Building A Workshop With Bamboo

My goal was to create an efficient working space (size-wise) while considering some limitations on the availability of bamboo materials. It was upon considering the recommendation of our group facilitator, Cécile Durand, that I decided to go with one of my models that had curvilinear elements in the design. Initially, I was a little hesitant because of the difficulty those elements entailed. Having access to the Bamboo U platform that provided the technical information I needed, and hearing from a lot of lecturers on the subject gave me more confidence in incorporating the methods that are considered uncommon in bamboo construction in the Philippines. Learning about several techniques that allow the bamboo to bend, like the Rup-Rup Technique and the use of Bamboo Lidis, encouraged me to keep to the curves and develop it further, with me finally being able to put my ideas on paper into action. With the build process in mind, the model went through several revisions and calculations, while making sure that I had the right bamboo materials that I could be confident to work with.

The resulting final model follows the basic post-beam standards in bamboo construction, which was important in maximizing the span of the floor area. The roof follows the recommended 45-degree incline, which allows us to achieve a nice high-ceiling and a wide canopy at the perimeter. The interior details are still being developed, yet I believe I am on the right track. Despite this, I’m most optimistic overall on being able to highlight the structure through lighting design. For the process, I got invested in ensuring that I use locally-sourced materials as a way to emphasize sustainability. For this, we harvested Bambusa blumeana, also known as Kawayang tinik in the Philippines, and cogon grass - a traditional roofing material similar to the Alang-alang in Bali.

Based on a module I participated in, that was dedicated to learning about different bamboo treatment techniques- which were also discussed by Jörg Stamm and Arief Rabik during the Online Immersion’s live sessions -I decided to try both the non-traditional cold immersion & hot immersion techniques. On an unrelated note, I’ve also been trying to grow Dendrocalamus asper, also known as Bambu petung in Indonesia, which hopefully will be harvested in 5 years’ time.

I hope that, fingers crossed, we have been doing it correctly!