eleena jamil's pavilion in malaysia is a colorful take on bamboo

eleena jamil is an architect and designer known for her beautiful bamboo structures. they are often elaborate and exciting works that focus the user to contemplate the built environment, and this work of hers in malaysia is no exception. it takes another look at the material of bamboo, which perhaps offers some building and sustainability solutions in our ever evolving world. bamboo is both easy to manufacture and strong. it’s an invasive plant and this pavilion uses it both beautifully and functionally. 

all images by pixelaw, courtesy of eleena jamil

the pavilion has a simple square plan consisting of four walls and exterior pillars which connect the wall with the roof. eleena jamil used the walls as an opportunity to create a pattern of layered bamboo. she created this enclosure, which, from the outside and in, appears almost like a work of art. stylistically, the pavilion has a pointillist effect, creating abstract images with an array of bright colors. the project was designed and built in collaboration with UN-habitat for the world urban forum 2018, which kuala lumpur hosted in february 2018.

a local resident inspecting the colorful structure

the pavilion sits in kuala lumpur’s downtown, and is surrounded by skyscrapers, concrete, and steel. the use of the natural material stands out even more with the addition of color to the bamboo. the pavilion is 4 by 4 meters and includes the use of 7,000 bamboo rings. the square is sometimes referred to as ‘urban brains’ and the visitors to the pavilion are encouraged to come to the pavilion and think of more sustainable ways to inhabit and build the city. 

the cityscape where bamboo appears out of the ordinary

night comes and the pavilion becomes illuminated

some of the bamboo is see through

this image exemplifies the structure of the pavilion

the pavilion includes seats fashioned from bamboo

in the evenings the pavilion is illuminated

the walls function as a great backdrop for photos

an illustration of the simplicity of the plan

an elevation and floor plan of the pavilion

project info:

architect: eleena jamil architect
collaborator: unhabitat (represented by carmelo ignaccolo and anastasia ignatova)
eleena jamil architect team: yusri amri yussoff, nurhidayah ab razak, barbara chang, nur azreen md ramli, tan min chuen, hanisah nordin, nurnajdah najib
bamboo workshop: bamboo jungle adventures (ir. ahmad mazlan, soufiyan arkalou, quentin ceroy, m. talha banggis, basti goodman, justin b. simoneau, anwar mohamed amir sapiha, zamri, azmi, azlan, mior amaran, mohd puad, wazir, jan schwez)
dimension: 4m x 4m x 2.8m (height)
location: medan pasar, kuala lumpur
year: 2018
photography: pixelaw