The many uses of beautiful bamboo

Besides feeding pandas and making a yummy addition to many Asian dishes, bamboo is also used as a building material, both functional and decorative. The dried stems are extremely sturdy and lend themselves to a multitude of uses. Shigeru Ban, for example, found a way to create lumber from laminated woven bamboo for a house he designed in Beijing. Other houses show off bamboo in more straightforward ways, lining the ceilings or floors with stems, or even forming walls. Bamboo is also used to construct furniture, lending a chair or a bed a warm, earthy feeling. This unique look book captures the many uses of bamboo in houses throughout China, Japan, and Indonesia.

About the Series:
More bang for your buck! "... a fast-food, high-energy fix on the topic at hand." The New York Times Book Review

About the photographer:
Swiss photographer Reto Guntli, based in Zurich, regularly travels the world shooting for international magazines. He has published numerous books and contributed to TASCHEN publications such as Inside Asia, Living in Japan, Living in Bali, Great Escapes Asia and Great Escapes Europe.

About the editor:
Angelika Taschen studied art history and German literature in Heidelberg, gaining her doctorate in 1986. Working for TASCHEN since 1987, she has published numerous titles on art, architecture, photography, design, travel, and lifestyle.