Bamboo Treehouse Project summary Bamboo Treehouse is a site-specific performance intended to provide an inspirational example of sustainable living to both the local and global population alike. The project is an ongoing interactive experiment, exploring my interest as an artist and environmentally aware human being in re-connecting with natural materials by engaging in an innovative, sustainable way of living. Using the knowledge, experience and infrastructure gained from construction of the first Bamboo Treehouse during Phase I of the project in 2006/07, I now intend to create a more stable, sustainable bamboo dwelling-structure in Phase II to be the location of an arts centre for knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary communication, both on-site and online.
Background information Bamboo is a giant evergreen grass and the fastest growing woody plant on Earth, rendering it ideal for the re-greening of degraded areas. Whilst growing, bamboo generates more oxygen than the same area of trees and can produce up to 5 times as much biomass once felled. Due to its unique properties, bamboo is an ideal and cheap building material; though it is stronger than steel, it is also light and flexible enough to withstand typhoons as well as being fully biodegradable. Employing bamboo as a construction material is certainly in trend amongst more eco-aware architects in the Western world. In Thailand, however, social stigma is attached to using the plant in this way. Locals associate bamboo with poverty and economic stagnation. For this reason, the vast majority of the Thai population no longer wants to use this traditional building material. Instead, concrete is preferred as a symbol of economic prosperity and development. Concrete, however, is highly unsuited to tropical climates; due to its enhanced ability to retain heat, all buildings made of concrete necessarily require air-conditioning, one of the prime contributors to human-induced climate change. The gaps between bamboo poles in buildings, however, provide a form of natural ventilation, thereby removing the need for artificial, electrically-powered ventilators. Bamboo is a readily-available, affordable material, allowing anyone to build their own house. Therefore, it is an ideal building material for the treehouse arts centre which I intend to build. It not only enables me to fulfill my desire of living and working as sustainably as possible; its use also grants the project a high degree of autonomy because it is easy to connect and manipulate, thereby removing the need for an architect.
Project Phase I: 2006-2010 In 1992, I purchased a 2000 m2 plot of land, located in San Kamphang district in northern Thailand, around 40km away from Chiang Mai city. The nearest settlement is the village of Moo baan Hua Sai, comprising approx. 600 inhabitants. The plot is situated on a gentle slope at the edge of the foothills of mountains to the north. The dominant biotope is subtropical forest, comprising an intricate mix of evergreen and deciduous trees, including oaks, chestnuts, teak, neem and pines. Using traditional Thai techniques of weaving bamboo, I began construction of the first Bamboo Treehouse around a giant neem tree on my plot of land in November 2006. During the construction period, I commuted for a total of 4 hours daily by mountain-bike from Chiang Mai city, in order to use a sustainable method of transport which would not lead to an increase in my own carbon footprint. By January 2007, the 2-storey Treehouse was habitable enough to move in and I subsequently lived there for 9 months continuously, engaging a form of experimental autonomic art-practice.
During this first experimental living and working phase, I made many interesting discoveries which will prove invaluable for the project's success during Phase II. For example, I was curious to investigate the resistance of bamboo to climate and other environmental factors so I decided to leave it untreated. As a result, powder beetles and termites destroyed most of the structure during my later absence abroad so that now only the bathroom (where the bamboo was coated with concrete) and toilet remain. For this reason, the bamboo in Phase II will be treated with neem and salt, which is a completely natural and highly-effective protector against termite invasions.
Work plan of Project Phase II (unrealized project) :
By learning from the experiences I gained in Phase I, I would now like to develop my original idea further by creating a living, breathing, functional dwelling using natural materials. By constructing a more stable and sustainable Bamboo Treehouse using innovative building techniques, I endeavour to provide a living example of a sustainable way of life, in keeping with my ethical and environmental convictions. By actively sharing my concept of the "right to a good life", I hope to inspire others to follow my example and have the courage to adopt a sustainable way of living themselves.
