Bamboo Office

The small office building for the interns of the Auroville Bamboo Centre was built during a workshop with participants, interns and the help of a few craftsmen from the bamboo center itself.

The ABC Office project was built predominantly using natural building materials such as Bamboo structural members, CSEB Earth bricks, Mud plaster, Coconut coir rope for lashing joints, Weaved palm leaves and Lake grass for thatch roof with the exception of meager concrete and steel usage to strengthen different joints and plaster mixes in the structure.

The structure was built over an existing plinth base with CSEB blocks forming the wall and concrete blocks cast with steel rebars’ supporting the bamboo truss members consisting of a column, a rafter and a diagonal stabilizing the other two members. Multiple tie beams made out of bands of split bamboo brace the series of prefabricated bamboo structural trusses which envelop the circular interior space.

A circular void is created on the top of the roof frame by cutting all rafters to a specific radius. A prefabricated conical frame which is topped by translucent sheet cover is inserted from the top and screwed to the rafters to act as a light well and a ventilator.