Beijing
A serendipitous discovery of bamboo.
A couple of surprises awaited Japanese architect Shigeru Ban when he was among the twelve Asian architects invited to design villas as part of an experimental hotel development known as the Commune by the Great Wall.
Looking for building materials locally, Ban discovered that there was little available in wood. What he did find was laminated plywood made from thin strips of bamboo woven into sheets, used as framework for concrete. With help from a bamboo factory he managed to create lumber from laminated bamboo, a construction material with a structural strength between timber and steel. Inspired by traditional Chinese architecture in the remote, rugged landscape, Ban situated his low-slung building around a main courtyard, with all rooms placed around in a simple square footprint. Ban's design is based on what he calls the "furniture system": using pre-fabricated, insulated components for the main structure as well as the interior and exterior walls. But he is convinced that the future of laminated bamboo as a building material "has a great prospect". 
