Project Goal: Respond to a growing need for shelter in the regions of the Indian Ocean rim. improve the human condition, spirit & living standard. Increase awareness of the environment, Australian designer Esan Rahmani together with Mukul Damle have designed 'Bamboo Pavillion', a synthesis of sustainable ideas for a communal shelter for disadvantaged populations around the Indian Ocean rim. The design promotes the use of bamboo for building by utilising bamboo for every aspect of the pavilion.
Bamboo is already used in Asia and Pacific regions as a building material due to it's adaptable qualities to make roofing, flooring, water and drainage pipes and be used as structural members.
Bamboo is renewable, inexpensive and with it's light (hollow) physical characteristics it means minimal energy is used to transport it which makes it a highly sustainable resource.
Using smart joinery and efficient use of bamboo, there is no need for the use of other materials to construct the shelter.
The pavilion also integrates multiple uses within every element of construction.
The structural members for example act as a system of interconnected pipes (bamboo) which collect and channel the rain water into a central basin where it is filtered and stored for use.
Significant shelter is designed with quality of life in mind. There is a clear purpose that the shelter should not be a simple roof and walls to protect the inhabitants from the elements, but rather a shelter or structure that inspires and enhances their living conditions.
Solar access is therefore a focus of the communal living area, where it is maximised by a radial funnel shaped opening in the structure. And in sleeping areas operable shades allow light in, provide natural ventilation and let the inhabitants gaze at the stars at night. The roof is tiled using quarter cuts of bamboo similar to traditional terracotta tiles.