The new 3-storey Bamboo Treehouse will incorporate the original structure remaining from Phase I, using the neem tree as basic support in harmony with its natural growth. The basic foundation will again be on stillts, which protects the building from humidity extremes, especially common during the rainy season. Inside the Bamboo Treehouse, I will build a Bamboo Earthhouse, which consists of woven bamboo that is coated a clay-straw mix. The Bamboo Treehouse protects the Bamboo Earthhouse from the rain, whereas the Bamboo Earthhouse provides excellent insulation. The walls of the first floor, designed for use during the warmer months of the year, will not be completely closed. Fresh breezes blowing through the gaps between the bamboo poles will provide adequate ventilation without the need for electricity-powered air-conditioning. The second floor, located in the tree canopy itself, will be accessed by a bamboo ladder and provide an ideal sleeping platform, or guest-room, if need be. Of course, it will be necessary to intermittently replace single rotten bamboo poles which, as a natural material, are subject to wear-and-tear. However, many different species of bamboo grow prolifically on-site so it will be possible to source the replacement building-material with ease.
I would like to replace wood as the site's current energy source with a long-term sustainable combination of biogas and solar cells. I took a course in biogas production in the local village and now possess the knowledge to install my own simple energy-production system. Using a series of plastic tanks, it is possible to convert human/animal/vegetative waste into energy in just 14 days. A single 200 litre plastic tank provides enough electricity for the needs of an average- sized family and would therefore be sufficient to meet the energy needs of the Treehouse when visitors are there.
I will also purchase solar cells to harness the readily-available supply of energy from the sun which will provide power for a webcam to document the construction and living process. An important aim of the Bamboo Treehouse is to inform others about the possibility of sustainable, autonomous living. Thai society is currently undergoing a rapid phase of development, changing the desires and perceptions of the population to the detriment of the environment. It is now becoming common in even the most remote villages for every household to have a flatscreen TV, microwave and fridge. Those who have built a concrete villa also require air-conditioning. The increased energy requirements are providing a strain on the existing infrastructure and contributing more and more to global warming.
I would like to be a living example of an alternative, more traditional way of living. By going back to the roots, I would like to provide an inspiration to local people, enabling them to observe first- hand that a more spartan lifestyle, in harmony with the environment, is also viable and fun! Positive feedback from the villagers during Phase I inspires me to be more ambitious during Phase II, attempting to buck the consumption trend to an even greater extent.
In order to communicate with the world further afield, I would like to set up a live-stream of the building-process, providing an online workshop for people all around the world. Using the internet connection already available in the village, I will provide an ongoing form of online documentation of the site-specific performance. At every stage of the project, it will be possible to view progress and exchange ideas about the future course of action. In this way, I endeavour to create a platform for communication about experimental architecture and sustainable ways of living, enabling users to exchange ideas and knowledge about the "right to a good life". Once the basic infrastructure of the Bamboo Treehouse is in place, I would like to use the dwelling as the centrepiece of an information centre for communication and exchange about sustainable arts. Interested visitors from around the world would be welcome to come and participate in the living arts experiment. Due to the mild climate, visitors could be accommodated in tents on site and use the lake as an alternative washing-facility to the bathroom! Of course, guests would be instructed in using the alternative forest supermarket (picking up mushrooms) and encouraged to learn about how the site functions during their stay.
As far as I am concerned, I want to live as sustainably as possible, creating a minimal impact on the natural environment. By living my vision of the "right to a good life", I seek to stimulate reflection among my fellow human beings about their own interaction with the environment. The Bamboo Treehouse arts project aims to inspire others to follow the path of sustainable living by showing that self-determination and independence from corporative interests is a viable solution to the damage to the biosphere and quality of life created by climate change. Through its harmonious co-existence with the environment and others in society, I am hoping that the Bamboo Treehouse arts project will trigger positive change both on a local and a global scale.
