When acclaimed structural engineer Neil Thomas MBE stepped onto the House of Bamboo®  stage, it felt less a formal keynote and more like the meeting of long-lost allies. Within minutes, we discovered a shared imperative: to leave the planet better than we found it, for our children and for the generations who will inhabit the buildings we design today.

From London to Bali: a career defined by innovation

• Founder & Director, Atelier One, widely described as one of Britain’s most innovative engineering practices.
• Multiple honours, including an MBE, the IABSE Milne Medal (2019), and a World Architecture Festival “Building of the Year” (2012) for Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.
• Lecturer at Yale, MIT and other leading institutions, where he inspires the next wave of sustainable design thinkers.

GREEN SCHOOL GYMNASIUM

Green School Gymnasium, Indonesia, photography is by Tommaso Riva.

LUMI SHALA

Lumi Shala, Indonesia, photography is by Astbury, J.

Yet it is his recent bamboo work that truly sets him apart. As lead engineer on The Arc at Green School, Bali a soaring series of interlocking bamboo arches, Thomas proved that natural materials can deliver the structural drama usually reserved for steel or concrete.  It prompted him to declare:

“If we were to design the ideal building material, it would look a lot like bamboo.”

Why bamboo, why now?

During his House of Bamboo® address, Neil set out an unflinching equation:

He argued that the construction sector’s timber shortfall is already acute, and that bamboo is the only scalable natural material capable of filling the gap without ecological harm.

A partnership forged in purpose

Our immediate connection was grounded in a shared goal: to accelerate the adoption of bamboo as a mainstream structural material. For over fifty years, House of Bamboo® has supplied projects across Australia, and Neil’s work exemplifies how these materials can redefine skylines around the world. Together, we envision a future where engineered bamboo stands alongside timber, steel, and concrete, enabling elegant, carbon-positive architecture at scale. As we embrace new engineering developments, it is crucial to champion materials that contribute to sustainability and innovation in construction. At House of Bamboo®, we are excited to partner with pioneers like Neil.

To learn how to integrate bamboo into your projects, please visit our website or contact us to arrange a CPD session for your team.