Triangulating Bamboo

‘Wonder grass – Bamboo’ has an inherent potential for exploration and experimentation, making it a versatile material for various structural and non-structural applications. This studio was an attempt to explore bamboo as a primary material and to help students to take appropriate design decisions resulting in structural efficiency, economy, and ease of construction. As a first step towards achieving this goal, the key was to minimize bending in the overall system. It has been observed that the concept of ‘triangulation’ can play a vital role to attain the system devoid of bending. This studio opened a possibility for students to be part of complete process from conceptualizing to preparing working details using fundamentals of triangulation that suit the characteristics of bamboo as a structural material. Studio consisted of two stages with various exercises to aid students in conceptualizing and designing efficient system to reduce bending in a structure with the help of triangulation. In final stage, students designed a small shelter using bamboo as a primary structural material and developed appropriate joinery and construction details for the same.