a black fabric veil hovers within a raw bamboo matrix in hubei’s dense grove

gèngjin composes a temporary pavilion out of fabric and bamboo

Veil Tower, designed by gèngjin Architecture Office, is a temporary pavilion set within a dense moso bamboo grove in Xianning, Hubei, China. Developed as a fully recyclable installation, the project combines a raw bamboo framework with a suspended black fabric enclosure to investigate low-tech construction, reversible assembly, and the relationship between bodily movement and landscape. Drawing on the centripetal spatial logic of ancient Chu ritual architecture, the pavilion transforms a clearing in the forest into a space defined by framed views, filtered light, and controlled perception.

aerial view of the Veil Tower in the grove | image by ©gèngjin Architecture Office

bamboo structure shaped by landscape and local construction

Located within the bamboo forests surrounding the ANNSO Hotel in southern Hubei, the pavilion responds to a landscape characterized by steep terrain, dense vegetation, and vertically growing bamboo. Rather than introducing an autonomous architectural object, the intervention works with the existing grove, using locally sourced raw bamboo as both structural material and contextual reference. Constructed by gèngjin Architecture Office under limited budget conditions, the project adopts a low-tech building approach carried out with the support of local volunteers. The structure demonstrates how untreated bamboo can be assembled into a temporary architectural framework using simple, reversible construction techniques while remaining closely connected to the region’s ecological and cultural context.

sky and bamboo canopy framed by the structure | image by ©Da chen

Veil Tower’s Raw bamboo frame and suspended fabric enclosure

The pavilion is organized around fifteen bamboo frames arranged as a pentadecagonal structure. Inspired by the idea of revealing bamboo’s ‘inner skin,’ the design pairs a rigid structural system with a suspended black cotton-linen membrane that defines the interior enclosure. Each untreated bamboo pole measures approximately 60 mm in diameter and is stabilized by diagonal braces connected through bolted joints. Beam intersections are secured using traditional cross-lashed hemp rope, allowing the connections to accommodate the natural irregularities of the material while remaining adjustable over time. Because every joint can be dismantled, the construction is fully reversible.

Suspended from the bamboo frame, fifteen fabric panels form a continuous enclosure. The black cotton-linen material diffuses daylight while maintaining approximately sixty percent light transmittance, producing soft variations of light beneath the bamboo canopy. Gravity shapes the vertical folds of the fabric, creating a contrast between the flexible membrane and the rigid structural frame. The gaps between the fabric panels and the bamboo poles also perform an environmental function by allowing air to move freely through the enclosure, reducing wind pressure on the structure while introducing movement into the suspended surface.

the ritual of looking up from within the tower | image by ©Da Chen

Installation Frames perception through material and movement

A continuous white datum line made from medical cotton tape is wrapped around every bamboo culm at a consistent elevation. Rather than marking an absolute height, the line reveals the site’s changing topography as it rises and falls across the sloping terrain. The lower edge of the suspended veil aligns precisely with this horizontal reference, creating the appearance of a dark volume hovering above the ground. The fabric is positioned 1.6 meters above the terrain, interrupting the horizontal field of vision for most visitors. Entry requires a slight bow beneath the suspended membrane before the enclosure redirects attention upward through the pentadecagonal opening overhead. From within, the surrounding bamboo grove is largely concealed, while the framed view captures the sky, drifting clouds, and swaying bamboo canopy above.

Designed as a temporary intervention, Veil Tower leaves no permanent trace on the site. All structural components can be disassembled, and every bamboo element, rope connection, and fabric panel can be reused or recycled. Rather than establishing a permanent architectural presence, the project explores how lightweight construction, local materials, and reversible assembly can create a spatial experience that remains closely tied to its landscape and cultural context.

Veil Tower emerging through dense bamboo foliage | image by ©Da chen

Veil Tower on the horizontal datum | image by ©Da chen

view toward the Veil Tower from the timber boardwalk | image by ©Da chen

close-up of the bamboo structure | image by ©Da chen

a 1.6-meter visual threshold | image by ©Da chen

looking upward from within the tower | image by ©Da chen

entering the Veil Tower with a lowered posture | image by ©Da chen

project info:

name: Veil Tower (幔塔)

architect: gèngjin Architecture Office | @gengjin_arch

location: ANNSO·Ziyouji, Xianning, Hubei, China

gross floor area: 28.3 sqm

design team: likai Bi, Xiaozhen Xu, Xuan Lu

construction team: Sheng Luo Team, Chao Zhou, Pei Ji, Pengyu Zhou, Xueli Xu

client: ANNSO

photographers: Da chen, Pengyu Zhou, gèngjin Architecture Office   

materials: raw bamboo, black cotton-linen fabric, coarse hemp rope, steel components, medical-grade cotton tape

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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