A pavilion of woven bamboo and steel by Zuo Studio arches over a body of water to create a shady place to sit in Huludun Park in Taiwan.
Zuo Studio designed Bamboo Pavilion for the Taichung Real Estate Development Association as part of the 2018 World Flora Exposition.
Its ridged form is designed to recall the Central Mountain Range that runs across Taiwan island.
Stout bamboo supports at the base give views of the water through the gaps, with patterns of shade are created by the woven elements at the side.
The main structure of the Bamboo Pavilion is made from light steel and moso bamboo, with slimmer pieces of makino bamboo used for the weaving. In total 320 bamboo plants – grown over the course of three years – were used to build the Bamboo Pavilion, which is 10 metres high and 30 metres long.
"Standing as a symbol of Taiwanese culture, all of the project is conceived in a green, low carbon, traditional and innovative perspective, using local materials and craft," said Zuo Studio.
Local craftsmen designed elements such as the railings, bamboo furniture and light fixtures.
Bamboo, a sustainable and renewable material, was traditionally used for housebuilding in Taiwan, but has fallen out of favour with the introduction of modern building materials. Zuo Studio designed the pavilion to demonstrate the plant's potential as return to lower carbon construction.
"We believe in the versatility and capabilities that bamboo can offer to create a space that changes people's perception of what a bamboo construction can be and expand their vision," said the studio.
In line with these sustainable principles, bamboo offcuts were used as formwork for the concrete base of the pavilion. After the expo, Zuo Studio will dismantle the pavilion and restore the site in the park to its former state.
"Bamboo Pavilion is a metaphor for architecture's footprint, like a seed that has been spread and now grows, symbolizing our dream and hope of future, offering a more habitable environment to our next generation," said the studio.
As it is so strong, fast-growing and resistant to mould, many architects working in tropical environments are looking at ways of using bamboo in modern buildings.
RAW Architecture has used bamboo to build a school on stilts in Indonesia, and Co-Lab has built a pavilion for yoga in Tulum out of the material. Both projects have been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2019.
Photography is by Shih-hong Yang.