Patterns in Nature Bamboo Rest Pavilion
August, 2026
Kyoto University
The bamboo design workshop was officially completed, culminating in an opening and unveiling event held on August 20th. This joint creation brought together Kyoto University, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and Kagoshima University under a collaboration agreement titled “TSUCHI: Training Students in Understanding and Coding nature for reHarmonizing natural and built environment.” Financed by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills through the UTFORSK program, the scope of the TSUCHI project aims to strengthen long-lasting collaboration between educational programs at NTNU and Japanese universities, training students in the creative development of design solutions for a more sustainable built environment.
A total of 20 participants—including 6 students from Kyoto University, 8 students from NTNU, 3 students from Kagoshima University, and faculty members—collaborated seamlessly throughout the workshop. Designed and built in just ten days, the bamboo bench and pergola (shade structure) were created for the Katsurazaka Chuo Community Garden, which opened this past April. In designing the space, the goal was to create a place where garden users could sit down and take shelter from the sun between work.
Experimenting directly with the organic nature of bamboo, the students explored many different design proposals before selecting an ambitious pavilion idea that utilizes the natural curvature and flexibility of the material. Students integrated computational and tactile workflows, combining digital design tools like Rhino and Grasshopper with physical scale models. On-site, participants learned traditional craft techniques, such as tying traditional Japanese knots like otoko musubi. The project also provided local carpenters with a unique opportunity for international collaboration, exchanging traditional craft skills with advanced parametric modeling approaches.
This project grew out of meetings for the Katsurazaka Park Park-UP initiative and was carried out as a joint extracurricular program part of the design workshop "Patterns in Nature." Ultimately, this collaborative effort between Katsurazaka residents and academic institutions serves as a practical example of Kyoto City's vision of "Connect, Tie, and Intermingle"—driven autonomously by local residents in a distinctively "Katsurazaka way."
