Completed in 2016 in Pallekelle, Sri Lanka, this was a small scale design-build project used as an opportunity to explore the architectural potentials of heat-bent bamboo. It was designed and built within just a few weeks, and done so within a bare minimum budget. Based on our initial research, it appears to be one of the first instances (if not the first) wherein heat-bent bamboo was used in an architectural capacity in Sri Lanka.

There are several methods commonly used to bend bamboo that manipulate the material beyond its natural curvature. These include steam bending, strip lamination, bending via the cutting of notches and grooves, and heat bending. For this project, our focus was initially concentrated on steam and heat bending.

While steam bending did seem to be capable of producing more consistent results, it proved to be too costly for the scope of this work, due to the equipment and setup required. As a result, heat bending emerged as the most viable avenue of exploration. The problem, was the scarcity of literature on this subject, particularly in the area of heat-bent bamboo as applied to architecture.

For this project, freshly cut yellow bamboo, approximately 3” in diameter, was used. Prior to bending, the bamboo was filled with sand to prevent its walls from buckling while bending.

Within the heat-bending process, heat was first applied to the bamboo via a blow torch. The heated area quickly became soft and malleable, allowing for the bamboo to be bent, slowly, using a framework built to the desired shape as a guide. A wet cloth was then used to cool the bamboo, prior to repeating the heat application process. Several iterations of this heating-bending-cooling procedure was pursued, depending on the degree of the desired curve. After the heat-bending process, the bamboo was dried and treated. Since bamboo is more susceptible to insect damage due to its high starch content, it was pressure treated with a preservative solution including Boric acid and Borax. Afterwards a protective wood finish was applied.