At the 2025 Sydney Festival, design studio Cave Urban created What We Leave Behind, a large bamboo pavilion shaped by public participation. Installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, the project invited visitors to reflect on legacy, connection, and shared responsibility.

The tunnel-like structure stretched 40 meters in length and was made using 500 bamboo poles. These were hand-split into more than 2,500 strips and woven together on-site. Over 10 days, people from the local community helped build the pavilion, while writing 25,000 personal messages on the bamboo itself. This made the structure both a physical space and a record of collective memory.

Natural Materials with Symbolic Power

The team chose bamboo for both practical and symbolic reasons. As a strong yet lightweight material, bamboo allows for curved forms and large spans. It is also fast-growing and renewable, which supports sustainable design. The golden colour of the material matched the nearby Sydney sandstone, helping the pavilion blend into its surroundings.

The natural shape of the bamboo, combined with the strength of an arch, made it possible to build a thin yet solid shell. Just 5 centimeters thick, it spanned over 7 meters without extra support. The curved design guided visitors through the tunnel, where the play of light, shadow, and writing created a sensory experience.

A Community Process

One of the most important aspects of the project was the way it was built. Rather than relying only on trained builders, the pavilion was assembled by volunteers. Most of them had no previous experience, but they learned by doing. This made the construction process just as meaningful as the finished form.

As visitors entered the tunnel, its shape slowly unfolded. The curve blocked the view ahead, so people discovered the space step by step. This sense of movement helped create a personal journey through shared stories.

Lessons in Sustainable Design

What We Leave Behind shows how natural materials, community input, and temporary design can come together in a meaningful way. For architects and designers, it offers a strong example of how to combine structure, sustainability, and social value.

The project also highlights how impermanent works can leave lasting impressions—by focusing not just on the result, but on the act of making it together.

Source: Cave Urban
Photos: Nici Long / Alexi Lookingston / Juan Pablo Pinto / Joseph Mayers / Chloé Lindsay Daye / Victor Franowski / Neil Bennett