Exploring the material properties of bamboo fiber across different structural systems, forms, and materials, combined with art, computational design, and digital fabrication, to showcase bamboo construction in a new and unprecedented light.
Concept Explanation
The work is based on Alishan's winding forestry railway, with layers upon layers of trees and foliage. Sunlight filters through the swaying gaps onto the tracks, and as people ride the small train through the faint light, they quietly feel the breeze blowing.
In the past, bamboo construction mostly relied on truss structures using rod-shaped materials as building elements. This time, we want to try utilizing the material properties of bamboo fiber to explore different structural systems, forms, and materials. By combining art, computational design, and digital fabrication, we aim to showcase a previously unseen side of bamboo architecture.
Development process
We aim to construct a large-scale bamboo fiber composite structure by designing a thin-shell structure with complex curvature. We explore the bonding of bamboo strips with fiberglass materials to create a bamboo composite material, thereby enhancing material strength, elasticity, and ductility, while strengthening the joint strength between units to achieve a lightweight structure.
A multi-unit joint design is implemented using bamboo composite material for mutual connection. Front-and-back folding and metal components are utilized to ensure the accuracy of joint layout and enhance structural strength. Automated splitting and joint generation are performed based on curved surface meshes. To prevent the joints from becoming weak points in the overall structure, the algorithmic splitting of the model incorporates overlapping layer counts during splitting, allowing the upper and lower layers to overlap when connected, thereby enhancing the overall structural strength.
Manufacturing Process
Size & Material
4m*4m*5m
bamboo composite material (bamboo strips + fiberglass material), metal
Design and Construction: ROSO Robotics Building Laboratory
Structure: Prototype Structure / Chen Kuan-Fan, Wu Pei-Lun / ROSO Robotics Building Laboratory
Lighting: Ode Design, Cheng Yi Lighting
| Sponsored by:Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan
| Organizer: Taiwan Bamboo Association (incorporated association)
| Co-organizers:Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Management Office
| Curated by:Prototype Structural Engineering Consultants, Ltd.
Photo credit: Yuan-Jian Photography / Chu Yi-Wen
