The arrival hall of Guwahati’s new airport feels less like a transit space and more like a ceremonial gateway into Assam. Towering bamboo vaults now greet passengers, drawing on the forms and rhythms of an Assamese village and giving the terminal a powerful sense of place.
Installed at the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, the Bamboo Village Vaults are being hailed as a first-of-its-kind effort in India—a large-span bamboo installation inside a major international airport, designed to meet stringent aviation safety, durability and maintenance standards.
The structure was designed and executed by CanBoo, a Guwahati-based bamboo enterprise founded by bamboo specialist Kamesh Salam, a former president of the World Bamboo Organisation and the founder of World Bamboo Day. The CanBoo team also briefed the Prime Minister on the project, underlining its national significance.
The orchid-inspired terminal itself was designed for the Adani Group by architect Nurul Karim of NUDES, Mumbai. The architectural concept is divided into two clear ideas: a departure hall built using engineered bamboo and composite materials, and an arrival zone rooted firmly in Assam’s traditional architectural vocabulary.
For the vaults, only regional bamboo was used—Bhuluka bamboo and Jati (Tulda) mats sourced from Assam, along with Apatani bamboo from Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh. The material choices ensured both cultural authenticity and support for local supply chains across the Northeast.
Before on-site work began, a full-scale mock-up was created in late 2024 with the support of master bamboo trainers from Bali, who worked closely with artisans from Boroland, Kaziranga and Kakopathar. Construction commenced in March 2025 after the necessary approvals were secured.
Architect Pradip Gogoi, who managed the bamboo works, coordinated closely with the design and execution teams to ensure the finished structure remained faithful to the original architectural vision.
Hidden behind the flowing bamboo curves is a carefully engineered steel sub-frame, designed by an in-house engineering team led by Th. Roshan Singh. This structural backbone allows the installation to comply with airport safety norms while maintaining the visual lightness, precision and longevity of the bamboo elements.
The workforce itself reflected the region’s diversity, with artisans and workers from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. Communities represented included Boro, Adivasi, Mising, Sonowal, Moran, Angami, Ao, Rengma, Zeliang, Meitei and Wancho. Despite the inherent complexity of working with natural materials at such a scale, nearly 85 per cent of the work was completed in record time under the supervision of Shapoorji Pallonji and Adani’s technical teams.
The project drew national attention on December 20, when the new terminal was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the event, the bamboo vaults were highlighted as evidence that treated natural bamboo can be a reliable, high-performance material even in high-footfall public infrastructure.
More than a striking design feature, the Bamboo Village Vaults signal a shift in thinking—away from imported materials and towards local, climate-positive solutions rooted in culture and craft. As Guwahati strengthens its role as the gateway to the Northeast, its new arrival hall now tells a layered story of the region, its people and its possibilities.
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