Indochine Cafe, Kontum, Vietnam

B amboo architecture may well seem to be some sort of exotic form of field, especially in the Western context. The cultures of East Asia and the South Pacific have traditionally shown affinity for bamboo as a construction material. Vietnamese firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects has constructed various buildings using bamboo, including prototypes for modular homes and a domed bar at the centre of a lake.

Kontum Indochine Cafe is designed as a part of a hotel complex along Dakbla River in Kontum City, Middle Vietnam. Located on a corner plot, the cafe is composed of two major elements: a main building with a big horizontal roof made of bamboo structure and an annex kitchen made of concrete frames and stones.

T he main building has a rectangular plan surrounded by a shallow artificial lake. All elevations are open to the air: the south facade faces the main street along Dakbla River, the east to the service street, the west to a restaurant and banquet building belonging to the hotel complex and the north to the annex kitchen which serves the cafe. By providing shadow under the bamboo roof and maximising the cool air flow across the water surface of the lake, the open-air indoor space successfully operates without using air conditioning even in a tropical climate. The roof is covered by fibre-reinforced plastic panels and thatch. The translucent synthetic panels are partly exposed in the ceiling to provide natural light in the deep centre of the space under the roof.

The roof of the main building is supported by a pure bamboo structure composed of 15 inverse-cone-shaped units. The form of these columns was inspired by a traditional Vietnamese basket for fishing which gradually narrows from the top toward the base. This open structure maximises the wind flow into the building during the summer, while resisting harsh storms during the windy season.

From the cafe, hotel guests can enjoy a great panoramic view of the mountains and Dakbla River framed by the bamboo arches. The bamboo columns create an inner lining, giving the impression of being in a bamboo forest and show the continuity to the mountains as seen from the cafe.

Comprehensive check

Task 1. Answer the questions.

1. What is bamboo?

2. Why is bamboo considered a green building material?

3. How is bamboo used in construction?

4. Are there any disadvantages of using bamboo as a building material?

5. What are the main properties of bamboo?

6. What makes bamboo cost-effective?

Task 2. Decide whether these sentences are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. Bamboo is a renewable and versatile resource, characterized by high strength and low weight.

2. Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing woody plant.

3. Bamboo is an anisotropic material. Properties in the longitudinal direction are similar to those in the transversal direction.

4. Bamboo is excellent at absorbing carbon and releasing oxygen.

5. Bamboo has a tensile strength that rivals concrete.

6. Bamboo is included into building codes and standards.

7. Bamboo grows primarily in temperate and subarctic areas.

8. The thickness of the culm does not change from the base of the culm to the top.

Task 3. Match the synonyms.

adhesive spruce timber rate raw property saturate laminated

wood unprocessed quality conifer soak glue multi-layer speed cost