Blooming Bamboo House (2016 R+D Awards Honorable Mention)

To minimize the risk of destruction, Hanoi-based H&P Architects developed the Blooming Bamboo House, a residential housing model built almost entirely out of bamboo, that utilizes local materials and can be built by laypeople at a low cost. With an open floor plan and simple structural system, the house is designed to be built in modules of square rooms quickly and inexpensively; the prototype was built in just 25 days for $2,500, and accommodates six residents. Owners can adapt and expand their homes to include porches and veranda windows. Along with its storm resistance, the house’s cubic shape and pitched roof establish an eye-catching vernacular that alludes to the traditional homes of the region.

Project: Blooming Bamboo House
Design Firm: H&P Architects (Hanoi, Vietnam)

(2016 R+D Awards recipient)

R+D Awards
ARCHITECT magazine’s annual R+D Awards program honors the research and technologies that have advanced the profession at every scale—from design strategies and building products to fabrication methods, installations, software, and materials