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Prefabricated Bamboo Structure and Textile Canvas Pavilions

Article  in  Journal of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures · September 2016
DOI: 10.20898/j.iass.2016.189.782

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 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SHELL AND SPATIAL STRUCTURES: J. IASS

PREFABRICATED BAMBOO STRUCTURE AND TEXTILE

CANVAS PAVILIONS
MARIO A. SEIXAS¹, JOSÉ LUIZ M. RIPPER² and KHOSROW GHAVAMI³
¹ Bambutec Design and Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro PUC-Rio, Arts & Design Department, Brazil,
mario@bambutec.com.br
² Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro PUC-Rio, Arts & Design Department, Brazil,
ripper@puc-rio.br
³ Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro PUC-Rio, Civil Engineering Department, Brazil,
ghavami@puc-rio.br

Editor’s Note: Manuscript submitted 25 May 2015; revision received 2 May 2016; accepted 12 July. This paper is open
for written discussion, which should be submitted to the IASS Secretariat no later than March 2017.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20898/j.iass.2016.189.782

ABSTRACT

This article presents a new typology to build deployable pavilions based on a mobile self-stabilizing bamboo
structure. The architecture is characterized by lightweight space trusses of treated bamboo poles covered
with a bio-composite made of cotton fabrics, clay, PVA glue and castor oil polymer. The connections of the
deployable structure were developed using textile moorings, that minimized efforts on the assembly of the
structural members. The roof consists of bamboo pantograph gridshells covered by tensioned PVC canvas.
The assembling procedure employs prefabricated structural modules prepared on the floor of the building
site and then lifted manually by a set of projected elevators. The method presents a simplified mounting and
dismantling process of the structure. The proposed bamboo structure presents an easy adaptability without
the need of a specific construction site for its assembly and needs only a mounting area. The mobility of the
pavilion, the manufacturing techniques and the natural materials favored the design of new forms for
construction, with clean use of local spaces. These considerations resulted in an agile execution with
minimum waste, in addition to low energy consumption and low environmental impact for the production of
the structure.

Keywords: bamboo, pavilions, deployable structures, space trusses, sustainable technologies, bio-composites

1. INTRODUCTION accounts for 25 to 40% of energy consumption, 30

Sustainability is one of the keywords of the present
time and refers to the living systems capability of
maintaining biological patterns, energy cycles and
structural organization in the present and in the
future. There is a transition in the building
technologies for a lightweight economy inspired on
living nature, less dependent on fossil materials,
such as coal, iron and oil. Sustainable building
technologies are gradually incorporating the
concept of the objects’ life cycle, considering the
global aspects of the production and manufacturing
processes, use, maintenance, disposal and post-use
of products and buildings [1]. According to the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
the construction sector is one of the most polluting
industrial sectors of the planet, consumes
approximately 50% of global natural resources and
to 50% of solid waste generation and 30 to 40% of
the emission of greenhouse gases [2]. In tropical
and subtropical cities of the globe and specifically
in South America the current industrial construction
materials are not suitable for local climate and
social conditions, generating problems such as the
dissemination of inappropriate techniques, imported
from the industrialized countries, causing high
energy consumption, pollution, waste generation
and health problems. The lack of a systemic
approach on the planning of the cities, the
production of the materials and the prevailing
multinational industrial irresponsibility in the
developing countries created severe distortions in
the territories of the big cities in the Southern
Hemisphere [3]. The industrialized materials, such
as steel and concrete which are called conventional
materials and are not renewable, consume high

