Forest Facade: Bamboo Shoots Up, Shades & Fences House

Yesterday’s steel bars are todays bamboo poles. Blinds and shades may add privacy, but do little to secure a property. A clever, cheap and green solution, this undulating sheet of bamboo does double-duty work (or triple, if you count the impressive aesthetic effect!).

ROEWU did not get lucky – they got smart: find something easy-growing that shoots up fast, buy what is for sale on the cheap, and make it work wonders, rather than bending a design to your whims at high material costs.

Opening windows is the easiest way to provide natural ventilation to a home – these green bamboo ‘fences’ are narrowly spaced to prevent intruders from climbing in an open void, but let air pass in and out naturally.

The concrete block walls making up the structural core of the house would be incredibly boring were it not for the addition of a dynamic and organic design element, almost like an abstract type of modern ivy (or vertical garden) climbing up the sides of the building.

On the inside, shadows can be seen, cast by the facade of sticks outside, but mostly it is a simple and efficient home, laid out to take advantage of a long and narrow lot, and finished with a combination of white walls and ceilings with wood floors, furniture and accents.

A mostly-metal rooftop deck is partially shaded by these as well, providing some visual separation from neighbors while allowing views out from above.

The end result is a sustainable three-story home that requires no window bars for safety nor air conditioning to control the heat., invites natural light and breezes without compromising personal security. Not bad for a house based on inexpensive materials and simple building methods