Augmented Reality-driven Bamboo Architecture

Description

Explore the pioneering work of Dr. Kristof Crolla and Dr. Garvin Goepel on the integration of digital technology into bamboo architecture. By downloading the augmented reality (AR) app, you can access an immersive experience that allows you witness the physical scale models of their bamboo projects at full scale through holograms made visible directly onto your mobile device.

The exhibition includes seminal projects like the 2015 “ZCB Bamboo Pavilion” in Hong Kong, which celebrated its 10th anniversary; “MemutAR”, a bamboo pavilion created for the Bamboo World Congress in Taiwan in 2024; “Bale Timbang”, a community project built with Hong Kong students for a farming community in Bali, 2025; and the “Bamboo U Dome”, a lecture hall, workshop, and cultural event space at the Bamboo U campus in Bali, 2024.

These projects utilised innovative computational workflows throughout their design, fabrication, and construction process, including AR- driven holographic instruction methods. This approach offers a far more intuitive and comprehensive alternative to traditional construction drawings, thus simplifying construction, making complex geometries more accessible—the philosophy of "Building Simplexity."

Biography

Dr Garvin Goepel specializes in the fields of Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on the investigation of collaborative interactions between humans and machines. He combines his practice “Augmented Architecture Ltd.” with his position as Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and co-investigator in the Building Simplexity Lab (BSL). His research advances studies in collaborative holographic-driven construction, expands opportunities for technology-infused craftsmanship, and reflects on workflows that replace conventional drawing-based communication with holographic instruction. His work is published widely and has contributed to award-winning mixed-reality art and architectural projects, such as for the World Architecture Festival Award 2024.

Dr Kristof Crolla is a Belgian architect and founder of Laboratory for Explorative Architecture & Design Ltd. (LEAD). He is a tenured Associate Professor and Associate Head (Technology Transfer) at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Architecture, where he directs the Bachelor of Arts & Science Design+ programme and founded the Building Simplexity Laboratory (BSL). His design research, most notably the ZCB Bamboo Pavilion, integrates advanced computation in architecture and has won numerous awards including the World Architecture Festival Award in 2016 and 2024. He holds a PhD from RMIT University and is a recognised expert in bamboo construction with INBAR.