Copyright © 20YY by Mario A. Seixas, José Luiz M. Ripper and Khosrow Ghavami.
Published by the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) with permission. 179
 Vol. 57 (2016) No. 3 September n. 189
amount of energy for their production, requiring
centralized processing and in most cases need a
long distance transportation. In this sense, it
becomes clear that pre-industrial materials and
vernacular technologies called non-conventional
can satisfy the fundamental requirements such as
feasibility, high quality, minimization of energy
consumption in their production, conservation of
nonrenewable natural resources, reduction of
pollution and maintaining a healthy environment.
For centuries, raw renewable materials such as soil,
timber, bamboo, palm trees and other vegetal fibers
were used and played an important role in the
development of mankind. With the present time
environmental crisis, such materials are being
rediscovered and being studied systematically, for
new technical applications, in addition to its
traditional uses. Bamboo presents a highly
economical potential, as it reaches its full growth in
only a few months and its maximum mechanical
resistance between 3 and 4 years, besides the fact
that it occurs in abundance in tropical and
subtropical regions of the globe. Research programs
conducted by Latin-American universities had
contributed to the validation of bamboo and raw
earth as modern building elements [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. In
Brazil, systematic studies were carried out at PUC-
Rio on bamboo since 1979, of which an important
part was dedicated to the development of a
methodology in establishing the physical and
mechanical properties of bamboo at macro, meso,
micro and nano levels, considering its application as
reinforcement in concrete and as plane and spatial
structures [9, 10]. Investigations have been carried
out to establish the high resistance of bamboo to
dynamic loading. The energy necessary to produce
1m3 per unit of stress for steel has been compared
with that of bamboo. It was found that for steel it is
necessary to spend 50 times more energy than for
bamboo. The tensile strength of bamboo is
relatively high and can reach 350 MPa. This turns
the use of bamboo very efficient as substitute of
steel for innovative uses, especially when
considering the relation between tensile resistance
and specific weight of bamboo, which is 10 times
greater than that for steel. In 1988, at PUC-Rio the
world’s first bamboo space structure using nodal
joints in steel was developed and tested in the
laboratory as shown in figure 1 [11]. It was
observed that bamboo culms with almost conic
geometry and its longitudinal axial irregularities
created high eccentric load along the bamboo bars
and to the connections. This favored the shearing of
180
the parts, especially during the assembly and
dismantling operations. Continuation of research on
the structural use of bamboo at a later stage has led
to the design and construction of bamboo tensegrity
structures with the development of a special joint as
presented in figure 2 [12]. The main innovation in
this type of joint is that bamboo bars don’t converge
to a single point joints, as in the conventional space
structures joints [13]. This method of connection
has the advantages in simplifying fabrication and
also allows assembling processes to be carried out
on site. The development of the eccentric spin
connections allowed a better transfer of the loads to
each member, minimizing the forces in the
structural members, hence decreasing the
propagation of cracks in bamboo bars (Fig. 2b)
[14].
(a) (b)
st
Figure 1: Bamboo space structure. (a) 1 bamboo space
structure developed at PUC-Rio with steel point joints.
(b) Geodesic dome prototype model employing the
structural tip connection
(a) (b)
Figure 2: Bamboo domes. (a) Bamboo tensegrity
geodesic dome. (b) Bamboo spin joint connection with
straw, soil, PVA glue and castor oil polymer composite
The present paper describes the development and
the construction of a modular self-stabilizing
bamboo structure pavilion using the developed
eccentric connections with textile moorings,
covered with PVC canvas and pantograph panels.
The constructed pavilion is a hybrid structural
system, combining spatial trusses with tensile
gridshells. The developed structure allows a fully
reversible, mobile architecture set into an
 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SHELL AND SPATIAL STRUCTURES: J. IASS

interactive synergetic equilibrium that does not composites which have been investigated in order
depends of heavy foundations for its assembly [15]. to generate a database of physical and mechanical
properties of the Nocmat for engineering use and
2. EXPERIMENTAL MODELS analyses.
The project was developed employing several
experimental scale models for the form-finding of
the bamboo structure (Fig. 3). These models were
constructed prior to the fabrication of a full-scale
model test. The preparation and construction of
prototype started on a 550 m² area of land in a
hillside of the Tijuca Forest at Rio de Janeiro, (a)
Brazil. It was planned that the bamboo structure to
cover an area of 15 x 23 m with an open space
without walls or partitions to be used for practical
classes and workshops. The building is surrounded
with rain forest and this type of construction is very
appropriate in tropical climate. In the development
and design of this project the following factors such
as: lightness, simple method of structural assembly,
adaptability to the surrounding space, mobility with
a minimum environmental impact using non-
conventional materials and technologies (Nocmat)
were considered. The structural design and behavior (b)
of the pavilion was developed through experimental Figure 4: Views of the pavilion structure.
analysis realized in the laboratory. For the structure, (a) Side and front views. (b) Plan view
a modular architectural typology was developed
employing hinged bamboo spatial trusses connected
by textile cables, without using screws or nails
(Figs. 4 and 5).

