Bamboo Biennale in Baoxi

Baoxi is located west of Longquan City, which, according to the website of the International Bamboo Architecture Biennale, "still retains a lot of traditional handcrafts which blend the past and the present together." In particular, "the main industries of making celadon [glazed pottery] and swords and the processing of bamboo & wood drives the local economic development." Curated by local artist Ge Qiantao and architect George Kunihiro, the Biennale is an intentional contrast to the large-scale concrete buildings that litter the Chinese landscape. Refreshingly, all of the contributions were built as permanent additions to the village of Baoxi.

The curators oversaw eighteen projects designed by a dozen architects (including themselves), with many notable names: Anna Herringer, Kengo Kuma, Vo Trong Nghia, Li Xiaodong, and Simon Velez, to name a few. Keisuke Maeda's UID architects contributed one of the numerous projects that unite bamboo architecture with the area's traditional ceramics.

Although overshadowed by the Venice Architecture Biennale last year, the International Bamboo Architecture Biennale may have a greater impact, especially as photos by Lanoo and others bring more attention to the remote village's great collection of bamboo architecture. Most certainly, the Biennale's next iteration will not be overlooked.

Visit Julien Lanoo's profile on Belgium-Architects to see more of the International Bamboo Architecture Biennale – with more on Lanoo's own website.