Case Study: Arup advances bamboo pavilion analysis with Oasys GSA

Structural analysis and design of a bamboo art installation using Oasys GSA

Arup collaborated with OFFICEUNTITLED on Heartburst, a bamboo art installation for a U.S. festival in August 2023. The team faced the challenge of structurally analysing an unconventional bamboo pavilion with unique geometry, limited prior design values for bamboo, and complex loading conditions such as wind and possible public climbing. Oasys GSA was used as the primary structural analysis software to help assess the design.

Using Oasys GSA, Arup modeled the pavilion, compared member forces against capacities derived from test data, and iterated the design with assemblies, custom views, and element customisation. This supported efficient analysis of the bamboo lattice, connection detailing, and splice locations, helping the team develop a workable structural approach for the installation. The result was a successful, sustainable pavilion that demonstrated bamboo’s potential as a structural material while enabling a highly efficient workflow in Oasys GSA.

Arup

Genevieve Graham

Design Engineer