VTN’s bamboo stalactite installation at the venice architecture biennale

the installation combines a practical modular system, with the romantic appeal of human craftsmanship.

maria erman May 24, 2018 2 min

vietnamese practice vo trong nghia architects (VTN) continues to surprise us with new architectural structures made of bamboo — or, as the architects call it, the ‘green steel of the 21st century’ — at this year’s biennale di venezia. titled ‘bamboo stalactite’, and set on the venetian waterside, the installation features 11 softly cut triangular columns creating an impressive bamboo structure serving as a resting area.

UPDATE: this project was shortlisted in the ‘display – completed buildings’ category at the 2018 world architecture festival.

VTN's bamboo stalactite installation at the venice architecture biennale - 1
image © designboom (also main image)

‘the term ‘stalactite’ is intriguing and suggests that this structure was conceived as hanging from the sky, just touching the ground at points so as not to fly away,’ comment yvonne farrell and shelley mcnamara, the curators of the biennale. ‘the manner in which the bamboo is worked, bent and tied creates an amazing independent strength, needing only to be anchored.’

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image © designboom

as the VTN team describes, the object combines a practical modular system approach with the romantic appeal of human craftsmanship. designed to be assembled and dismantled easily, the structure was shipped to venice from vietnam and brought together on site with help of vietnamese and italian architects and craftsmen.

VTN's bamboo stalactite installation at the venice architecture biennale - 3
image © designboom

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image © designboom

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image © designboom

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image © designboom

video courtesy of la biennale

venice architecture biennale golden lion

designboom’s coverage of the 2018 venice architecture biennale is in partnership with leading energy company edison. edison is taking part in the 16th international architecture exhibition of la biennale di venezia by initiating a path towards sustainability and the efficient use of resources. the collaboration between edison and la biennale is based on awareness that energy is one of the fundamental elements of architecture and of the places, spaces and cities of contemporary life.