In Batuan, south of Ubud, RF Studio completes a residence for Yayasan Bali Purnati, a foundation dedicated to the performing arts in Bali. The project expands the foundation’s grounds with three villas and nine guest rooms designed to host artists-in-residence and support public programming. The architects conceive the form as an extension that integrates into the landscape with minimal intervention, merging with rice fields, native vegetation, and the rhythms of daily life on the island.

The design draws inspiration from the existing features of the site, including trees, volcanic stone, bamboo, salvaged wood, and terracotta, and weaves around the site’s contours to create a series of interconnected living spaces.

all images by Tommaso Riva

local artisans collaborate with the architects for the interiors

The collaboration between the lead designer of RF Studio’s team and artist Rafael Freyre and Yayasan Bali Purnati began in 2002, when the Peruvian architect first arrived on the island with drawings in hand, accompanied by the late theater director Robert Wilson after a summer at the Watermill Center in New York. 

The residence complements the foundation’s amphitheater and stage, framing architecture as part of a living system. Interiors were realized in close collaboration with local artisans, with all furniture and fixtures crafted specifically for the site. ‘It’s not about building something new. It’s about uncovering what is already here. The spirit of the place is older than us. The architecture just listens and reacts,’ Freyre notes.

in Batuan, south of Ubud, RF Studio completes a residence for Yayasan Bali Purnati

the project is designed to host Yayasan Bali Purnati artists

Yayasan Bali Purnati is a platform where Balinese traditions intersect with contemporary experimentation, founded in 2000 by dancer Restu Imasari, writer Leonard Lueras, journalist and cultural organizer Justin B. Smith, Willem Eisenbeis, and Christopher Frank. Since its inception, it has welcomed artists across performance, dance, music, design, and visual arts, maintaining a strong connection to the local cultural fabric. Its artist-in-residence program, established in 2005, invites practitioners to spend extended time on the compound developing projects and often culminates in free public presentations.

With the new residence, the foundation strengthens its capacity to host international artists and offers an alternative to the rapid overdevelopment of the island. Daily acts like resting, bathing, watching the moon, and tending to gardens become part of a broader performative experience. ‘Rafael has created an architectural artwork in the heart of Bali’s leading international arts foundation, renewing a tradition that started 26 years ago in the rice fields south of Ubud,’ co-founder Justin B. Smith reflects.  

the foundation is dedicated to the performing arts in Bali

expanding the foundation’s grounds with three villas and nine guest rooms

designed to host artists-in-residence and support public programming

an extension that integrates into the landscape

the design draws inspiration from the existing features of the site

trees, volcanic stone, bamboo, salvaged wood, and terracotta shape the project

a series of interconnected living spaces

the buildings weave around the site’s contours

stage area of the Yayasan Bali Purnati

framing architecture as part of a living system

the residence complements the foundation’s amphitheater and stage

since its inception, Yayasan Bali Purnati has welcomed artists across performance, dance, music, design, and visual arts

inviting practitioners to spend extended time on the compound

project info:

name: Nine-room residence for Yayasan Bali Purnati

architect: RF Studio | @rfstudioperu

location: Batuan, Bali, Indonesia

lead architect: Rafael Freyre

client: Yayasan Bali Purnati (The Bali Purnati Center for the Arts) | @balipurnati

photographer: Tommaso Riva | @tommasorivaphotography

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Shanghai-based studio Archi-Union designs this landmark Linpan Cloud Eye as a community center in Qingxia Town, a rural village of China‘s Sichuan Province. The three-level building can be found about an hour’s drive from Chengdu. Surrounded by bamboo forest and mountain streams, the project serves as a cultural and community health hub while embracing the site’s natural topography.

