Do you dare to cross?

Do you dare to cross?

Do you dare to cross?

Designing an interactive installation with a natural superpower!

Project Details

Co-Designers : Théo Monsallier, Yiyan Wang
Duration : 2 weeks
Location : Chaumont, France
Skills : Site Analysis, Material Research, Construction Techniques
Tools : TwinMotion, SketchUp, AutoCAD

Overview

We explored bamboo as a natural and sustainable building material. The project was commisioned by Festival des Jardins in Chaumont held in France, and our task was to design a bamboo pavilion that celebrated the material in different ways.
How did it start?
Let's be real: bamboo is more than just a panda snack. This whole project started with one question: Can we take this fast-growing, carbon rich super-material and make it the star of an installation piece? As a multidisciplinary designer, my first mission was to ditch the clichés and dive deep into the science of sustainable structure.

Becoming Bamboo Nerds!
We looked into bamboo's hollow core and how its strength stacks up against traditional materials. Fun fact: it's surprisingly mighty! We cataloged every way to stick two pieces together, from traditional lashing to modern bolted joints. This was crucial for moving from "just a cool idea" to "structurally sound build."

Fixing the expiry date
An outdoor installation needs to last. So, we got into preservation. Our solution? We went eco-friendly with Borax-Boric acid treatments and studied heat-setting techniques. Basically, we gave the bamboo an armor against time and weather.

Becoming Bamboo Nerds!
Research led to the Frenzy, a structure that is purposefully not easy to walk through. We wanted the visitor to pause, navigate and ask, "Okay, do I actually dare to cross this?"

Visualisations

Reflection

We explored a range of bamboo working methods-from traditional lashing and pegged joints to modern bolted and steel-insert joints. We also experimented with cutting, shaping and surface treatments like polishing, staining and fire charring. Throughout the process, we made technical drawings and 3D renders, showing how the structure and water system would function. We also studied different bamboo processing and treatment techniques to make sure our concept could work in real life. One special element I brought to the design was the use of the Knup - a traditional bamboo umbrella from Mawsynram, India, one of the wettest places on Earth. Including this helped form a cultural link between India and France, and brought in a traditional Indian technique to a modern design project in a French setting.