mark emery introduces bamboo waves to australian coastline

‘bamboo waves’ by mark emery, sydney, australia
all images courtesy of mark emery

every year, over 1000 entries are submitted for the ‘sculpture by the sea‘ exhibition held on sydney’s picturesque coastline. of the 160 selected artists and architects, bamboo building expert mark emery of bambooroo‘s ‘bamboo waves’ creates an inviting and functional pavilion for general audiences. a stainless steel track meanders through the sand, anchoring the numerous rods that meet along a single structural axis that holds the tarp canopy held down by steel struts. the sculpture was erected by three men in two days, and only took half a day to dismantle. long time champions of bamboo as a contemporary high-end building material, bambooroo takes any opportunity to share its sustainable possibilities with the world.

architect mark emery explains:

‘we are proud to be featuring a bamboo structural intervention as sculpture on sydney’s coastline. ‘bamboo waves’ is the arrival of bamboo as an engineered structural product to australia, and what’s exciting is that it’s being exhibited in the public domain.’

tensile canopy provides shade

playful design allows children to pass through the columns

sinuous track sits on the sand anchoring the angled columns

project info:

architect: mark emery
location: sydney, australia
year: 2012
canopy development: makmax
structural footings: david duffield, eng.