The center is tucked into a hillside clearing where a stream enters from the east. Archi-Union retained the dense bamboo grove and arranged the program around a small courtyard that steps upward with the slope. Activity spaces occupy the lower two floors, and a third-floor terrace opens to mountain views. This vertical layering creates a parallel relationship with a nearby cliffside and frames distant fields through roof apertures, inspiring its name, ‘Cloud Eye.’

images © Ke Wang

archi-union’s digitally-designed rooftop

Visitors enter along a bamboo-lined path, which the team at Archi-Union designs to conceal the Linpan Cloud Eye until the last turn. A flowing roof canopy guides them into a series of outdoor platforms that link interior and exterior spaces. Three primary courtyards — a bamboo entry, a central green, and a roof terrace — are open for community gatherings and everyday use. Wide openings and covered walkways reflect traditional Sichuan typologies while maintaining clear circulation.

The building can be recognized by its dramatic rooftop, whose sculptural construction is supported by three curved steel beams. The precise geometries of these beams were generated through digital modeling, then rationalized into straight segments for efficient fabrication. A skin of locally-crafted bamboo finishes the ceilings and handrails, bringing an element of regional craft to the contemporary architecture. These natural textures soften the concrete and steel structure and reinforce the center’s dialogue with its environment.

Linpan Cloud Eye sits within a bamboo forest in China’s Sichuan Province

robotic craft for a rural site

A key interior feature of the Linpan Cloud Eye is its ‘water wall,’ a 3D-printed element created by Archi-Union to capture the movement of nearby creek water in sculpted folds. The architects used algorithmic design to translate the water’s shifting surface into machine-readable code, allowing robots to fabricate the panels with precision. The result brings a digital logic to a project otherwise defined by its handcrafted bamboo work and rural design language.

Elevated ground-floor areas hover over the bamboo grove, while upper levels offer quieter spaces and panoramic platforms. By combining advanced construction methods with vernacular forms and local craft, the project establishes a contemporary precedent for rural development that honors its landscape and lends a space for the community.

the building follows the natural slope with three vertically-stacked levels

the flowing rooftop guides visitors through courtyards and terraces

traditional bamboo weaving softens the concrete and steel structure

three curved steel beams, generated by digital modeling, support the continuous roof

a 3D-printed water wall echoes the motion of nearby creek water

the project hybridizes advanced fabrication methods with regional craft

project info:

name: Linpan Cloud Eye

architect: Archi-Union | @archi_union

location: Chengdu, China

area: 868 square meters

completion: 2022

photography: © Ke Wang

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Cheng Tsung FENG’s Meeting Dome is a large-scale spherical installation in Fugang, Taoyuan, that reinterprets the weaving technique of the traditional Taiwanese bamboo chair. The project continues the artist’s exploration of artisanal practices, translating everyday craft into spatial form.

The installation expands the chair’s woven seat into a monumental structure. Thin bamboo strips are layered in parallel and extended across a hexagonal metal framework, producing a continuous lattice surface. The composition recalls the Chinese character for ‘person’ (人), emphasizing both structural balance and human connection.

all images by FIXER Photographic Studio

Feng’s Open Bamboo Sphere encourages gathering and reflection

The open geometry keeps the sphere permeable from all sides, encouraging visitors to move through, gather, and interact. As light filters through the bamboo layers, shifting patterns of shadow animate the ground and create shaded areas beneath the dome. Inside, bamboo stools are arranged in varied groupings and heights around a central planting of local Taoyuan vegetation. This spatial layout invites pause and interaction, recalling the informal ways neighbors once gathered on bamboo chairs in village streets, under trees, and in alleyways.

By magnifying a familiar household object, artist Cheng Tsung FENG’s Meeting Dome transforms a utilitarian craft into an architectural experience. The interplay of bamboo and metal merges tactile materiality with structural clarity, while the installation as a whole reflects on memory, community, and the role of everyday objects in shaping shared space.

