Design & Construction of the Bamboo Sports Hall

Here we show the design and construction process of the Bamboo Sports Hall.

The architectural brief was that the hall should provide space for futsal, volleyball, basketball, and badminton. Besides the standard size courts there will also be game lines for 3 smaller mini-volleyball and badminton practice courts for smaller kids.

The design concept of the Panyaden School Assembly and Indoor Sports Hall originated from the lotus flower as the school is still basing it’s core teachings on Buddhist educational principles.

The architecture of the Panyaden International School Bamboo Sports Hall is unique as the structural design is based on bamboo trusses that create a span of 15 meters with an equal height without any steel reinforcements. True to its core mission as a green school, the whole structure is made of well selected and treated bamboo and demonstrates the potential of this unique natural material. Two engineers were used to carefully calculate the loads, tensions and sheer forces and designed the structure according to 21st century engineering practices.

An exact model of the Panyaden School Assembly and Indoor Sports Hall was made with little bamboo sticks not only to show the project to the client but also to better understand structural issues and to communicate the construction process to the crew.

The bamboo trusses were then pre-built on the floor, foundations were prepared and the trusses then lifted into place by a crane.