Figure 5: 3D computer model

(a) (b)

Figure 3: Scale models. (a) Small scale model of the
modular porch. (b) 1:50 Pavilion model
The developed structural system has been the result
of interdisciplinary cooperation between the fields
of industrial design and structural engineering. In
this process, industrial designers have proposed
structural geometry models using crafting
techniques, using small and full models made of
bamboo, cables, textile membranes, bio-composites,
and finally fabricating the experimental prototypes.
Structural engineers have carried out tests on
materials such as bamboo, soil, straw and vegetal
The complex non-linear structural behavior of the
pavilion, its constituent members with its
connection system, have been analyzed
mathematically for the prototype. Initial studies
were carried out using the Finite Element Method
(FEM) program SAP 2000. The numbering of the
structural elements are shown in figures 6 and 7.
The first obtained results presented in figure 8
confirmed the synergetic behavior of the structure
apart from the structural points to be reinforced.
The torsional stresses on the bamboo bars were
insignificant and were not considered in the design
of the connections and the structural system.

181
 Vol. 57 (2016) No. 3 September n. 189
Figure 6: Model in the FEM SAP 2000 program
Figure 7: Anchors’ reaction forces
Figure 8: Diagram of forces in bars. (a) Normal forces.
(b) Shear forces. (c) Bending moments
182
3. FULL-SCALE MODELS
The assembly procedure was first studied with
small scale models. Then full-scale models were
constructed without using heavy building elements,
which can be assembled with satisfactory
performance even in areas without available
electricity and other conventional technologies. The
assembling procedure of the pavilion employed a
tilting system, which allowed to perform the largest
number of steps on the floor, hence reducing the
work off the ground. The structure was lifted in 2
independent modules with the aid of a lift system
employing bamboo bipods with pulleys and ropes
until it reached equilibrium (Fig. 9). Half of the
structural module was cantilevered, anchored and
stabilized before mounting the next module. With
the union of the ridge, the internal truss could be
mounted under the shelter of the roof.
(a) (b)
Figure 9: The assembling procedure of the pavilion.
(a) Assembling test with full-scale prototype using the
lifting device. (b) Lifting device detail
The cover was developed with portable pantograph
gridshell panels tensioned by PVC canvas (Fig. 10)
whose structure used bamboo poles connected by
tied textile plastic ropes (Fig. 11). The modules
were prefabricated, assembled on the ground and
mounted on the structure. The combination of
modules permits the passage of air and natural
lighting. Each module of 4 x 18 m weighed in
average 110 kgf: 60 kgf of bamboo + ropes and 50
kgf of textile canvas.
Figure 10: Bamboo pantograph gridshell tensioned by
textile canvas
 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SHELL AND SPATIAL STRUCTURES: J. IASS
(a)
Figure 11: Pantographic gridshell prototype. (a) Open portable pantograph grid. (b) Closed portable pantograph grid
ready for transportation
An important aspect of the structure was the
development of handmade connections using
moorings in textile polyester and polypropylene
ropes. This made it possible to assemble bamboo
structures in remote areas of the globe. The
development of the connections started from
indigenous construction knowledge in bamboo and
timber in Brazil [16] and in East Asia [17]. The
hinged handcuff connection mooring was
developed based on the clove hitch knot from
ancient handcraft tradition. Then its technique was
applied to construct pantograph gridshell panels and
space trusses (Fig. 12). These structural connections
offered several advantages, since they do not
require perforation of the bamboo culms, preserving
them intact and ensuring a low mechanical damage
during and after the assembly steps, permitting the
articulation of the members, which consists in an
innovative principle for lightweight bamboo space
structures (Fig. 13).
Figure 12: The steps to build the hinged handcuff
connection of bamboo bars based on the clove hitch knot
Rigorous criteria of selection, preparation and
treatment of culms were carried out on the bamboo
(b)
(a) (b)
Figures 13a and 13b: Bamboo hinged handcuff
connection
grove without the use of chemical preservatives.
