EVSDA 2025 – ‘INNOVATION’ SHORTLIST – WEAVING NIPA (LAM WEAVING SPACE)

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Weaving Nipa is a modest experiment carrying big aspirations. The project rooted in the nipa palm, a plant deeply familiar in the waterways of Vietnam. And the project asks: can a local material, long tied to memories of thatched roofs and craftsmanship, step forward as the primary language of contemporary architecture?

Instead of treating nipa leaves as cladding, the Pavilion transforms their midribs into a self-supporting structure. Curved modules are woven together in rhythmic repetition, forming shapes that evoke waves and flowing currents. This is not only a structure, but also an experience: light filtering through woven gaps, breezes turning into sound, hands feeling the raw surface. This multi-sensory space is open and intimate. Weaving Nipa bridges traditional weaving with a renewed vision of material. It is flexible and modular and can be installed in parks, community spaces, or outdoor events, easily assembled by local craftsmen. The project does not claim to be a final solution, but makes a statement: sustainable architecture can begin with the materials of the land, with what is most familiar.

Weaving Nipa speaks not only of a Pavilion, but of a future that can be rewoven, where memory, creativity, and context come together in a new form of architecture.

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