The advantages offered by bamboo, one of the world’s most important construction materials, are being rediscovered today: not only is it considered extremely costeffective and lasting, it also has an unmistakable aesthetic appearance, whilst its internal structure is remarkably similar to that of high-tech materials. Architect Simón Vélez, born 1959 in Columbia, recognized the benefits this material offers and put them to practical use in a large number of buildings. His project, the pavilion for the ZERI Foundation at Expo 2000 in Hannover – at 40 meters in diameter and 17 meters high one of the largest bamboo structures in the world – is described in great detail.