Design Considerations

Design Intent

Our Design Intent is so crucial to what we have achieved with this Project. There is already an impressive range of complex and artisan structures that utilise Bamboo, however we wanted to showcase how accessible this building material can be, and encourage the widespread use in communities where it is readily available.

We demonstrate how Bamboo can be used relatively simply yet still create an impressive building that is :

Accessible
Affordable
Easy construction
Unique & visually striking

Chenang Restaurant Brief

For our project and Case Study, the site is located close to the beach in a commercial area of Langkawi, an Island in Northern Malaysia. The required structure is a Restaurant, which will sit as part of a Guesthouse complex nestled amongst indigenous trees.

Below is a breakdown of the brief and the creative freedom we were granted by the client. This is important to contextualise the site conditions and design intent, which dictated our design decisions and process.

Bamboo's Kryptonite

It's important to acknowledge that Bamboo has some significant material-property drawbacks, so that we are able to mitigate the effects of these with good design.

5 key design constraints:

Moisture
UV light
Insects- termites & beetles
Fire
Irregularity

(See next section for how we crucially design to prevent failures)

Bamboo Design Features

Bamboo has a misunderstood reputation when it comes to long-term durability. In reality Bamboo structures could last over 100 years if they are designed well and maintained.

It is critical that we consider the 5 Key Kryptonite's during our Design Phase to mitigate the risk of them causing degradation.

This is the most crucial information if you want to achieve long-term durability for any Bamboo Structure.

Press the Videos below to learn how we have accounted for each of these within our Case Study Project.

Moisture absorption: 'Boots & Hat'

Fire Mitigation

UV Protection

Material Irregularity: Adding Redundancy

Insect Degradation: Culm Treatment

Bamboo Design Process

Physical Model Making

Physical Model Making is at the core of Bamboo Structural Design.

Bamboo is one of the only materials where the exposed Structural Engineering is the Architecture, allowing the Engineers to take a leading creative role in the design process. Being physically hands on with the structure allows us to understand its 3D movement and how elements align and connect. In addition to helping visualise the space and communicate this to the client.

Of course for an Engineered building, this is interwoven with Calculations, Computational Analysis and virtual Architectural Modelling.

Please ensure you consult a technical specialist if you are attempting your own Bamboo Construction.

Keen Engineers and Designers should keep a look out for our upcoming book which will outline the technical process in further detail.

Complete Design

It's important our design allows for flexibility on site, due to the natural irregularity of culms and the non-standardisation of elements. Throughout the construction phase we anticipate the addition of load bearing members and tie beams where required, to increase the overall structural stability. The construction process is outlined in the next sections.

Given all the essential design considerations (as outlined above) this is the Final Design for our Chenang Restaurant Case Study!

We have our open plan bamboo restaurant.

This is double-storey with a suspended floor decking and bespoke bamboo staircase.

The main structure is comprised of 5 key portal frames, whose dimension vary in both length and height. These differential drops enable us to add the curvature to the roof and overall form.

Each frame has external and internal diagonal supports, that span from ground to roof level. Skirting roofs further highlight the curved form and provide the required overhang for durability. The kitchen is to be enclosed with a hip roof, where the cladding will architecturally display the versatility of Bamboo.

Overall fulfilling the design intent of a simple yet striking structure.

Overview

Frames

Each frame is unique in dimensions, however all 5 have a floor beam at 3m height and a tie beam at 6m. We have established that complete consistency with bamboo is difficult due to its natural bending, yet we still want to maintain a cohesive form. We did this by having the same angle of inclination for our support columns, approximately 700mm extension from the vertical column at first floor.

Kitchen

The kitchen is structurally independent from the main restaurant space and is visually enclosed to allow for staff privacy. There will be a separate hot kitchen, pantry and bakery. The bakery will have a dropped ceiling and will be thermally enclosed to allow an airconditioning unit to thermally regulate the space to the required baking temeraptures.

Anchorage

Anchorage is one of the most critical aspects of any Bamboo construction, due to the lightweight nature of the material. This is even more pertinent for this building, with 2 storeys and a large roof canopy, which is going to capture a high wind load and create uplift.