Meeting Dome by Cheng Tsung FENG rises as a bamboo-woven sphere in Fugang

the installation reinterprets the weaving of traditional Taiwanese bamboo chairs

bamboo stools are placed in varied groupings and heights

thin bamboo strips extend across a hexagonal metal framework

parallel bamboo layers form a continuous lattice surface

the dome remains permeable, inviting visitors from all sides

craft and architecture merge in the magnified bamboo weave

a central planting of Taoyuan vegetation anchors the space

everyday craft is translated into monumental spatial form

geometry and material emphasize balance and connection

light filters through bamboo, casting shifting shadows on the ground

the project bridges memory, material, and communal interaction

seating arrangements encourage rest and interaction

a humble chair becomes an architectural experience of light and space

project info:

name: Meeting Dome

artist: Cheng Tsung FENG | @chengtsungfeng

location: Fugang, Taoyuan, Taiwan

materials: bamboo, wood, lacquered iron, LED lighting

project design: Chan-Wei HSU
design team: Sheng WANG, Hung Lin LIU, Ying Chun WENG, Che Wei CHANG, Wei Che HUANG, Hsing Chien CHIEN, Jui Yi CHIEN
structural analysis: Chien Chuan Engineering Consulting Co.
construction: Weige Interior
painting: Crown Paint Waterproof Engineering
lighting design: Oude Light
lighting engineer: Beamtec Lighting

organizer: Taoyuan City Government, Taiwan Railways Administration
adviser: Taoyuan City Council
executive units: Vision Management Consultants Inc., Fengshe Cai Co., Ltd., Hegu Creative Integration Marketing Co., Ltd.
curator: Hui-Lan CHANG

photographer: FIXER Photographic Studio | @fixer_photographic_studio

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At the historic Wenwu Temple in Lukang, Changhua, artist Cheng Tsung Feng completes Theatre, a vast bamboo installation that reinterprets the disappearing tradition of temporary opera stages once central to Taiwanese temple festivals. Built from thousands of interlaced poles, the work stands as a contemporary architectural structure and a living reminder of a cultural form that once defined community gatherings but is now seldom seen.

Theatre takes inspiration from bamboo stages that, until recent decades, were rapidly erected for opera performances and temple celebrations across Taiwan. Feng’s structure echoes this ephemerality while translating it into an experiential space. The framework is composed of a strict vertical-horizontal grid of bamboo lengths, softened by split bamboo strips that trace sweeping arcs across the facade and ground plan. 

images courtesy of Cheng Tsung Feng

audience Becomes PerformeR in theater’s Stage of Light

Visitors are invited to step inside the Taiwanese artist’s installation by climbing bamboo stairways that lead to the broad central platform. Once within, they are enveloped by the transparent grid, where light filters through the slatted walls and floors, and the tactility of bamboo comes to the fore. In the daytime, the stage becomes a resting ground, a place to gather or to play. By night, lit by glowing festival lamps, the installation transforms into a ceremonial space that recalls the atmosphere of traditional opera performances with their color, spectacle, and sense of shared ritual.

As people move through Theatre, they oscillate between the roles of audience and performer, embodying the cyclical exchange at the heart of theater itself. Feng’s project situates memory within lived experience, animating tradition through participation. Standing before the centuries-old Wenwu Temple, the bamboo theater draws in festival visitors and passersby, offering them a space to rest, play, or perform.

Cheng Tsung Feng completes Theatre in Taiwan

a vast bamboo installation that reinterprets the disappearing tradition of temporary opera stages

built from thousands of interlaced poles

the work stands as a contemporary architectural structure

the framework is composed of a strict vertical-horizontal grid of bamboo lengths

split bamboo strips trace sweeping arcs across the facade and ground plan

visitors are invited to step inside the installation by climbing bamboo stairways

the stairs lead to the broad central platform

light filters through the slatted walls and floors

the tactility of bamboo comes to the fore

the stage becomes a resting ground, a place to gather or to play

by night, lit by glowing festival lamps, the installation transforms into a ceremonial space

recalling the atmosphere of traditional opera performances

project info:

name: Theatre
artist: Cheng Tsung Feng

location: Lukang, Changhua, Taiwan

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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House of Nostalgia by Rutvi Patel and Jay Patel of Project Terra offers a case study in how rural housing in India might evolve in response to changing needs. The 100-square-meter home functions as a modular prototype, exploring how local materials, phased construction, and traditional spatial arrangements can support rural communities facing demographic and environmental transitions.

