With the tagline “Bamboo. Tension. Integrity,” experts, namely, Luis Lopez of nonprofit organization BASE Bahay Inc, Dr. Bing Caasi-Lit, researcher and scientist from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and Architect Christian Salandanan from SANGAY Architects discussed the seemingly never-ending uses of bamboo, often described as a sustainable material for construction, during Bamboo Tensegrity, a three-day symposium followed by hands-on workshop and several demonstrations.
Andry Widyowijatnoko, Indonesian bamboo architect and author of Traditional and Innovative Joints in Bamboo Construction, discussed how the product is used as a building medium.
After the seminar, Widyowijatnoko guided the participants, composed of faculty and students from both Polytechnic University of the Philippines and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, in working and constructing with the plant, as well as directing them in adopting traditional and innovative joints used in assembling structures, to complete a geosphere as finished product.
The event was made possible through the collaboration between Architect Jocelyn Lutap, PUP’s Architecture Program Chairperson, and Architect David Barcelona of the Social and Academic Guild for Architecture (SAGA) of Benilde’s Architecture Program.