Bamboo Wing

Bamboo Wing

Status:

07/2009

Program:

Restaurant

Location:

Vinh Phuc, Viet Nam

GFA:

1,430m2

Principal Architect:

Vo Trong Nghia

Design team:

Tran Ba Tiep, Nguyen Minh Tung

Bamboo contractor:

VTN Architects (Võ Trọng Nghĩa Architects)

Client:

Hong Hac Dai Lai JSC

Photographers:

Hiroyuki Oki

In an idyllic natural setting nearby Hanoi, Bamboo Wing is a bamboo cantilever structure that resembles a set of outstretched bird’s wings. The restaurant project aims to further investigate bamboo, not only for its aesthetic feature but also for its structural qualities.
The 12-meter-wide structure balances itself on one rear leg. This enables the restaurant to realize its extensive free space since there is no requirement of columns on its front edge. This is beneficial for a multi-purpose structure, where local events, fashion shows to live music and conferences, could be held. The shape of the roof was designed to take cool wind into the building through the nearby pond, and the deep eaves cast its shadow over the restaurant, transforming the space into a comfortable environment without air conditioning.
The internal and external finishes of the building were also natural and locally sourced. With traditional techniques, the walls were built out of quarried stones while the roofs made of thatched grass. All the auxiliary facilities such as the kitchen, storage and restroom are covered with a layer of soil and another layer of grass, which makes the whole design look like a hill and become part of a harmonious landscape.

The only materials involved in the structure of the building are bamboos and stainless steel wire, which helps to protect the roof against storms. 
Intentionally, Bamboo Wing was meant to be a structural challenge to create a new direction for the ecological resource that are plentiful in Vietnam. Bamboo does not require any chemical treatment as a traditional and natural method can be alternatively applied. To become antiseptic and moth-proof, bamboo would be soaked in mud and smoked out. Additionally, an ideal curvature of the bamboo frame can be achieved with heat treatment. 
The combination of the outstretched "wings" and the large pond reflects the harmonic ways of natural living.