Bamboo Community Center Celebrates Tradition While Exploring Modern Green Design

Thanks to its abundance and extreme strength and flexibility, bamboo is the ideal material to help creative-minded community builders realize their dreams. As Vietnam’s industrial boom lures many of its citizens away from the farms of their ancestors, an appreciation for tradition and cultural identity has decreased. Concerned Vietnamese, like architect Kien Viet, recognized this alarming side effect of national development and decided to create a cultural center where community would be celebrated. The remarkable result is Suoi Re Village Community House in Luong Son — a multi-purpose structure accommodating teaching, living and meeting spaces, a library, and a recreational courtyard.

Activity at the Community House focuses on bolstering education, collaboration and cultural conversation — and all this takes place amongst uniquely green designs. Using local materials like bamboo, stone and compressed earth, Kien Viet designed the structure with a solar cell system, rainwater collection tanks, geothermal heating and energy-efficient LED lighting. He hopes that local Vietnamese who still build their own homes will start to incorporate similar green technology. Although the Suoi Re Village Community House focuses on bolstering cultural identity and is reminiscent of the architecture traditions of the area’s Kinh and Muong people, its design is anything but traditional. Set against the lush jungle backdrop of a Suoi Re valley, the massive structure features a nautilus-inspired spiral staircase, sturdy, polished bamboo flooring, skylights, and a terraced, amphitheater-style outdoor gathering place. From across the globe Suoi Re reminds us what can be accomplished when bamboo meets green innovation and creativity.

Visit Inhabitat.com to read the original story and view more photos.

Cali Customers Tell Their Stories!

Mesa Rim Climbing and Fitness, the largest facility of it’s kind on the West Coast, recently installed Cali Bamboo flooring. Watch their story!

NEW! BamDeck^TM Composite Bamboo Decking

 
• 100% Recycled Materials
• TWICE as dense and strong as any other composite decking
• Low maintenance: no sealing, painting, or refinishing…EVER!
• The only deck made from 30% recycled bamboo fibers and 70% recycled plastics
• 9 installation options: 3 different colors with three surface choices: smooth, ridged, or alternating
• Easy to install, hidden fastening system
• Learn more about our new decks here!

 

Cali Bamboo Says “Bon Voyage” to an Original!

Cali Bamboo’s long-time accounting, HR rep and all-around “rock”, Janneke is retiring from our bamboo family. Janneke witnessed Cali Bamboo grow from two young surfers selling bamboo out of a van, to a company topping $10 million in annual sales. Excited to be starting a new chapter in her life, she plans to kick off retirement with a trip to New Zealand and an exciting foray into children’s book writing. Cali Bamboo would like to thank Janneke for all of her hard work and dedication through the years, and we look forward to many postcards and stories the way only Janneke can tell them.

Project of the Month

Congratulations to January’s Project of the Month Winners!

1st Place Chris B., New Gloucester, ME

2nd Place Gary T., Orem, UT

3rd Place Sam W.,Bastian, VA

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