Bioclimatic Bamboo and Membrane Shades

Architect：Bambutec Design

Location：Casa Firjan, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; | ;View Map

Project Year：2023

Category：Trade Shows

Ultralight tensile bamboo structures designed by Bambutec were installed in the open-aired environment of Casa Firjan at Rio de Janeiro after the covid-19 pandemic, promoting healthy ambiances to the public with sustainability and low environmental impact.

The Casa Firjan site is located at the historic Linneo de Paula Machado Palace surrounded by green gardens in the Botafogo neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, covering an area of 6,700 sqm, where a contemporary building was erected. The Casa Firjan was idealized to promote the dialogue between recent challenges faced by Brazilian industries, such as tradition, innovation, creativity, technology, and sustainability. During the summer of 2023, a temporary installation made with bio based materials created bioclimatic shades for the public, roofing from sun and rain.

The structure uses smoke-treated bamboo masts sealed with an acrylic coating for  the bamboo's outdoor exposure. Proper steel joints are designed to transmit stresses from the membrane to the masts, then, transferred them to the ground. Cotton and acrylic fabrics were selected for the design of two tent models, respectively: the modular star tent and the gazebo bandstand. Both tents apply the principle of form active structures by using tensile membrane techniques.

The modular star tent is designed through the overlapping of modeled cotton membranes resulting in an environmentally-friendly space, adaptable to the tropical climate of Brazil. 

The materials used in the design are cotton and bamboo, materials that breathe, which is an important attribute for building in the tropics. Each star tent module covers an area of 74 sqm and is assembled with Phyllostachys edulis bamboo, a species known as Moso, using poles with a nominal diameter of 100 mm, wall thickness of 12 mm, measuring 3, 4, and 5 meters in length.

The gazebo bandstand is a 52 sqm self-supporting bamboo structure designed with a hexagonal plan for musical performances. The gazebo uses acrylic membranes for roofing the musicians and the staff. Flexible joints with polyester cables allowed for a lightweight rapid assembly. The gazebo uses Phyllostachys aurea bamboo bipods, rafters, and beams with a nominal diameter of 50 mm and a wall thickness of 6 mm.

The bio-based materials allowed for the clean use of the site with a low carbon footprint, without the use of machinery and heavy equipment. The ultralight structural system resulted in a synergetic and permeable ambient for the public and the environment.

Architects: Bambutec Design

Design team: Mario Seixas, João Bina, Patrick Stoffel, Antoine Olivier, and João Brum

Client: Firjan – Industry Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro

Photographer: Juan Dias

Manufacturers: Take, Veleria Quantum, Sauleda

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