Located in a small village in Gujarat, the house is composed of three separate modules, each approximately 40 square meters, that reflect different construction methods and uses. One module features a sloped tiled roof and mezzanine level, another is capped with a flat reinforced concrete slab, and the third incorporates a bamboo-reinforced slab for service areas. Together, these modules accommodate shifting patterns in rural domestic life, including smaller family units, aging residents, and the common practice of incremental building over time. The total cost is kept relatively low, with each module constructed for around ₹7 lakhs (~$8,300 USD), allowing for financial flexibility and future expansion.

Project Terra presents a prototype for rural housing | all images by The Space Tracing Company

House of Nostalgia relies on passive strategies for ventilation

Avoiding cement entirely, the Vadodara-based team at Project Terra builds the structure on a dry stone foundation, with lime mortar and lime plaster used throughout. Locally made brick and bamboo contribute to structural integrity while keeping embodied energy low. The architects also eliminate the need for mechanical ventilation or cooling systems. Instead, the house relies on passive strategies through its thick, breathable walls, shaded outdoor spaces, and orientation. For instance, the east-facing veranda receives morning sunlight, while the south-facing facade is protected by a teak grove that regulates solar exposure throughout the day.

The layout connects the three volumes through a central 20-square-meter module that opens to courtyards on both east and west sides. These transitional spaces echo older village homes where outdoor areas formed an essential part of daily routines. Materials and details are drawn from regional construction practices, such as brick jalis for ventilation and corbelled chhajjas for shade and rain protection. Lime-plastered terracotta steps in the courtyard also reflect local customs, doubling as informal seating.

While House of Nostalgia draws from familiar spatial elements, it doesn’t attempt to replicate a traditional home. It presents a modular system that acknowledges the evolving realities of village life, economic precarity, climate adaptation, and intergenerational shifts, while maintaining continuity with place-based construction knowledge. 

the south-facing facade reduces heat gain

the east-facing veranda, opening from the central module, basks in the morning sun

exploring how local materials, phased construction, and traditional spatial arrangements can support rural communities

corbelled overhangs provide weather protection for the windows

playful terracotta lime-plastered steps double as seating

module A with 350 mm thick walls and a sloped roof brings light and air inside

the living space opens to the farm

module C is connected to the east by a door and the west by a window

the central module connects the two larger ones

these modules accommodate shifting patterns in rural domestic life

House of Nostalgia draws from familiar spatial elements

project info:

name: House of Nostalgia
architect: Project Terra | @project.terra_
lead architects: Rutvi Patel, Jay Patel 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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Open Reel Ensemble performs on JIGAKKYU, a traditional folk instrument that produces analog synth sounds by bowing the bamboo sticks with stretched magnetic tapes. The Japanese musical group is known for playing old reel-to-reel tape recorders as musical instruments, and JIGAKKYU is one of them. In the recent performance, they set up a Pioneer reel-to-reel tape recorder on a table. This machine records and plays back audio using magnetic tape that moves between two reels, and the tape recorder supplies the audio source and controls.

The magnetic tape extends from the machine and stretches through the bamboo bow, which applies friction to the tape surface of the folk instrument JIGAKKYU, causing vibration and movement. This bowing affects the playback speed and generates the audio effects during performance. When the group draws the bow across the tape, the tape moves at different speeds. Faster bowing increases tape speed and raises the pitch of the audio, while slower bowing means the opposite. The direction of bowing determines whether the tape moves forward or backward.

all images courtesy of Open Reel Ensemble, via Youtube

Moving tape converts magnetic data into audio signals

The folk instrument JIGAKKYU with a bamboo bow reads the magnetic information on the tape. As the tape moves or vibrates, the magnetic data converts into audio signals, and this process can recreate the original recordings stored on the tape medium. The performers interact with the instrument by manipulating the tape position and tension, meaning moving the tape that changes which part of the recording plays. Adjusting tape tension also affects the playback speed and pitch of the audio output, hence the slower one producing a deeper sound.

