Kitchen Interior

Posted on | August 2, 2009 | No Comments

Here is the interior of the kitchen.  Its 8 meters high, 10 meters wide and 15 meters long. Who says you can not make large structure out of bamboo? You can do anything that cement and concrete can and that too in an ecological, economical and a beautiful way.

Finished Kitchen

Posted on | August 2, 2009 | 3 Comments

After long and arduous battle our kitchen is finished. The tiles looks awesome. They are made on site! They have no embodied energy what so ever- meaning they are not burnt.

During this construction, we have followed a very conventional philosophy i.e. a sound hat and a sound boot is all what you need for protection. Bamboo is delicate, its vulnerable but if used properly can be hardy and durable. 

Bamboo Kitchen

Posted on | May 22, 2009 | 2 Comments

Bamboo Truss

Posted on | April 21, 2009 | No Comments

Here is another demonstration of ours- a bamboo truss. The building is combination of compressed earth block that are reinforced with bamboo. Bamboo are connected using cement and metal rebars. The roof is insulated from inside with flattened bamboo. And if you notice a bond beam, its round bamboo culms which are plastered with earth, vegetable fiber and stablized with cement.

Adobe Dome

Posted on | April 20, 2009 | 4 Comments

Here is our completed version of adobe dome that is integrated into a wall system. The dome will be covered with bamboo roof as a protection again heavy tropical rain. The adobe structure is reinforced with bamboo to make it earthquake resitant. This structure is a reception of community structure, which is also being built.

Adobe Dome

Posted on | March 12, 2009 | 1 Comment

Here is another of our latest creation. It is a dome that is embedded into a building which helps in making it structurally stable, apart from creating a warm ambience. Its all made of adobe, which is reinforced with bamboo. It is an office space that we are building.

Prefabricated Bamboo Housing

Posted on | February 23, 2009 | No Comments

Here is an overview of the housing sector of Nepal prepared by Ujjwal Pokhrel (SNV Nepal), and the potential fabricated bamboo can do to aid the current housing problems of the country.

Rammed Earth

Posted on | January 25, 2009 | No Comments

Here is another technology used in Harsar. It is rammed earth reinforced with Bamboo.

Bamboo Kitchen

Posted on | January 2, 2009 | 1 Comment

Happy New Year to everyone.

May this be the year of bamboo and mud. Our cantina is in its final stage. The trusses are complete. The structure is about 120 sq. meters in area. It uses locally harvested, locally treated bamboo which are constructed using local labor. Its a nice execution of our motto “think global, act local” It is built in a remote village called Harsar in the southern plains of Nepal. According to our calculation, the structure costs more than half compared to concrete and steel. Moreover, the structure has become pride of this impoverished but ambitious little village.

Chuli Building

Posted on | December 23, 2008 | 2 Comments

The more we work with bamboo, more confident we become on the strength and beauty of this  vegetal steel. It  makes one wonder, why isn’t this material used more in the modern construction, as there is nothing it cant do that steel would. Yet, its cheaper, available, beautiful and yet many times more ecological. Here is one of our offices that is under construction. The cost of construction is about $200 per truss, the span is five meters and total area is about 40 sq. meter. Its a combination of earth (compressed earth blocks) and bamboo. The amount of cement used is is less than 10 percent.

Bamboo Truss

Posted on | November 28, 2008 | No Comments

Bamboo Truss

Posted on | November 28, 2008 | 2 Comments

Here is the latest of our creation from Janakpur. Its part of a bigger structure which will be complete in only a few more weeks.  This is our first truss that is so huge. It uses combination of cement and steel for connection.

Bamboo Gate

Posted on | October 29, 2008 | No Comments

Gate in many cultures symbolize invitation. Gates were (are) built on seas, mountains, rivers and streets to welcome the gods. In festivals seasons, Nepalis still build large structured gates, which almost look like bridges. Here is an example of a large bamboo temporary gate, built for the harvest season. Notwithstanding the cultural value, its an engineering feat in itself: connected with simple ropes and built without any foundation, they withstand heavy loads and fierce winds.  Moreover, these massive structures are built with no more than four people.

democratic pavilion

Posted on | October 29, 2008 | No Comments

It is sometimes strange how design can reinforce or dismantle hierarchy. We weaved a traditional khatiya in our recently built pavilion, and this has been a center of attraction in the whole village. People sit on it irrespective of their caste, class or gender distinction. In a village like harsar, which is still mired in traditional caste system, for everyone to sit on one bench is indeed an achievment. Had we put a normal “modern” chair the reaction would have been totally different; as chairs, interestingly enough, connotate hierarchy.

Posted on | October 26, 2008 | 1 Comment

The spring is here, and so is our work. Here is our studio in Janakpur. We will churning our more trusses this spring and winter. People interested in learning about (or with) please write to us.

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