Community pavilion · Bocas del Toro
Bamíka
A sunset viewpoint pavilion shaped like an open cacao pod: a gathering place for the communities of Bocas del Toro.
Location
Bocas del Toro, Panama
Type
Community pavilion
Material
Guadua angustifolia
Featured by
Bamboo U
The concept
Born from a cacao pod
Bamíka takes its form from the open cacao pod, with a central tower inspired by the stamens of the cacao flower. The reference is deliberate: cacao cultivation is woven into the culture of the Ngäbe-Buglé, the indigenous community of this coast.
The pavilion is elevated off the ground, the way Ngäbe-Buglé homes have been built for generations, and its canopy carries the pale colour of white cacao beans.
The structure
A reciprocal frame in guadua
The roof is carried by a reciprocal frame: beams that lean on each other in a closed loop, so the structure holds itself. It's one of the most elegant things guadua can do: the strength of steel, curved into a form timber can't achieve.
Bamíka is designed as a public living room: a place to gather, cool down and watch the sun drop into the Caribbean.
Architecture that knows where it stands.
Bamíka · Bocas del Toro
Featured by Bamboo U. Bamíka was developed during the Bamboo U design programme in Bali and published as a case study on designing with cacao-pod geometry in guadua bamboo.
Read the featureCommissions
Have a place worth building for?
We design, supply and build each project end to end. One team, fully accountable. From the first sketch to the last pole. Tell us about yours.