The bamboo frame of the folk instrument JIGAKKYU acts as a resonating chamber. Sound from the magnetic tape playback amplifies through the wooden bow, and this amplification method copies techniques used in traditional stringed instruments but applies them to recorded audio. The Open Reel Ensemble operates their own folk instrument JIGAKKYU and bamboo bows, but the trio coordinates their tape manipulation to create harmonized music from the stored recordings. Instead of simply playing back recordings, the trio demonstrates how magnetic tapes tied around wooden bows can manipulate and reshape the audio and produce analog-synth sounds.

Open Reel Ensemble performs on JIGAKKYU

the device is a traditional folk instrument that produces sounds by bowing the bamboo with magnetic tapes

in the recent performance, the group plays with a Pioneer reel-to-reel tape recorder

the magnetic tape extends from the machine and stretches through the bamboo bow

view of the Pioneer reel-to-reel tape recorder

project info:

name: Tape Bowing Ensemble JIGAKKYU

group: Open Reel Ensemble | @openreelensemble

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Installed in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, What We Leave Behind is a temporary bamboo structure developed by Cave Urban for the 2025 Sydney Festival. Created in response to the festival’s theme, Birth, Destiny and What We Leave Behind, the woven installation explores spatial storytelling through material assembly, public interaction, and site-specific design.

The structure is constructed from 500 locally sourced bamboo poles, hand-split into over 2,500 individual strands. These were woven over a ten-day period to form a curved, tunnel-like shell extending 40 metres in length and rising to over seven metres in height. The installation was developed in collaboration with the public, who contributed handwritten messages directly onto 8-metre-long bamboo strips. These inscriptions, totalling 25,000, were integrated into the structure, becoming both surface and narrative elements. Designed to allow full pedestrian passage, the tunnel widens and rises in height as one moves through it. The curvature is calculated to disrupt a direct line of sight, encouraging users to experience the structure as a sequence of changing spatial conditions. The tunnel’s entrance was positioned to frame a view toward the Sydney Opera House, while its arching form echoes that of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, establishing visual and material dialogue with the surrounding context.

all images by Juan Pablo Pinto unless stated otherwise

Community members join Cave Urban in the making of the pavilion

Material selection played a central role in the project’s design logic. Bamboo was chosen for its availability, tensile strength, flexibility, and ease of manual processing. Its curved form enabled the construction of a lightweight yet stable structural shell approximately 5 cm thick. The golden tone of the bamboo visually connects with the adjacent sandstone facade of the MCA, while its woven construction contrasts with the geometric rigidity of the museum’s architecture.

The installation process involved collaboration between Cave Urban’s team and skilled practitioners, as well as untrained participants. The complexity of the structure required a responsive construction method in which community members contributed directly to the making. The site operated as a collective fabrication space, where material preparation and weaving took place simultaneously. This public involvement formed an integral part of the spatial and conceptual outcome. What We Leave Behind functions as a spatial record of participatory engagement, constructed with impermanence in mind. Its formal language and assembly process reflect themes of interconnection, accumulation, and collective authorship within a contemporary urban context.

