Tao’s bamboo architecture
Discover our sustainable and dynamic building designs
Building with bamboo
What began as an off-grid hut has grown into a distinct design language. Meet the team blending concrete, earth and bamboo to create buildings that are soulful and sustainable.
WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN, NATURE DOESN’T GIVE US A BLUEPRINT.
BUT IT HAS GIVEN US BAMBOO. LIGHTWEIGHT. FAST GROWING. STRONG.
“We started using it out of necessity,” says David Agamos Padadac, principal architect and managing director of Aga Mos Eco Development. “Creating shelter that works with nature. But over time, through trial and error, we refined our building materials into a recipe for living well.” Thus the humble form of the tukas (a bird beak-shaped hut) designed to provide basic shelter and withstand wind and rain has developed into something more: design-led, thermally comfortable, sustainable homes that breathe with the climate instead of fighting it.
In the tropics, architecture is inseparable from the environment. Sun, salt, wind, rain. Hellish humidity. These elements shape not just landscapes but the ways people build, live and adapt. Nowhere is this clearer than at Tao Philippines, whose journey in bamboo architecture began with makeshift sleeping huts on Palawan’s far-flung shores and has grown into a full-blown design philosophy. “The tuka’s evolution tells our architectural story,” says David. “Two decades of building in the remote islands of Palawan taught us the potential of bamboo.”
It’s June and, as the cicadas buzz and heavy clouds gather, the Tao team meets one final time at Tao Dipnay Farm before the rainy season sets in. This forest-fringed hub – part farm, part design lab – is more than a workplace. It’s a laboratory for architectural resilience shaped by nature’s fury. Because in 2013, nature brought one of its most brutal lessons.
On 8 November, at around 9pm, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) tore through the central Philippines with winds of up to 300km an hour. Over a million homes were destroyed, 33 million trees upended as if they were matchsticks, wrecking crops and water supplies. “It was a wake-up call,” says Gener Paduga, Tao’s long-time friend and collaborator. “We lost boats and crew members. Most of our basecamps were destroyed. It was a turning point.”
From shelter to statement
Gener, a Palawan native who learned to build with bamboo as a child, was tasked with creating a design that could withstand future typhoons. His solution: a tensile structure inspired by the shelter an upturned boat offers in a storm but built from bayog, an endemic bamboo prized for its strength. Naturally treated by soaking in saltwater, the bamboo becomes resistant to pests and rot. The open-fronted design allows for cross-ventilation, while its lightness means it can be moved when necessary – echoing the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, the communal act of relocating homes. And thus the tuka was born.
Today, some 215 tukas stretch across Tao’s basecamps from El Nido to Coron: durable, low-impact, climate-adapted and beautifully simple. “Its roof doubles as a wall,” says David. “It sheds rain quickly and protects from the sun. Everything is doing two jobs.” As Tao evolved, so did its architecture. The Foundation building at the Farm marked a new phase: a two-storey bamboo pavilion with a concrete base and a sweeping cogon-grass roof made from over 10,000 hand-tied bundles. The tuka’s DNA runs through Tao’s next generation of structures, including the new casitas — concrete-based, bamboo-roofed homes that merge modern comfort with local materials. Inside, terrazzo counters are embedded with crushed shells, while walls are woven from wattle, coconut fibre and split bamboo.
Age-old skills, new dimensions
Experimentation remains central. David’s recent training at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales added new dimensions to his practice, most notably rammed earth. This ancient, low-carbon building technique now features at Taran Beach Club, where thick earth bricks and solihiya-woven rattan walls meet soaring undulating bamboo ceilings. “Taran gives the tuka grand proportions,” says David.
Each project builds on the last. House Forno, a dramatic half-circle home carved into a slope, refines the tuka concept into something sculptural and serene. Its vast bayog roof is made from over 3,000 bamboo poles and built without nails. Instead they are hand tied with nylon cord in the traditional way of Palawan fisherfolk, and topped with 5,000 handwoven pawid shingles sourced from nearby villages. The result supports local livelihoods while delivering passive cooling: deep overhangs shade the structure, while high roof vents release warm air. A curved ‘keyhole’ entrance and amphitheatre-like steps give the home its name – and presence.
A scalable model
“House Forno takes its structure and spatial idea directly from the tuka,” says David. “That modest hut taught us so much — how to design for airflow, for lightness, for storm resilience. We just scaled it up, and listened more closely to the land.” Even the tuka’s original designer welcomes these changes. “We are always evolving,” says Gener. “From food to building to community – it’s all one process.” David nods: “These past two decades have been a masterclass in learning from the islands. From the people. From the climate. We’re still learning. Still adapting.”
As the rains fade and a new season dawns, Tao’s crew prepares for another year — their work grounded in architecture that holds steady in the storm, rooted in community and always open to change. “We want to ensure that sustainability is not just an aesthetic, but in the blueprint of every building,” says David.
Key terms from the Tao design philosophy
TUKA A compact shelter originally designed for off-grid, post-typhoon conditions, inspired by an upturned boat and made from bamboo.
BAYOG BAMBOO A thick-walled, endemic bamboo species known as ‘timber bamboo’. It’s strong yet lightweight.
BAYANIHAN A Filipino concept of communal unity and cooperation echoed in Tao’s portable and community-built structures.
PAWID Shingles made from dried nipa palm leaves, handwoven for roofing traditional Filipino homes. Breathable and biodegradable.
SOLIHIYA A traditional rattan weave pattern, often used in Filipino furniture and walls. It allows airflow while adding decorative texture.
RAMMED EARTH A sustainable wall-building technique using compressed natural earth. It has excellent thermal properties and is used in Tao’s more recent structures.
COGON A grass native to the Philippines used for thatching roofs. Breathable, insulating and ideal for tropical climates.
CASITA From the Spanish for ‘small house’, Tao’s casitas are semi-permanent and blend bamboo roofs with concrete bases for comfort and durability.
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