How Architect Apoorva Shroff Is Redefining Sustainability, One Bamboo Beam at a Time

Architecture Learns to Breathe Again with Lyth Design’s Hungry Caterpillar, a Food Street made of Bamboo. BeejLiving explores.

It’s a warm September afternoon. I make my way to the outskirts of Delhi, to Ashoka University, one of India’s leading liberal arts universities that has been designed with sustainability in mind. It’s noon and the sun is beating down fiercely, yet we are protected by the long outdoor corridors wrapped around naturally ventilated areas, shaded by looming stone jaalis. The university is an aesthetic space that can withstand the capital city’s extreme and sometimes fickle weather.  

There is an addition to its sustainable repository. Lyth Design, helmed by Architect Apoorva Shroff, has created a singular food street, the Hungry Caterpillar, a cocoon emerging from palpably green tree canopies. Far above the lecture halls, I look upon it, coiled as a larva unhurriedly eating, emerging from a thick canopy of trees. The structure spans an area of 650 square meters, constructed entirely from bamboo. As if emerging from nature, growing slowly and mindfully.  

“When I visited the site, it was lush and green. I imagined a cocoon. Not necessarily a caterpillar, but a place where young minds could feed, grow, and transform. That’s how the metaphor of the caterpillar came to life,” says Shroff, reminiscing about the children’s picture book, The Hungry Caterpillar, that ate and ate, yet remained ravenously hungry.

The journey of bamboo

Shroff’s initiation into the world of Bamboo came at Bamboo U, a Balinese school offering a range of bamboo eco-architecture courses that cover construction and sustainable design. “There were people from 40 different countries, aged 17 to 77, not just architects or interior designers, but also those curious about bamboo and sustainability,” she recounts.

In the first five days, the participants were introduced to how multi-faceted bamboo is-how to harvest, treat, and protect it- and in the last five, they built tangible structures. “This experience taught me that learning has no age. Initially, I thought it was my midlife crisis, but the moment I stepped in, I loved it,” she laughs.

The Hungry Caterpillar took about a year to come into being: six months of groundwork, followed by nine months on site. The structural design was led by Atelier One, London, with architectural detailing resolved by Jurian Sustainability, and built by Jans Bamboo. The construction style, bridgeshell, is a method that typically uses concrete.

Raising the caterpillar

There were other challenges, too. While building the foundation, they discovered underground utilities that could not be disturbed and had to tweak the positioning. Designing the structure was an exercise in complexity. For the project, they used mature bamboo, at least five years old, as anything younger would lack strength, sourcing a particular species from the Maharashtra-Goa border, in the Sindhudurg district.

The longest grid shell spans 19 metres, using four layers of 30–50 mm diameter bamboo, each oriented at 45 degrees. The outer shell is made of flattened bamboo, like roof shingles, which helps direct water away. There are four layers, including a bitumen layer that prevents water from percolating through.

Inclement weather disrupted the speed of execution of the project. The question loomed-would the Hungry Caterpillar withstand Delhi’s unpredictable weather? And of course, the trees. “The first rule of design: never interrupt nature. Work around it. That made it beautiful, but also challenging was that the structure’s organic form meant constant adjustments to avoid harming any roots. We made sure nothing was cut or displaced. The trees now frame the structure; it feels as if it has always belonged there,” says Shroff, of navigating the site. The project generated 6,500 days of livelihood and sequestered 350 tons of Carbon Dioxide through the use of treated bamboo.

“Sustainability isn’t a trend; it’s our only future. We’re all aware now, but the challenge is that sustainable choices aren’t always the most aesthetic or the cheapest. The intention is there; accessibility must follow.”

Bringing it together

Everything in the space, the shell, kitchen, and furniture, embodies the ethos of circular design. Reminiscent of food trucks, the kitchens are thermally insulated, modular units 3D printed in concrete by Micob Pvt. Ltd. in Ahmedabad and assembled on the campus. Meanwhile, the furniture has been crafted using recycled plastic waste into durable, weather-resistant seating, created by Placyle.

As the sun sets, the golden lights are switched on, bathing the shell in soft, soothing light and casting deep shadows, a time to retreat and slumber. Can India embrace Bamboo wholeheartedly in the future? “I think it’s a matter of rhythm. In Bali, life itself is slow, so their craft mirrors that. We have that same potential in rural India. The pace, the patience, the craft. We just need to create our own hubs of mindful building and learning. And it’s happening. We’re not far behind,” Shroff concludes.