a 40-metre-long bamboo tunnel installed in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

constructed using over 2,500 hand-split bamboo strands woven over ten days

the installation forms a curved shell that rises more than seven metres in height

the entrance aligns with a framed view toward the Sydney Opera House

bamboo was selected for its tensile strength, flexibility, and availability

designed to allow full pedestrian passage through a widening and rising interior

a 5 cm thick woven shell achieves stability through natural curvature

the tunnel’s curvature disrupts direct sightlines, shaping a layered spatial experience | image by Victor Frankowski

the golden tone of bamboo mirrors the MCA’s sandstone facade

What We Leave Behind documents a shared act of temporary construction

the structure embodies themes of interconnection, impermanence, and spatial narrative

a temporary installation that connects material, memory, and community | image by Chloé Lindsay Daye

developed by Cave Urban for the 2025 Sydney Festival | image by Neil Bennett

each bamboo strip carried messages written by members of the public | image by Chloé Lindsay Daye

tublic participation played a central role in both material preparation and construction | image by Neil Bennett

the collaborative process included both experienced builders and first-time participants

25,000 handwritten public messages were integrated into the bamboo surface | image by Nergal U-Khan

project info:

name: What We Leave Behind
designer: Juan Pablo Pinto
designer: Cave Urban | @caveurban

area: 200 sqm
dimensions: 40m (L) x 7m (W) x 4.5m (H)

location: Museum of Contemporary Art Forecourt, Tallawoladah Lawn, Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia

client: Sydney Festival
lead designer: Juan Pablo Pinto
design team: Nici Long, Jed Long, Mercurio Alvarado, Maeve Corke Butters, Erin Zikos, May Baker, Hamish Shorrocks, Taya Solomon, Honey Long, Prue Stent
engineer: Event Engineering
steel tie-down: Eveleigh Works

harvesting volunteers: Alexia Dermatis, Alfredo Santos Ramírez, Alicia Mardones, Angela Ha, Ashleigh Williams, Atheer Albokhari, Audrey See, Bethany Chamberlain, Célia Lesigne, Dena Rubinstein, Emma Cao, Federico Riches, Isabella Massa, Juliet Nelson, Katie Hubbard, Kevin Zhen, Krishna Patil, Meiling Kwok, Mia Margolis, Nejala Janiola, Pete Deards, Sarah Ong, Sheen Parimoo, Suki Fong, Ting Ting Mabel Loon, Tiresi Kirby, Yuting Zhang

building volunteers: Alessia Francesca Picarel, Alexia Dermatis, Alicia Mardones, Annie Boman, Ashleigh Williams, Bethany Hooper, Billy Hyman, Bridget Annand, Camila Strang, Charu Kukreja, Chloé Lindsay Daye, Christopher Papaioannou, Dena Rubinstein, Emma Cao, Fatima Harun, Iris Xiao, Isabella Zhou, Jason Mumford, Jedda Ayling, Kate Riley, Katie Graham, Kelcie Bryant‐Duguid, Kevin Zhen, Kyo Kim, Laura Cimilo, Laura Fisher, Lilah Shapiro, Linda Agresti, Lisa Stevenson, Liz Mayberry, Lois Hyatt, Maisie Rose Nugent, Meiling Kwok, Mia Margolis, Mikayla Earnshaw, Nejala Janiola, Pete Deards, Rizal Mahoney, Robi Stanton, Sarah Ong, Seamus Fitzpatrick, Sheen Parimoo, Sirintra Sriwattanavanit, Tamara Bowman, Yuanqi Jia, Yuting Zhang, Zoe Hyatt, Zoe Pan

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In the shaded depths of a Moso bamboo grove in Nantou, Taiwan, Cheng Tsung Feng has constructed a tranquil resting spot for passersby, shaped like a curiously wrapped dumpling. Titled Bamboo Cabin Plan: Sticky Rice Dumpling, it is built entirely of bamboo and borrows its form from the traditional gesture of making zongzi, the glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in leaves and tied with string.

