Following the construction of several built projects in South East Asia using natural materials and seeing the growing interest and response in sustainable design and natural materials such as bamboo. Building Trust organised a Design + Build workshop to be held at Kuang Si Falls on the outskirts of Luang Prabang with Free the Bears. Working alongside Atelier COLE, a new merchandise store was designed and built which educates both workshop participants and the high volume of annual tourist visitors to the Tat Kuang Si Park on building with bamboo.

Free the Bears work tirelessly to combat the illegal trade in live bears and provide a safe sanctuary for any rescued bears at Tat Kuang Si Rescue Centre. Most of the bears at the centre are Asiatic Black Bears (Moon Bears) that were illegally captured from the wild as young cubs. It is likely that they were destined for use in the traditional medicine trade. The merchandise store will enable Free the Bears to sell items such as T-shirts, in order to receive much needed donations to allow them to continue their ongoing efforts to protect bears in Laos and beyond.

The fluted fountain like canopies protect the deck area by catching rain water and passing it through the gravel filled, hollow, circular foundation footings. As with all Building Trust projects the Bamboo Trees project worked closely with the local community who in this case were Khmu. They assisted in sharing local skills such as bamboo, rattan weaving and palm thatching which were later used to develop the roof of the structure.

“This was not about wrapping a steel structure in bamboo or squeezing pieces of bamboo together to use like timber. We wanted to explore the tensile properties of the material to bend it and use it in a way that compliments its structural characteristics. We did not stray far from how the plant grows and how it has been used for centuries in basketry and weaving by the local people who were instrumental in the design and construction.” David Cole, Principal, Atelier COLE

The bamboo is complimented by rope (around 10 kilometres) that spirals around the structure, weaving each piece together and creating strength from the whole. The resulting tensegrity structures lean against each other in a tripartite vault.

“... in a way you could say this is one of the only examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in Laos. It is certainly the only building which uses the very common building material of bamboo in this way.” David Cole, Principal, Atelier COLE

Nearly all homes in rural Laos use bamboo in some form in their construction be it as flooring, structure, walls, roofing or all of the above. Bamboo Trees celebrates this versatile material and shows that traditional can be modern.

Atelier COLE and Building Trust are working alongside conservation groups in South East Asia, Africa and South America to not only deliver alternative more sustainable buildings but also to use the building process as a tool to introduce new techniques and revitalise traditional skills.