This factory for making bamboo rafts is located in Xingcun, a rural enclave in southern China, where the climate is tropical. The L-shaped building reflects, first, the raft-making process. Each one of the parts arranged along a linear scheme accommodates one of the various manufacturing stages, beginning with storage of the bamboo stalks and ending with the assemblage of the components of the rafts.

Second, the L shape of the building addresses the climate. The narrow bays of the L (with 14-meter spans) make cross ventilation of the interior spaces possible.

What’s striking is that in spite of the project’s relationship with bamboo, this material is only used for frames and the lattices that protect the facades. There are plenty of cement factories in the vicinity, so the rest of the construction went up with cement-derived materials, such as concrete blocks for the walls and the ceilings. 

Finally, the building opens itself up to daylight in a controlled manner, through skylights looking north.