Here, the familiar shape is translated into a semi-enclosed, semi-open architecture, in which bamboo stalks bend like fingers in a cupped palm, holding the forest’s breeze and serenity as it invites people to step in for a meditative moment of rest. Designed for the Nantou Bamboo Dream Festival, the cabin speaks to its theme of Six Senses by creating a naturally-rooted, immersive spatial installation.

all images courtesy of Cheng Tsung Feng

the cabin draws from the traditional gesture of making zongzi

From a distance, Bamboo Cabin Plan: Sticky Rice Dumpling appears almost as though it has emerged from the forest itself. The open weave of its walls filters light and air, creating a dappled interior animated by the rustle of leaves and the sounds of insects. With an arched silhouette it feels both hand-wrought and organic, evoking traditional wrapping techniques while echoing the slow rhythm of craft. Throughout, Cheng Tsung Feng allows the architecture and its context to become one, with the structure itself embracing the raw tactility of its primary material. In dialogue with the bamboo sprouting from the ground around it, the structure’s palette is designed to age and weather naturally over time.

The intervention reflects the artist’s ongoing exploration of Taiwan’s vernacular crafts and the deeper wisdom embedded in everyday tools. Trained as a designer but working with the sensibility of an anthropologist, Feng is known for reinterpreting traditional techniques, particularly those tied to bamboo weaving and indigenous craftsmanship, with a contemporary eye. Sticky Rice Dumpling joins a growing body of works that occupy a liminal space between art and architecture, sculpture and shelter, such as Feng’s Structural Botany series that examines plant morphology through the lens of modular construction, and the Dragon Palace pavilion reminiscent of marine wildlife anatomy.

set in the shaded depths of a Moso bamboo grove in Nantou, Taiwan

a quiet resting spot for passersby, shaped like a curiously wrapped dumpling

Cheng Tsung Feng explores contemporary bamboo expressions

a semi-enclosed, semi-open architecture

bamboo stalks bend like fingers in a cupped palm, holding the forest’s breeze and serenity

designed for the Nantou Bamboo Dream Festival

the open weave of its walls filters light and air

with an arched silhouette it feels both hand-wrought and organic

throughout, Cheng Tsung Feng allows the bamboo architecture and its context to become one

reflecting the artist’s exploration of Taiwan’s vernacular crafts and the wisdom embedded in everyday tools

evoking traditional wrapping techniques while echoing the slow rhythm of craft

at one with its natural environment

project info:

name: Bamboo Cabin Plan: Sticky Rice Dumpling
artist: Cheng Tsung Feng | @chengtsungfeng

location: Nantou, Taiwan

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

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Chiangmai Life Architects unveils its latest bamboo creation, The Bull at Zabb e Lee, a pavilion set amidst the rice paddies on the outskirts of Chiang Mai in Thailand. Designed for a traditional Thai cooking school founded by a young local couple, the structure brings together food, architecture, and the expressive qualities of natural materials. The structure marks the third collaboration between the architects and Zabb e Lee Cooking School, following the popularity of their previous bamboo ‘sala’ buildings. 

The pavilion sits in a tight corner of the property, with a large tree on one side and a small pond on the other. It wasn’t an easy spot to build on, but the architects treated it as an opportunity. They came up with a U-shaped layout that wraps neatly around the edges of the site, making the most of the space without blocking the view of the surrounding rice fields. As they worked with the curves and flow of the design, a distinctive shape began to appear, one that resembled a bull’s head, complete with raised ‘horns’. These upward arches became the entrances to the building, giving the structure a strong, energetic presence.

images courtesy of Chiangmai Life Architects

domed bamboo vaults hosts The Bull at Zabb e Lee

Inside The Bull at Zabb e Lee, the layout supports the three main parts of the cooking school experience – food preparation, cooking, and communal dining. The Thai team of Chiangmai Life Architects arranges activities across three distinct yet interconnected spaces, which transition smoothly beneath a continuous vaulted roof. Overlapping arches made from bundled bamboo rods shape the structure and cross at its top, forming domed interiors with rhythm and lift.