Suwan Laimanee
email: suwanlamn@gmail.com
Bamboo Treehouse Project summary Bamboo Treehouse is a site-specific performance intended to provide an inspirational example of sustainable living to both the local and global population alike. The project is an ongoing interactive experiment, exploring my interest as an artist and environmentally aware human being in re-connecting with natural materials by engaging in an innovative, sustainable way of living. Using the knowledge, experience and infrastructure gained from construction of the first Bamboo Treehouse during Phase I of the project in 2006/07, I now intend to create a more stable, sustainable bamboo dwelling-structure in Phase II to be the location of an arts centre for knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary communication, both on-site and online.
Background information Bamboo is a giant evergreen grass and the fastest growing woody plant on Earth, rendering it ideal for the re-greening of degraded areas. Whilst growing, bamboo generates more oxygen than the same area of trees and can produce up to 5 times as much biomass once felled. Due to its unique properties, bamboo is an ideal and cheap building material; though it is stronger than steel, it is also light and flexible enough to withstand typhoons as well as being fully biodegradable. Employing bamboo as a construction material is certainly in trend amongst more eco-aware architects in the Western world. In Thailand, however, social stigma is attached to using the plant in this way. Locals associate bamboo with poverty and economic stagnation. For this reason, the vast majority of the Thai population no longer wants to use this traditional building material. Instead, concrete is preferred as a symbol of economic prosperity and development. Concrete, however, is highly unsuited to tropical climates; due to its enhanced ability to retain heat, all buildings made of concrete necessarily require air-conditioning, one of the prime contributors to human-induced climate change. The gaps between bamboo poles in buildings, however, provide a form of natural ventilation, thereby removing the need for artificial, electrically-powered ventilators. Bamboo is a readily-available, affordable material, allowing anyone to build their own house. Therefore, it is an ideal building material for the treehouse arts centre which I intend to build. It not only enables me to fulfill my desire of living and working as sustainably as possible; its use also grants the project a high degree of autonomy because it is easy to connect and manipulate, thereby removing the need for an architect.
Project Phase I: 2006-2010 In 1992, I purchased a 2000 m2 plot of land, located in San Kamphang district in northern Thailand, around 40km away from Chiang Mai city. The nearest settlement is the village of Moo baan Hua Sai, comprising approx. 600 inhabitants. The plot is situated on a gentle slope at the edge of the foothills of mountains to the north. The dominant biotope is subtropical forest, comprising an intricate mix of evergreen and deciduous trees, including oaks, chestnuts, teak, neem and pines. Using traditional Thai techniques of weaving bamboo, I began construction of the first Bamboo Treehouse around a giant neem tree on my plot of land in November 2006. During the construction period, I commuted for a total of 4 hours daily by mountain-bike from Chiang Mai city, in order to use a sustainable method of transport which would not lead to an increase in my own carbon footprint. By January 2007, the 2-storey Treehouse was habitable enough to move in and I subsequently lived there for 9 months continuously, engaging a form of experimental autonomic art-practice.
During this first experimental living and working phase, I made many interesting discoveries which will prove invaluable for the project's success during Phase II. For example, I was curious to investigate the resistance of bamboo to climate and other environmental factors so I decided to leave it untreated. As a result, powder beetles and termites destroyed most of the structure during my later absence abroad so that now only the bathroom (where the bamboo was coated with concrete) and toilet remain. For this reason, the bamboo in Phase II will be treated with neem and salt, which is a completely natural and highly-effective protector against termite invasions.
Work plan of Project Phase II (unrealized project) :
By learning from the experiences I gained in Phase I, I would now like to develop my original idea further by creating a living, breathing, functional dwelling using natural materials. By constructing a more stable and sustainable Bamboo Treehouse using innovative building techniques, I endeavour to provide a living example of a sustainable way of life, in keeping with my ethical and environmental convictions. By actively sharing my concept of the "right to a good life", I hope to inspire others to follow my example and have the courage to adopt a sustainable way of living themselves.
