Taught by Wyly Brown and Hans Hernández

In this hands-on bamboo building workshop students will learn about bamboo design and construction techniques. You will work with an international team of bamboo builders and bamboo designers to learn how to transform innovative designs into built projects. Bamboo is a natural composite with high tensile and compression strength and grows in a cylindrical form that is optimal for carrying longitudinal forces. Students will work hands-on with several species of bamboo to construct a small structure, learning how to set it in foundations, create joinery, and assemble full scale structures. In addition we will go over cutting edge design methods that enable the builder to easily adapt their designs to steep conditions, or other unique site challenges. Together we will assemble a small bamboo structure, and explain how students can build their own structures in a step by step process. The goal is to explore the wide range of design and engineering potential of this natural, often overlooked, structural grass, while working together to experience the process firsthand.