Title: Constructing with Bamboo, an Awareness Program
Workshop theme: Sustainable Architecture
Organization: RV college of Architecture, Bangalore
No of participants: 110
Age Group: 18-25
Duration: 1 day – April 2023
Purpose:
The purpose of the workshop was to introduce 2nd year students of Bachelor of Architecture from RV College of Architecture to the many benefits of bamboo as a sustainable building construction material.
Getting an overview of uses of bamboo and the tools
Sessions:
The one day workshop was a quick guide to building with bamboo. Despite being limited to a day, students got to use various tools and understand the optimal way to use bamboo. The participants split bamboo to use in a larger construction. Usage of tools particularly made them love what they did in the workshop. The enthusiasm showed on their faces. “Fish Mouth Joinery” was one particular technique that was taught and new to most. Fish mouth joinery, also known as birdsmouth joinery, is a type of joint commonly used in woodworking and carpentry. It is a joint where a notch or groove is made at the end of one piece of wood, which is then fitted over another piece of wood that has been shaped to match the contour of the notch or groove.
It’s not often that the students get an exposure to practical knowledge so this session definitely made a difference. They also made themselves bamboo glasses which they took home as a memento of the day!
Hands on work with split bamboo
Summary
The young architects were exposed to the theory and practice of using bamboo as a construction material. They were excited to use the tools and loved the hands-on physical work. The students in the current year had a requirement to learn about bamboo hence this hands-on workshop gave them an insight into bamboo construction.
From the Participants
Few students shared their take-aways from this experience.:
“As an architecture student, it’s necessary to be open to exploring various building materials. Bamboo is highly eco-friendly and is a great material to work with once you understand its structural and strength related properties.”
“I think it’s important to understand how much effort is required in real life construction. That amount of passion for working with natural material is something I can definitely use in my day to day life as an architecture student.”
“Always be ready to get your hands dirty and do hard work to get good results.”
“Probably try to use the eco-friendly factor in my upcoming designs and cater to discover more of natural yet effective mediums.”
These insights from students show how effective it is to have practical lessons.
After a fruitful learning experience
