Bamboo building with ancient techniques wins American prizes

A bamboo building inside Muong Museum, 80 kilometres west of Hanoi, has just been awarded a silver prize in the Cultural Architecture category by the organisers of the American Architecture Prize 2016.

The structure was also given a prize in the Social Design category at the American Bamboo Society Arts and Crafts Competition in mid-September.

Titled ‘Bamboo – Light of Empty Heart’, the building was designed in 2014 by architect Hoang Minh and the Hanoi-based Akasha (Akasa) Company.

It covers a total area of 350 sq.m and serves as an art exhibition hall at the Muong Museum, a private museum featuring the ethnic minority Muong group, run by painter Vu Duc Hieu in Hoa Binh province.

‘The main idea is to highlight the hidden values of bamboo and easy ways for everyone to build by hand, and save on costs,’ Minh said about the concept behind the building.

‘The construction is designed to enhance the quality of natural light, and uses a vertical bamboo ladder form, a very popular home tool, throughout the composition,’ he said.

The bamboo structure costs VND50 million. It was built in four months and completed in 2014. 

The American Architecture Prize jury has selected best designs in over 40 categories across the disciplines of architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture with the goal of advancing the appreciation of architecture worldwide.

VOV/ Photo (Zing)