Trilix Bamboo Pavilion

Installed at the Parc du Cinquantenaire as part of the New European Bauhaus Festival, the Trilix pavilion serves as a symbol for sustainable construction practices and encourages future generations to embrace eco-friendly materials and design solutions. It is completely made out of bamboo – and showcases the potential of this material in the built environment.

Locally sourced bamboo from Georgia and the Netherlands

The Trilix pavilion was part of the European Bauhaus Festival, an initiative of the European Commission in Brussels. This exciting event celebrated innovation, sustainability, and arts with a special focus on the use of sustainable and bio-based materials. The pavilion encourages architects and designers to be open to incorporate bamboo as a structural material in their designs – a grass which has the potential to absorb CO₂ more effectively than most timber species.

Echoing the festival’s ethos, the Trilix pavilion was made of locally sourced bamboo. Bamboo has many uses and if exploited to its full potential, could be a great contributor towards a sustainable future. It can mature within three to eight years. and grows well in poor soils – even in Europe, including the Netherlands.

Design, engineering and construction

The design of the pavilion is a reiteration of a previous design by bkvv architecten for a bamboo pavilion built in Uganda. This version involves three doubly curved mushroom columns supported by bamboo frames, with split bamboo for cladding. These doubly curved mushroom columns meet in the center to form an oculus. The pavilion is rigidly connected to the foundation pads at the bottom by bolts, which are weighed down by ballast weight. These foundation pads also act as a seating for the visitors.

Summum Engineering helped the design team by reviewing the structural system on overall structural stability and structural design, proposing practical connection details and with ballast calculations, to assess stability under lateral and vertical windloads.

The construction of the bamboo pavilion involved a collaborative effort between different involved parties. The European bamboo was carefully selected and harvested from sustainable bamboo suppliers in Georgia and the Netherlands. The selected bamboo was properly treated to make it fit for construction. Under the guidance of skilled bamboo carpenters, the bamboo pavilion was built with traditional joinery techniques such as lashing and bamboo peg joints. Since the bamboo is exposed to weathering, it was provided a protective coat to increase its life.

A Celebration of Innovation and Sustainability

The construction of the bamboo pavilion for the New European Bauhaus Festival is celebration of innovation and sustainability in architecture and design. It showcases how a humble plant can be transformed into a stunning structure that harmonizes with its surroundings and captures the spirit of innovation and sustainability. The pavilion is planned to be installed in the future at various other events, workshops, and exhibitions that promote the exchange of ideas and inspire creative solutions for a more sustainable future. The next opportunity to see this pavilion is at the Dutch Design Week 2024 in Eindhoven!

Client and architect
studio akeka | Sanne Eekel, Robert van Kats

Supported by
Dutch Bamboo Foundation

Bamboo consulting
Vinc Math

Structural engineering
Anand Shah, Rik Rozendaal | Summum Engineering

Photography
Red Pixl Media