These Are the World’s 9 Most Beautiful Bamboo Buildings

Architectural Digest searched the world for the most beautiful structures made of bamboo, many of which are in Asia.

Bamboo has been a building material staple for centuries, especially in Asia, but is often used in more pedestrian applications. Architectural Digest magazine decided there was more to bamboo than that and set out to find the best examples around the world.

“Lightweight, durable and abundant, bamboo is one of the greenest building materials in the world,” the magazine wrote, “making bamboo buildings among the most sustainable. The fibrous grass rivals steel when it comes to tensile strength, but perhaps its greatest asset is how fast it grows.” AD called the buildings it singled out “biophilic masterpieces that inspire a feeling of being one with nature.” Here are its choices, though note they are not ranked within the nine:

1. The Arc at Green School (Bali, Indonesia), a wellness space and gymnasium created for the Green School in 2021 with bamboo arches spanning more than 62 feet.
Image: Tommaso Riva / Ibuku

2. Yakitori Restaurant and Bar at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru (Vabbinfaru Island, Maldives), a 2023 curved, bioclimatic structure, with a seawater infinity pool, overwater nets, and a shingled “tail” that links the building to the mainland.
Image: Joe Chua Agdeppa / Nomadic Resorts

3. Luum Temple at Luum Zama (Tulum, Mexico), an open-air wellness studio nested within a residential development called Luum Zama.
Image: Cesar Bejar

4. Bamboo Sports Hall at Panyaden International School (Chiang Mai, Thailand), modeled after the shape of a lotus and containing more than 8,400 square feet with trusses spanning 55 feet.
Image: Markus Roselieb

5. Tree House at Bambu Indah (Bali, Indonesia), an eco-friendly boutique hotel nestled into the terraced landscape of the Sayan Ridge.
Image: Bambu Indah

6. Grand World Phu Quoc Welcome Center (Phu Quoc, Vietnam), measuring nearly 16,000 square feet and comprised of 42,000 bamboo culms or shoots.
Image: Hiroyuki Oki / VTN Architects

7. Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort (Punta Mita, Mexico), a 15-unit luxury hotel built on 48 acres of lush tropical forest.
Image: Naviva, a Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico

8. Piyandeling Complex (West Java, Indonesia), consisting of a family home, a community gathering hall and a multiuse commercial space.
Image: Eric Dinardi