VTN architects carves out intricate bamboo center with sculptural vaulting

an ethereal volume of bamboo

Fronting a resort on the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, VTN architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects) completes a luminous and ethereal welcome center. The massive structure takes shape as a sculptural assemblage of 42,000 pieces of bamboo, boldly signifying the entrance to the ‘Grand World Phu Quoc’ leisure resort.

Covering an area of 1,460 square meters (over 15,700 square feet), the massive space appears as a dense gridded volume with curving edges and an interior opened up with complex domes and vaulted voids. While dense, this expressive bamboo framework appears lightweight and transparent as natural light is allowed to filter through. Watch the intricate bamboo construction of the building and how it filters sunlight through its sculptural vaults in the artful video designboom received from the architects.

the structure takes shape as a sculptural assemblage of 42,000 pieces of bamboo | images © Hiroyuki Oki

the complex architecture by vo trong nghia

VTN architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects) (see more here) built its Phu Quoc welcome center almost entirely of bamboo shoots, which grow rapidly in the tropical climate of Vietnam. These shoots are joined together with the use of ropes and bamboo-made pins, a complex system that the design team notes proved to be uniquely challenging.

The structure is topped with a thatched roof which integrates skylights to further illuminate the space with natural light alongside the transparent grid which further served to ventilate the lofty interior. While the massive interior of the welcome center is open and breezy, the tones and texture of the natural material maintain a warm, intimate atmosphere.

an interior opened up with complex domes and vaulted voids

VTN architects’ sculpted interiors

Approaching Vietnam’s Phu Quoc resort, visitors are invited to cross a plaza and shallow reflecting pool, which leads to the arching threshold of VTN architects’ bamboo welcome center. This arched front opening carves a vaulted void through the length of the structure and leads visitors through two halls that take the shape of a ‘lotus and a bronze drum’ — traditional symbols to the area which were chosen by the design team in response to the client’s wish to embody the culture of Vietnam.

the welcome center is enclosed by a thatched roof