_edited.png)
The Hungry Caterpillar: A Bamboo Pavilion by Ar. Apoorva Shroff at Ashoka University, India
- Style Essentials Edit Team
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
At Ashoka University, a new bamboo pavilion titled The Hungry Caterpillar introduces an alternative way of thinking about campus infrastructure, material responsibility, and everyday student spaces. Designed by Apoorva Shroff, the project takes the form of a pavilion rather than a conventional building, allowing it to function as both an architectural intervention and a lived-in environment.
The pavilion spans approximately 650 square meters and is constructed entirely from bamboo. Its name and spatial language draw from the image of a caterpillar within its cocoon, a reference to continuous learning, growth, and transformation. Located beneath an existing canopy of trees, the structure reimagines the campus food street as a shaded, porous landscape rather than a fixed enclosure, encouraging informal gathering and movement.
Shroff’s engagement with bamboo is rooted in hands-on learning. After enrolling at a bamboo school in Bali to study the material in depth, she translated that knowledge into a large-scale, functional structure suited to an academic setting. The bamboo canopies, executed by Jans Bamboo with structural design by Atelier One, use lightweight gridshell systems formed by slender bamboo members woven at 45-degree angles. These canopies span up to 19 meters and are topped with crushed bamboo mats that provide natural shading and ventilation. Architectural detailing was resolved with support from Jurian Sustainability.
Supporting elements within the pavilion extend the project’s material logic. Modular kitchen units were 3D printed in concrete by Micob Pvt. Ltd., reducing material waste and enabling precise, prefabricated construction. Furniture designed by Placyle is made entirely from recycled plastic waste, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on circular material use.
Rather than operating as a static installation, The Hungry Caterpillar functions as a daily-use space where students eat, meet, and move through the campus. It demonstrates how natural materials, structural innovation, and contemporary fabrication techniques can coexist within an educational environment, offering a practical example of sustainability embedded into everyday life rather than treated as a symbolic gesture.
Fact file:
Name of the project: The Hungry Caterpillar
Location: Ashoka University
Type: Hospitality Architecture
Design firm: Lyth Design
Designer: Ar. Apoorva Shroff
Photography: Avesh Gaur, Sohaib Ilyas
You May Also Like
Comments