Vietnamese studio Vo Trong Nghia Architects has created a 16-metre-high bamboo dome for Vedana Restaurant, which is built over an artificial lake facing the mountains in Ninh Binh Province.
Vedana Restaurant is the centrepiece of the Vedana Resort ? a holiday complex nestled in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam's largest nature reserve.
Vedana Restaurant is in Cuc Phuong National Park
At 18 metres wide and 16 metres tall, the bamboo dome is the tallest yet from Vo Trong Nghia Architects. Previously the practice designed a spiralling bamboo roof for a cafe in Vinh.
The restaurant serves the resort's 1,350 guests and can also be made available for weddings.
The dome is made of 36 modules
Three concentric thatched rings form a stepped profile reminiscent of traditional Vietnamese roofs. Although it appears to be three separate gabled structures, the dome is actually a single structure made of 36 bamboo modules.
The restaurant is open to the air at the sides
An oculus at the apex of the dome creates a shaft of light through the centre, highlighting the flower-like pattern created by the intersecting arcs of bamboo.

At the colonnaded base, the restaurant opens out onto the artificial lake. As well as making for a pretty view, the lake acts as a natural air conditioner during hot and humid summers, cooling the air as the water evaporates from its surface.
Diners can enjoy views of the mountains
Rainwater and runoff from the mountains collect in the lake, which is also used to ir...