In 2024, Bambú Lab was both organizer and active participant in Transversal, the first Festival of Architecture and Design in Panama — an event that brought together architects, designers, and communities to reflect on contemporary practice through a local and sustainable lens.
During the festival, Bambú Lab coordinated and facilitated three main lines of action:
Hands-on workshops: focused on parametric design and bamboo construction, integrating students and professionals in collaborative design and digital fabrication processes.
Open mics: horizontal dialogue spaces between architects, artisans, students, and the general public — promoting knowledge democratization and visibility of emerging practices.
Construction of the main pavilion: an ephemeral bamboo structure conceived as the festival’s symbol. It became a space for encounter, experimentation, and celebration of contemporary tropical architecture.
The pavilion functioned both as a living classroom and a cultural meeting point. Its construction process was part of an exploration exercise involving volunteers, students, and local residents in fabrication and assembly.
The project positioned Bambú Lab as a reference in collaborative design, material innovation, and constructive pedagogy, aligned with its core pillars of sustainability, belonging, and synergy.
Pavilion: Transversal Festival
Year: 2024
Collaborators: Patrick Dillon, John Naylor, Jorg Stamm y Miguel González
Photography: Alfredo Martíz y Fernando Bocanegra