Bamboo poles over five years old were selected,
dried in the shade and smoke-impregnated in an
oven during a period of approximately 72 hours.
After smoking, the bamboo poles were packed and
transported. In the laboratory, the poles were
arranged vertically in a covered space during the
period of 1 year to permit their complete drying.
The construction of the structure employed 2 tons
of bamboo poles with lengths from 2 to 8 m.
Bamboo species Phyllostachys aurea and
Phyllostachys pubescens grown in the Rio de
Janeiro and São Paulo states have been used. A
new technique was developed for encapsulation of
bamboo culms for the protection of fungi and
waterproofing. The outdoor exposure of the
bamboo culms reduces the durability of the material
between 2 and 3 years of exposure. At PUC-Rio, a
number of solutions were tested to enable the
bamboo to be permanently exposed outdoors. Three
encapsulation hypotheses were tested in the
laboratory, tested in the field and further developed
for industrial application. Four group arrangements
of pieces in the structure were considered to test
different protection solutions and to establish their
performance during prolonged exposure in open air
(Fig. 14). The categories were defined according to
the location on the structure and the degree of
exposure of each piece:
183
 Vol. 57 (2016) No. 3 September n. 189
· Group 1 (in yellow): Encapsulation employing
composite from tubular cotton fabrics, raw clay,
PVA glue and castor oil polyurethane polymer
(Fig. 15).
· Group 2 (cover gridshells Fig. 11): - Protection
using acrylic paint.
· Group 3 (in green): Protection employing
industrial varnish.
· Group 4 (in pink): Smoke-impregnated bamboo
poles.
(a)
(b)
Figure 14: Employed scheme for the treatment of the
culms and the location on the structure. (a) Front view of
the structure. (b) Side view of the structure
The durability of these treatments have been
satisfactory tested in open air exposure in the last
ten years. It was observed low deterioration against
climate factors. During the same period some
treated culms were attacked by bugs, but not by
termites. There is a need to realize controlled
experimental program to investigate scientifically
the prolonged efficiency of the proposed
encapsulation treatments.
4. ASSEMBLY PROCEDURE
The pavilion was built up during 30 working days.
The structure was prefabricated and employed
standardized members on an assembly based on
bamboo poles and tensioned systems in textile
canvas, plastic and steel ropes. The construction
weighed 8.5 tons in total, approximately 25 kgf/m²,
184
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Figure 15: Stages of encapsulation process of bamboo
culms. (a) Applying the tubular cotton fabrics coat. (b)
Applying the raw clay with PVA glue coat. (c) Drying
between coats. (d) Applying the castor oil polymer coat
distributed as follows: 6 tons for the concrete
anchors, 2 tons of treated bamboo and 500 kgf of
textile canvas and ropes. The bamboo and textile
canvas structure weighed a total 2.5 ton, i.e. 7.25
kgf/m², putting this constructive type within the
ultra-lightweight deployable structures as shown in
figure 16a. The mounting method was predictable,
taking advantage of the physical characteristics of
the land, minimizing the demand for space in the
operating construction site, optimizing the space
available for the construction without the need for
heavy and expensive equipment. The assembly
procedure begins with covering gridshells
employing PVC tarps (Fig. 16b). The 1st structural
module weighed 950 kgf and was mounted on the
ground (Fig. 16c) before it was lifted by a set of
elevators made of bamboo bipods, moved manually
with pulleys and ropes. The 1st module was lifted
until it reached its final position in space, when it
was cantilevered as presented in figure 17. The 2nd
module was mounted after the assembly of the 1st
module and was lifted with the set of elevators to
reach the junction point of the ridge (Fig. 18a).
Under the shelter of the roof, the lower flanges of
the trusses were lifted to its final position and were
braced with moorings (Fig. 18b). The external
porches were lifted with pulleys and ropes
employing the supports of the main structure until it
achieved its final point as shown in figure 19.
Figures 20 and 21 presents the interior view of the
structure and figure 22 presents details of the
building.
 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SHELL AND SPATIAL STRUCTURES: J. IASS

