Bamboo village vaults lend Guwahati airport a distinct Northeastern identity
Guwahati: Stepping into the arrival hall of Guwahati’s new airport is no longer a routine transit experience. Instead, passengers are welcomed by soaring bamboo vaults that echo the rhythms of an Assamese village, marking a rare moment where indigenous architecture meets high-security aviation infrastructure.
The Bamboo Village Vaults at the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport are being hailed as a first for India: a large-span, natural bamboo installation executed inside a major international airport, built to meet strict safety, durability, and maintenance standards.
The entire thing was designed and executed by CanBoo, a Guwahati-based bamboo enterprise. CanBoo was founded by bamboo specialist Kamesh Salam, former president of the World Bamboo Organisation and founder of World Bamboo Day. The CanBoo team had the opportunity to brief the Prime Minister.
The orchid-inspired terminal was designed for the Adani Group by architect Nurul Karim of NUDES, Mumbai. The design deliberately splits into two narratives—an engineered bamboo-and-composite departure hall and a deeply rooted arrival zone that draws from Assam’s vernacular architecture.
The vaults were crafted entirely from regionally sourced bamboo—Bhuluka bamboo and Jati (Tulda) mats from Assam, and Apatani bamboo from Arunachal Pradesh's Ziro—ensuring authenticity while supporting local supply chains and livelihoods.
To minimise execution risks, a full-scale mock-up was created in late 2024 with the help of master bamboo trainers from Bali, alongside skilled workers from Boroland, Kaziranga, and Kakopathar. Construction on site began in March 2025 after final approvals.
Architect Pradip Gogoi, project manager for the bamboo works, led design coordination, ensuring that the final structure faithfully reflected the original architectural intent.
Beneath the organic curves lies robust engineering. A concealed steel sub-frame, designed by an in-house team led by Pradip Gogoi, with execution led by Engineer Roshan Singh, ensured compliance with airport safety norms while allowing precise installation of treated bamboo elements.
The workforce itself reflected the region’s diversity, drawing artisans and workers from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur, representing communities such as Boro, Adivasi, Mising, Sonowal, Moran, Angami, Ao, Rengma, Zeliang, Meitei, and Wancho. Despite the complexity of working with natural materials, nearly 85% of the work was completed in record time under the supervision of Shapoorji Pallonji and Adani’s technical teams.
The project gained national attention on December 20, when the terminal was inaugurated by Narendra Modi. During the event, the bamboo structures were showcased as proof that treated natural bamboo can deliver longevity and reliability even in high-footfall public infrastructure.
Driven by the vision of “turning poverty into prosperity by linking communities to global bamboo opportunities,” CanBoo aligns its work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), delivering climate-positive, livelihood-centred solutions. The company advises governments, multilateral agencies, investors, and private sector clients on bamboo policy, cluster development, eco-tourism, and bamboo-based construction, while also executing complex, high-visibility projects on the ground. CanBoo’s track record spans India, South Asia, China, and Vietnam, with advisory and implementation engagements for organisations such as ADB, UNIDO, WWF, PwC, and multiple state and national government bodies.
More than an architectural feature, the Bamboo Village Vaults signal a shift in how sustainability is imagined in India’s infrastructure—from imported materials to locally sourced, climate-positive solutions rooted in culture. As Guwahati positions itself as the gateway to the Northeast, its new arrival hall now tells a story of place, people, and possibility—one where bamboo steps confidently onto the global stage.