The new 3-storey Bamboo Treehouse will incorporate the original structure remaining from Phase I, using the neem tree as basic support in harmony with its natural growth. The basic foundation will again be on stillts, which protects the building from humidity extremes, especially common during the rainy season. Inside the Bamboo Treehouse, I will build a Bamboo Earthhouse, which consists of woven bamboo that is coated a clay-straw mix. The Bamboo Treehouse protects the Bamboo Earthhouse from the rain, whereas the Bamboo Earthhouse provides excellent insulation. The walls of the first floor, designed for use during the warmer months of the year, will not be completely closed. Fresh breezes blowing through the gaps between the bamboo poles will provide adequate ventilation without the need for electricity-powered air-conditioning. The second floor, located in the tree canopy itself, will be accessed by a bamboo ladder and provide an ideal sleeping platform, or guest-room, if need be. Of course, it will be necessary to intermittently replace single rotten bamboo poles which, as a natural material, are subject to wear-and-tear. However, many different species of bamboo grow prolifically on-site so it will be possible to source the replacement building-material with ease.
I would like to replace wood as the site's current energy source with a long-term sustainable combination of biogas and solar cells. I took a course in biogas production in the local village and now possess the knowledge to install my own simple energy-production system. Using a series of plastic tanks, it is possible to convert human/animal/vegetative waste into energy in just 14 days. A single 200 litre plastic tank provides enough electricity for the needs of an average- sized family and would therefore be sufficient to meet the energy needs of the Treehouse when visitors are there.
I will also purchase solar cells to harness the readily-available supply of energy from the sun which will provide power for a webcam to document the construction and living process. An important aim of the Bamboo Treehouse is to inform others about the possibility of sustainable, autonomous living. Thai society is currently undergoing a rapid phase of development, changing the desires and perceptions of the population to the detriment of the environment. It is now becoming common in even the most remote villages for every household to have a flatscreen TV, microwave and fridge. Those who have built a concrete villa also require air-conditioning. The increased energy requirements are providing a strain on the existing infrastructure and contributing more and more to global warming.
I would like to be a living example of an alternative, more traditional way of living. By going back to the roots, I would like to provide an inspiration to local people, enabling them to observe first- hand that a more spartan lifestyle, in harmony with the environment, is also viable and fun! Positive feedback from the villagers during Phase I inspires me to be more ambitious during Phase II, attempting to buck the consumption trend to an even greater extent.
In order to communicate with the world further afield, I would like to set up a live-stream of the building-process, providing an online workshop for people all around the world. Using the internet connection already available in the village, I will provide an ongoing form of online documentation of the site-specific performance. At every stage of the project, it will be possible to view progress and exchange ideas about the future course of action. In this way, I endeavour to create a platform for communication about experimental architecture and sustainable ways of living, enabling users to exchange ideas and knowledge about the "right to a good life". Once the basic infrastructure of the Bamboo Treehouse is in place, I would like to use the dwelling as the centrepiece of an information centre for communication and exchange about sustainable arts. Interested visitors from around the world would be welcome to come and participate in the living arts experiment. Due to the mild climate, visitors could be accommodated in tents on site and use the lake as an alternative washing-facility to the bathroom! Of course, guests would be instructed in using the alternative forest supermarket (picking up mushrooms) and encouraged to learn about how the site functions during their stay.
As far as I am concerned, I want to live as sustainably as possible, creating a minimal impact on the natural environment. By living my vision of the "right to a good life", I seek to stimulate reflection among my fellow human beings about their own interaction with the environment. The Bamboo Treehouse arts project aims to inspire others to follow the path of sustainable living by showing that self-determination and independence from corporative interests is a viable solution to the damage to the biosphere and quality of life created by climate change. Through its harmonious co-existence with the environment and others in society, I am hoping that the Bamboo Treehouse arts project will trigger positive change both on a local and a global scale.
Suwan Laimanee
email: suwanlamn@gmail.com