2023 Surajkund Craft Fair. Image © Suryan Dang
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https://www.archdaily.com/1033194/from-scaffolds-to-structures-indias-unfinished-journey-with-bamboo
Across Asia, bamboo scaffolding has symbolized an intersection of traditional knowledge and modern construction. Hong Kong’s skyline is shaped by intricate bamboo scaffolding, yet this time-honored craft is steadily vanishing from the region. Moving east, Indian cities still utilize bamboo scaffolding on building sites throughout the subcontinent, revealing a different kind of paradox.
Mumbai’s urban density is marked by lofty glass towers wrapped entirely in intricate bamboo scaffolding, which dwarf the permanent structures they support. Yet inside any of these structures, bamboo vanishes entirely. Modern Indian architecture speaks in the language of reinforced concrete and imported steel. Ironically, both resources arrived after traveling thousands of kilometers, even though bamboo is plentiful locally. The construction industry lives in a contradiction – a nation that has perfected the art of building complex temporary bamboo frameworks struggles to legitimize bamboo as a material for permanent architecture.
