Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

Kengo Kuma Architects,

Great (Bamboo) Wall, Beijing, China

 e design of the house investigates the

material properties of the bamboo cane and

its architectural use on a number of levels,

the metaphoric included. Its lightness and

its smooth, subtly varied surface makes the

cane ideal as a screen and a fi lter between the

natural and built realms. Reinforced-concrete

cores fi ll the hollow interiors of larger canes

for the house’s structural columns, maintain-

ing a consistency of material.

Above An ecological imperative for this new

Beijing neighborhood was to incorporate

natural and locally sourced materials. Honor-

ing the long tradition of bamboo elements

in Asian homes, canes serve as a wall and

ceiling fi nish throughout, as fl ooring in the

bedrooms and lounge, and even as a washba-

sin in the guest bath. Locally quarried dark

slate adds a sense of depth and solidity.

Elemental and Experimental Materials

147

exposed bamboo louver ceiling,

dia. 60 mm (2

3

/

8

”) @ 120 mm (4

3

/

4

”),

corrosion-proofed

exposed bamboo louver (fi xed),

dia. 60 mm (2

3

/

8

”) @ 120 mm (4

3

/

4

”)

sliding bamboo partition (top-railed sliding),

exposed bamboo louver,

dia. 60 mm (2

3

/

8

”) @120 mm (4

3

/

4

”)

sliding bamboo partition (bottom-railed sliding),

exposed bamboo louver,

dia. 60 mm (2

3

/

8

”) @ 120 mm (4

3

/

4

”)

sliding bamboo partition (bottom railed sliding),

dia. 60 mm (2

3

/

8

”) @ 120 mm (4

3

/

4

”)

exposed bamboo fl ooring,

dia. 30 mm (1

1

/

8

”) @ 40 mm (1 ½”)

water surface

Above Appearing like an ancient structure

in the landscape, the linear house adjusts

to the existing topography by scribing the

bottom of the bamboo panels close to the

earth.  e roof remains level.  e residence

refl ects the architect’s critical attitude

toward buildings as disconnected objects

in space; with its natural bamboo wall, it is

instead an inconspicuous architecture.

148 Sustainable Environments

Above and Left  roughout the house, the

bamboo partitions create varying degrees

of screening: In reference to the Great Wall

nearby, the bamboo walls connect rather

than divide two sides. While most of the

canes used in the partitions are 60 millime-

ters (2.36 inches) in diameter, the spacing

of the canes changes the amount of light or

separation from one room to another or from

the exterior to the interior. Sliding screens

overlap with fi xed panels for a more solid,

denser surface in the lounge and in other liv-

ing spaces.  e fl oor of the lounge consists of

a smaller diameter whole cane.

Elemental and Experimental Materials

149

Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, Straw

House, North London, United Kingdom

A translucent rainscreen that ventilates the

wall provides a window onto the straw bale

infi ll that insulates half of the exterior walls

of this home. Simple to handle and quickly

installed, the bales are stacked between

structural timber ladder frames. With their

high insulative values, low embodied energy,

recyclability, and low cost, straw bales rep-

resent a renewable material that holds great

advantages over most present wall insulation

and construction methods.

150 Sustainable Environments

Elemental and Experimental Materials

Above  e house combines many passive

environmental strategies that contribute

to the unique composition of architectural

elements and façades. Working in con-

junction with the thermal mass provided

by the straw bales, a large, glazed south

wall admits sun to warm the living areas.

 e fi ve-story library tower functions as

a thermal chimney to ventilate the house.

Another experimental cladding is being

tested on the side façade of the offi ce wing

(visible on the right) in the form of a quilted

fabric wall fi nish.

Left  e straw bales, 465 millimeters

(18.3 inches) deep line the north and west

walls, wrapping around the bedrooms at

the western end of the house. Each side of

the linked home and offi ce studio off ers a

material response to a specifi c site condi-

tion and orientation.  e building combines

agrarian and utilitarian materials, such as

corrugated metal siding, that are unusual

but highly applicable in an urban context.

151