One huge bamboo cathedral with other small bamboo buildings was built for a 90-year-old client, a member of the royal family. According to the client, it was supposed to be a common family space for watching sunsets, but in the end it became a peaceful place for meditation and spiritual exercises in aesthetic design. „As she is a practicing Buddhist and active member of the Buddhist community, she then commissioned us to create a space designed to facilitate spiritual practice.“
Bamboo or “Green Steel” of the 21st century is a functional, natural and currently very popular material which has become a major element of the facade and construction of these architectural volumes. They are built in the Thai city of Chiang mai, an area of beautiful mountains, green hills and a diverse lifestyle. From a distance, they resemble mountains, which was the goal of architects, so that all buildings fit into the mountainous vegetation. „The design of all buildings emulates the mountain range and the rolling hills. Thus, the buildings mold into the scenery as if they grew there by themselves.“ The main “cathedral” dynamically spreads out on the floor with supporting bamboo poles where there is a constant flow of air and thus becomes a quiet space under a bamboo dome with a panoramic view of the surroundings. In order to look robust with the cathedral atmosphere, its rounded roof is formed by tied bamboos to create massive arches.
Next to the hall is a second, smaller but also a bamboo bundle designed for bathrooms and showers. „Next to the bathroom is another smaller bamboo building in the form of a mushroom that hides the water tank and an even smaller one for the well.“ Ecological volumes inspired by Thai nature have a spiritual atmosphere where the simplicity of nature wins by taking bamboo design to a new level.
Architecture: Chiangmai Life Architects (CLA): Markus Roselieb, Tosapon Sittiwong
Built Area, total: 272sqm, Meditation Cathedral: 147sqm, Sunset Sala: 70sqm, Bathrooms 55sqm
Carbon Footprint: Zero
Photographer: Markus Roselieb (CLA)
