Bamboo Roof

2026

photo: okuyama haruhi / via Studio on_site


Design: Hiroshi Ohno (Studio on_site) + Yuta Shimoda / Fabrication: Hiroshi Ohno, Yuta Shimoda and the Studio on_site team / Bamboo supplied by 森川佳竹材店 / Venue: The 43rd National Urban Greening Fair in Kyoto Tamba, Kameoka, Kyoto, 18 September – 8 November 2026

A large bamboo roof built from bamboo cut while clearing the groves of Kameoka. Bamboo poles are suspended from a 7 m tower at the center, forming a roof-like space that spans 22 m on its long axis and 18 m on its short axis. Because a single pole cannot bridge such distances, poles are spliced at mid-length, producing a long-span structure that draws on the lightness and flexibility of bamboo. Beneath the roof, the space rises toward the center, with benches where visitors can sit and rest, meet, and take in the surrounding scenery — a place of respite for the greening fair. Large enough to be seen from the direction of the station, the roof also serves as a symbolic landmark welcoming visitors to the venue.

Co-designed with Hiroshi Ohno (Studio on_site). Designed the splices and connections using a newly developed 3D-printed joint that accounts for bamboo's tendency to split, verified member capacity through tensile tests, checked wind loads, and produced 3D models — securing structural performance while accommodating the nodes and natural variation inherent to bamboo.

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