studio jencquel and IBUKU design and build bamboo badminton court in indonesia

studio jencquel teamed up with IBUKU to design and build this bamboo badminton court in indonesia. named ‘kura kura’, the scheme is inspired by shape of a tortoise shell with the entire pavilion, including the structure and roofing, made from bamboo. allowing for the uninterrupted trajectory of a shuttlecock, the roof soars to a total height of nine meters (30 feet). meanwhile, the floor of the 200 square meter (2,150 square foot) space is finished with a special rubber resin.

all images by tommaso riva

it was studio jencquel’s initial idea to conceive a convex roofline that would solve some of the ergonomic requirements needed for an indoor badminton court — such as the height of the space. to help develop the concept and design the structure, studio jencquel’s founder maximilian jencquel approached his friend elora hardy from IBUKU — a firm with great experience in designing bamboo projects.

hardy and the IBUKU team then came up with the basket-like woven structure, which they also built with a team of bamboo carpenters. ⁠other considerations the designers had to take into account included the need to allow airflow for cooling, while simultaneously stopping wind from interfering with the shuttlecock’s flight. consequently, the building was oriented in response to predominant wind patterns with the roof almost grazing the ground on the two longer elevations. see other bamboo projects on designboom here, including this pavilion built using digital fabrication methods.

project info:

name: kura kura badminton court
location: indonesia
design: studio jencquel + IBUKU
photography: tommaso riva