Bamboo Eco Cubby

Every kid wants their little getaway within the comfort of their own backyard. They imagine temporary forts from lawn chairs and sheets, ask their parents a plastic little tike set, or get their own tree house nestled between branches and leaves up in the sky. Providing a stronger architectural touch to these types of structures, we constructed a miniature dwelling called the ‘Bamboo Eco Cubby’.

The eco cubby is a DIY project in our backyard, which was designed with our 5 year old son to fulfil his dream. The cubby is approximately 1.2m x 1.2m and is built from recycled and natural materials. The structural frame is made out of bamboo and the roofing is made from recycled corrugated metal sheet. The walls explore various techniques of making bamboo screens and walls including stitching half-split bamboo poles along eastern wall for weatherproofing and a fairly open screen made out of circular cross-section of bamboo to allow northern light in the cubby.

The cubby also includes an entrance verandah with pergola roof along northern face and a solar panel on top to power LED lights in the cubby and a solar water pump for an adjacent pond. The cubby is designed and built as a prototype for an eco-cabin including passive design principles and sustainable resources.