Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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ON a small island in the lake within the Perdana Botanical Gardens lies the Bamboo Playhouse, a public pavilion inspired by kampung structures of yore. Commissioned by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, its simplicity allows it to serve as a resting place, play area and meeting spot, and play host to events, exhibitions and performances.

The abundance of vegetation within the park — touted as Malaysia’s oldest such public space — is the perfect foil to the angular, deliberate design of the pavilion. On the other hand, the bamboo structure — more common in vernacular architecture — perfectly complements the surrounding natural environment.

As its name suggests, the pavilion’s playful nature is expressed in a few ways, namely the varying heights of the 31 decks that make up the entire space and the treehouses nestled amid these decks. Together, they imbue the Bamboo Playhouse with a three-dimensional quality, bringing it to life and inviting its visitors to explore and play in it.

According to its designer Eleena Jamil of Eleena Jamil Architect, she drew inspiration from the “wakaf”. Found in local villages, the “wakaf” typically offers its denizens a place of respite. They are essentially the decks that, grouped together, make up the Bamboo Playhouse. By combining the “wakaf” into a larger structure, she has likewise enlarged the functions of the decks into serving the community.

While humble in its source of inspiration, the Bamboo Playhouse’s concept has nonetheless drawn international recognition. It was shortlisted at the World Architecture Festival 2015 Singapore and in the “Best Sustainable Development” category of the Leading European Architecture Forum Awards 2016. It also received an honourable mention at the American Architecture Prize 2016.

This story first appeared in EdgeProp.my live! magazine. Download a FREE copy of live! magazine here.

 

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