flood-proof bamboo pavilion anchors yasmeen lari's zero-carbon pono village in pakistan

nyami studio and jack rankin complete bamboo juliet center

In the flood-prone region of Sindh, Pakistan, the Juliet Center anchors a prototype development for resilient, community-driven architecture led by Yasmeen Lari. Within the Pono Village, conceived by the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan following the devastating floods of 2022, this new bamboo pavilion creates a flexible, open space to empower local residents. The project has thus been completed by Nyami Studio and Jack Rankin with a strong social focus, responding directly to the area’s environmental and economic vulnerabilities that intensified after 2022.

Extending Lari’s broader vision to foster self-sufficiency through vernacular techniques, the Juliet Center is built with low-cost and eco-friendly materials including bamboo, mud, lime, and thatch. It is shaped as a lightweight, vaulted structure that recalls the traditional domed forms familiar in Sindh, while translating them into a sinuous, modular silhouette. Within the open form framed by bamboo columns, it creates an inviting setting for spontaneous community gatherings while providing a space to host educational workshops, upskilling locals in sustainable building techniques.

all images courtesy of Nyami Studio

the pavilion champions environmental & social empowerment

Following the floods of 2022, the Pono Village was developed as a vital zero-carbon settlement — an extension of Yasmeen Lari’s exploration of sustainable shelters for marginalized communities who have been displaced by such disasters over the years. For the Juliet Center too, Lari commissioned London-based Nyami Studio and designer Jack Rankin to create a new node for the community, taking into consideration structural longevity and long-term civic empowerment — particularly for women, who are here trained in construction and craftsmanship to support their livelihoods. ‘At the heart of the project was a commitment to creating positive social impact,’ notes Rankin. ‘To support this, we designed a flexible, open-plan space that could serve both the local community and the Heritage Foundation, providing a setting for workshops, talks, and social gatherings.’

The structure consists of two vaults arranged on a hexagonal grid, spanning widely to open up to the village without the need for internal columns. Though the space maintains a basic open plan, its modularity ensures that it remains deliberately flexible for future expansions or replication in other settlements.‘It is for the community to inhabit, adapt, and use in ways that suit their daily lives,’ the designer adds.

Nyami Studio and Jack Rankin complete Juliet Center

a community space amid yasmeen lari’s zero-carbon pono village

For the construction process, Nyami Studio and Jack Rankin reinforced the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan’s commitment to preserving and promoting culturally rooted building practices, fusing this with the precision of digital design to work with the extreme climate while achieving complex geometries and durability.‘With no locally available methods for steaming or heating bamboo, we bent it by notching and shaping it into formwork,’ Rankin shares. Shaping these elements according to pre-calculating angles while integrating local techniques, the formwork was adjusted through a process of trial and error in close collaboration between the international design team and local villagers.

For the finishing, floors have been layered with 10,000 hand-made mud tiles fired in neighboring villages, and a durable, woven thatch roof made of locally-harvested grass offers protection from the extreme heat and rains. Structurally, the design utilizes 2-3′ bamboo members which allows for faster material procurement without compromising on spanning capacity or stability.

this new vaulted bamboo pavilion creates an open space to empower locals

While the building was still awaiting the completion of a perimeter of tiled steps and a retractable fabric facade when Jack Rankin and Neil Palmer (co-founder of Nyami Studio) departed Pakistan, it had already been embraced by the community. Children turned the Juliet Center into a playground, and adults gathered for afternoon tea, filling the space with life before the final finishes were even implemented.

built with traditionally low cost and eco-friendly materials including bamboo, mud, lime, and thatch

its curves recall the domed forms familiar in the region, translating them into a lightweight, sinuous silhouette

intended to host spontaneous community gatherings while providing a space for educational workshops

developed in close collaboration between the design team and villagers

floors are layered with 10,000 hand-made mud tiles fired in neighboring villages

‘With no locally available methods for steaming or heating bamboo, we bent it by notching and shaping it into formwork’

project info:

name: The Juliet Center

architect: Jack Rankin, Nyami Studio | @nyamistudio

location: Pono Village, Sindh, Pakistan