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 16: (a) Material components of the structure, except for the foundations. Structure dismantled in compact
modules weighing a total of 2.5 tons. (b) Mounting the bamboo gridshells and textile canvas on the ground.
(c) Mounting the 1st structural module

(a) (b) (c)

st
Figure 17: (a) Preparing the 1 module for lifting employing bamboo bipods with pulleys and ropes.
(b) Cantilevered structure of the 1st module. (c) Detail of the lifting process

(a) (b)
Figure 18: (a) Lifting the 2nd module with the lift device coupled at the 1st mounted module. (b) After the fixing of the
ridge, the articulated internal trusses could be mounted under the shelter of the roof

185
 Vol. 57 (2016) No. 3 September n. 189

Figure 19: Lifting the external porches Figure 20: Interior view of the pavilion with its 15 m span

Figure 21: The pavilion interior view of 23 m long and 15 m wide shed covering

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 22: Details. (a) Detail of the hinged handcuff connection before lifting the structure on the concrete anchors.
(b) Detail of the bamboo columns tied with the hinged handcuff connection and reinforced by tourniquet. (c) Details of the
connection of the textile canvas and the pantographic gridshell panels

186
 JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SHELL AND SPATIAL STRUCTURES: J. IASS
5. CONCLUDING REMARKS
The studies, experiments and the construction of the
pavilion presented the potential of self-stabilizing
textile bamboo structures. The pavilion doesn’t
need heavy foundations and works with anchors on
the ground. Our team favored the use of Nocmat
renewable building materials, such as bamboo,
cotton fibers, soil and castor oil polymer,
biodegradable and free of chemical preservatives,
all with low environmental impact and locally
produced within a radius of 400 km from the
construction site. Prefabricated structural elements
were used and assembled with simplified technical
resources, without the use of electrical machinery
on site. The assembly was silent and generated only
small residues, generating no dust, being
transportable and capable of reassembly at other
locations. The authors observed the potential for
sustainability in the refining processes of the
bamboo species Phyllostachys pubescens and
Phyllostachys aurea that combine lightness with the
characteristics of strength and workability. Its
treatment by smoking and encapsulation was clean,
without generating pollutants. The encapsulation
process offered protection to the material,
especially to moisture. The developed bio-
composite coat with cotton fabrics, clay, PVA glue
and castor oil polymer was formulated with 2%
open molecules, which allows natural bamboo
drying, even after its manufacturing, due to the
ability of the air exchange by differential pressure,
that is, a treatment where the material breathes. It
has been shown suitable for bamboo construction,
since the culms continue to produce starch even
after extraction of bamboo in the grove. As future
developments, the authors recommend the
installation of remote monitoring optical fiber
sensors in the next pavilions for the creation of
information maps of the oscillations, vibrations and
displacements of the members on the structure
exposed to the environment, acquiring higher
control of the developed connections. The authors
recommend a greater use of connections on vegetal
composites and steel and plastic ropes, increasing
the efficiency of the global structure and its
mechanical performance, keeping the principles of
demountable joints, lightness and mobility,
developed under this research project.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Fundação Carlos
Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do
Rio de Janeiro FAPERJ for the financial support of
the research project.
Our special thanks are to João Bina Machado Neto
and Patrick Lopes Stoffel of the Bambutec Design
Company for their active participation in the design
and construction of the bamboo pavilion.
Our special thanks are also to Prof. Luis Eustáquio
Moreira from the School of Engineering of the
Federal University of Minas Gerais UFMG for the
structural analysis of the project.
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