

I decided to use bamboo as the main material in this project since it was indigenous the site and more sustainable. As a study to see how the indigenous people in the area may be able to build it, the process of crafting the physical model involved little glue as to be replicable.The physical model involved weaving and tying strings together to hold the guiding curve together. This project is a representation of how the natural environment is to time random but its parts are dependent on each other.

Experiential Drawing

Physical Model