developed by a research team at the school of architecture of the chinese university of hong kong (CUHK), TOROO is a public art installation in hsinchu, taiwan, that pushes the boundaries of bamboo as a structural material. led by prof. kristof crolla and with project architect mr. garvin goepel, the work was on display between 29 june? 22 july 2019 as part of the ?fun old town? event, where local volunteers assisted in its construction.

images courtesy of the chinese university of hong kong school of architecture (CUHK)
 
 
positioned on a small public stage in pei ta park, TOROO experiments with the combination of sustainable construction and local craftsmanship to produce a highly engaging architectural intervention that activates the existing space. using bamboo splits, the team at CUHK has built a hyper-lightweight, bending-active gridshell structure defined by a fluid and organic form.
 
 
with its rounded, cocoon-like form, the temporary pavilion invites visitors to interact with the installation. as they meander through the shell, the structure hides and reveals itself, resulting in an ephemeral place typified by varying levels of enclosure. appearing almost to float on the water, the architecture effectively evokes the idea of a structure found in nature.

 
 
bamboo was selected as the construction material as it is fast-growing and carbon-sequestering, making it far more sustainable than other wood species. TOROO advocates for the integration of bamboo a...