Bamboo Carpentry Projects Part 2

Levi is a stage designer from the UK, currently living in Amsterdam. He joined Bamboo U to learn the form capabilities and structural potential of bamboo. He joined us for the online course in January and then came to Bali to experience bamboo building in person on campus.

During the second part of the course Levi wanted to build a piece of furniture that incorporated multimedia bamboo construction techniques. The inspiration for the design was precisely this; wanting to experiment with the very many different forms of bamboo; exposing the silica of the bamboo and utilizing the bones and chambers of the cross-section of a bamboo pole.

Levi began by creating a bamboo model of the sun lounger, this played a big part in bringing this bamboo project to life. After doing some tests in 2D on a 1:10 scale, drafting out the curve in 2D and making some adjustments to test the anthropometrics of the seat, he then began the 2D lamination process for two main ribs, layering 7 bamboo splits and laminating them with a curved form to create the shape of the structure.

He then built a reinforcement structure with some cross bracing. Bamboo pins were used to fix each of the bamboo splits to the form of the body and once that was in place some final smoothing and curving was done to ensure a nice and elegant shape.

Levi says: "It was a mindblowing course and incredible to see the versatility of bamboo and that a big input, I wanted to use the bamboo bones, the chambers. Lamination techniques, splits, bamboo pins, kind of an amalgamation of everything we learnt in the week and had been exposed to."

Denny is a retired computer programmer from the UK, currently living in India. He joined Bamboo U to learn about bamboo processing and overall design techniques for structural integrity and longevity. He is also interested in the growth of the bamboo industry to cater to the mass market and technologies that can assist in making this happen.

He joined the Carpentry and Design Station with the idea of making an umbrella. Denny says:

I wanted to make something small and useful. Something practical that I could actually make myself, even at home. Totally from bamboo which would have satisfied my attempts at trying to live a sustainable life. Initially, I got the idea for an umbrella stick from seeing the bamboo cross-sections lying around which by taking out some sections naturally formed a stick with a handle. Then I envisioned bamboo rods emanating from the top which could be covered by some kind of thatch or maybe something like the straw rice field hats. It is while thinking about how I could dismantle the shade on demand that I thought about capturing it with two discs pressed together which can then be separated to remove the shade when not in use. This then led to a more minimalist version of the stem with rods, inspired by the lidi bundles that were all around me.

Realizing the vision which seemed straightforward enough proved to be too ambitious to complete in just 5 days. With the help of a Bamboo U carpenter Denny quickly saw his umbrella idea come to life, with just a bamboo carving knife.

Denny shared: “Overall I was happy with what I achieved, as it allowed me to understand the properties of bamboo as a wood, which is something I am very interested in.”

Santa is studying Architecture and Engineering at Aalborg University in Denmark, like Levi she also first joined the Bamboo U online course and then decided to join us on campus in Bali to learn about hands on bamboo construction and carpentry.

At the Design and Carpentry Station what started as a kids' bookshelf idea, eventually transformed into a coffee table and book stand. The main idea came from Scandinavian simplicity and a keen interest in the building techniques and possibilities of using bamboo for building furniture. Neat lines and angles, bent and laminated bamboo splits and weavings were the main design drives and explorations for this project.

Santa shares: “The simple but challenging design allowed me to work with multiple tools and techniques. The most exciting was to experience how much bamboo as a material feeds back to design, dimensions and possibilities, and limitations. After a few days of using a heat gun, bending bamboo, laminating, using bamboo dust, sanding, sewing, weaving, and fixing with a nail gun, with the great help of bamboo craftsmen and Bamboo U facilitators, I gained insights into bamboo as a material and made this idea to come to life.”

She adds: “The design process with Dennis Pluemer founder of Santai Furniture combined with the collaboration of skilled local bamboo carpenters was just a perfect addition to the intense, rich and information-packed bamboo world we had a chance to look into during 11-Day Build & Design Immersion with Bamboo U”