In Collaboration with Kecho Collective, Hanoi, Vietnam

The 4 hectare (10 acre) Lam Son Sustainable Bamboo Education Campus will serve as an international hub for bamboo research, architecture, art and craftsmanship as well as an educational and vocational complex for local and regional visitors to receive training, improve skills or learn a new trade.

Located within the 160 hectare (395 acre) Thanh Tam Bamboo EcoPark in the Lam Son, Thanh Hoa province in northwestern Vietnam, the Campus will advance the overall mission of the EcoPark to celebrate the agricultural, historical and spiritual significance of the region.

Planned in accordance with traditional Vietnamese temple complex design, incorporating open pavilions, water features, shaded porticos and landscaped gardens surrounding a large, open courtyard, the programmatic components of the Campus include: Bamboo processing and treatment facilities; workshop, studio and classroom spaces; exhibition, gallery and construction mock-up areas; a café; artist-in-residence bungalows; an administrative pavilion; and a variety of reflecting pools and open, public courtyards where the local community can hold events and celebrations.

Contrary to western society’s more recent ‘discovery’ of the value, quality and sustainable advantages of using bamboo, the Vietnamese have had a centuries-long tradition, indeed, a genuinely spiritual reverence, of experience, knowledge and practice of working with bamboo. The Lam Son Bamboo Educational Campus will continue that tradition while sharing their knowledge, experience and research with the global community. Additionally, it aims to bolster the recognition and trade of the area, improve the local economy, and enhance the skills and living standards of the local community, while bringing honor and pride to the region overall.

Project Team:

New York: Richard Lucas; Tuan Nguyen

Hanoi: Tuan Nguyen; Rafael Panissard; Manh Ha Vu; Kien Le Trung