This construction method allows the space to breathe, creating a light and open environment that feels more generous than its compact footprint suggests. With natural ventilation and framed views of the surrounding fields, the interior becomes a calm setting where students can focus, learn, and enjoy the process.

The use of raw bamboo, one of the studio’s signature materials, gives the pavilion a distinct warmth and character that connects it to local tradition and its natural surroundings. During the day, the pale tones and curved forms allow the building to blend into the rice field landscape. In the evening, soft lighting reveals the textures and details of the structure, turning it into a glowing presence that quietly anchors the site. 

the pavilion sits in a tight corner of the property

the pavilion is set amidst the rice paddies on the outskirts of Chiang Mai in Thailand

designed for a traditional Thai cooking school

the structure brings together food, architecture, and the expressive qualities of natural materials

making the most of the space without blocking the view of the surrounding rice fields

the layout supports the three main parts of the cooking school experience

Chiangmai Life Architects arranges activities across three distinct yet interconnected spaces

the spaces transition smoothly beneath a continuous vaulted roof

upward arches became the entrances to the building

overlapping arches made from bundled bamboo rods shape the structure

the pavilion resembles a bull’s head, complete with raised ‘horns’

the construction method allows the space to breathe

project info:

name: The Bull at Zabb e Lee Cooking School

architect: Chiangmai Life Architects | @chiangmailifearchitects

location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

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Green School Bali opens The Living Bridge, a co-learning space designed by Jonathan Mizzi of Mizzi Studio in collaboration with students, educators, and parents. The project is the result of two years’ work as part of the school’s Jalan Jalan program, which encourages students to take part in real-world, hands-on learning experiences. Together, they transformed the original Bridge, a community hub for parents, into a structure made from over 300 locally harvested bamboo poles, shaped using advanced heat-bending techniques developed with local craftspeople, Bamboo Pure.

The Bridge’s design responds to the indoor-outdoor lifestyle of the school and includes sustainable materials such as terrazzo made from crushed glass, eco-crete bricks using industrial waste ash, lime plaster, and mycelium acoustic panels. The large curved roof shading the building is supported by eight bamboo arches and finished with pelupuh, traditional flattened bamboo shingles. It sits at the entrance of the campus, welcoming students and visitors into a shared space that will host talks, workshops, and parent-led programs.

images by Mizzi Studio, unless stating otherwise

The Living Bridge connects community and creativity

The project began in 2023 when Jonathan Mizzi, also a Green School parent, worked with teachers to guide students aged 15 to 18 through a full design process. From initial sketches and community pitches to workshops, model-making, and on-site construction, students were involved at every stage. ‘The Living Bridge Project shows how architecture can grow out of education,’ says Mizzi, director of the architectural practice Mizzi Studio. ‘What started as a request to mentor one student became a co-created journey where students led the way.’ For many, the experience was transformative. ‘We weren’t just students—we were designers, decision-makers, and changemakers,’ says Eden Rice, one of the student participants.

Before its opening, The Living Bridge was featured at ChangeNOW 2025, a global event for climate solutions held in Paris. Alongside the physical structure, students also created a digital platform to help connect alumni, students, and parents for future collaboration and mentoring.

Green School Bali opens The Living Bridge, a co-learning space designed by Jonathan Mizzi of Mizzi Studio

the large curved roof shading the building is supported by eight bamboo arches

welcoming students and visitors into a shared space

the project is the result of two years’ work as part of the school’s Jalan Jalan program

a structure made from over 300 locally harvested bamboo poles

the poles are shaped using advanced heat-bending techniques

students, educators, and parents collaborated with Mizzi Studio

the Bridge’s design responds to the indoor-outdoor lifestyle of the school

sustainable materials were used to create the project

the roof is finished with pelupuh, traditional flattened bamboo shingles

project info:

name: The Living Bridge
architect: Mizzi Studio | @mizzistudio

location: Bali, Indonesia

lead architect: Jonathan Mizzi
collaborators: Bamboo Pure | @bamboopurebali

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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