Lightweight, durable, and abundant, bamboo is one of the greenest building materials on earth, making bamboo buildings among the most sustainable. The fibrous grass rivals steel when it comes to tensile strength, but perhaps its greatest asset is how fast it grows (some species can grow up to 2.9 feet a day), allowing it to quickly regenerate after harvesting and absorb more carbon than most trees.
Though there’s been a long tradition in Asia of using bamboo to build temporary structures like scaffolding and event spaces, a new generation of architects and designers is exploring the renewable material’s potential to create schools, hotels, homes, restaurants, and other long-lasting buildings that are just as sustainable as they are stunning. Using various techniques, such as sustainably harvesting mature bamboo culms, treating them with borax/boric acid to ward off insects, and innovating on existing gridshell methodologies (a structural system based on tension in a lattice frame), architectural firms are showcasing the vast capacities of what is often considered a basic material.
The resulting buildings are biophilic masterpieces that inspire a feeling of being one with nature. From a cocoon-like treehouse in Bali to an overwater restaurant in the Maldives, these structures are a testament to nature’s bounty. Below, we share nine of the most beautiful bamboo buildings in the world.
