SANKOFA VILLAGE BAMBOO GREENHOUSE
Design-Build Research and Independent Study
Professor Vicky Achnani
2023-2024
The building industry demands a high amount of construction materials, but the natural environment struggles to keep up with the impacts that this extraction of resources creates. Bamboo offers much potential as a sustainable building material due to its carbon storage capabilities, structural qualities, and ability to quickly regrow, but it is often disregarded due to its irregular form and resistance to standardization. This design-build research project explores how the use of digital fabrication technologies and the hybridization of bamboo with conventional construction materials could overcome these challenges to allow bamboo to be more accessible and integrated into contemporary materials and construction systems. Through the design of structural and enclosure assemblies as part of a design-build project for a bamboo greenhouse, digital fabrication’s ability to mass customize and create efficient workflows for bamboo construction are tested to assess its potential for making bamboo a widely adopted, economically viable, and environmentally friendly material, enabling new tectonics and alternatives to the carbon-intensive materials that the industry depends on today.
2024 Burdett Assistantship Recipient
Fall 2024 Frank-Ratchye Further Fund Full Grant Recipient
Overall Axonometric by Patrick Zheng
3/8" = 1' physical model by Patrick Zheng
Design Development + Construction Drawings
Construction drawings prepared for structural engineering consultant, real estate developer, community members, and general contractor. Drawing set by Patrick Zheng
Community Engagement
Design work was carried out in close collaboration with members of Sankofa Village Community Gardens to understand how the greenhouse can best perform for the culture and ways of life of the community.
Advanced Digital Fabrication with Bamboo
Prototypes that explore how digital fabrication and detailing allow bamboo to be assembled into a structural assembly.
2024 Burdett Assistantship Recipient - "Rethinking Bamboo Tectonics with Digital Fabrication", Independent Study by Patrick Zheng
Experimentation using 4-Axis CNC milling to replace manual workflow for drilling, cutting, or slotting bamboo.
Additional speculations on the application of the results, including carving dovetail joints and complex geometries.
Production
All structural connections and assemblies are being prefabricated and manufactured by students and faculty on the design and fabrication teams, including Patrick Zheng, Tina (Leyi) Han, Andrew Wang, Michael Bi, Nadia Cho, Esha Shah, Jason (Xuze) Shao, Clover Chau, and Ben Hao, Sylvia Lyu, Joanne Zeng
Completed Prototypes