STUFISH Debuts Bamboo Staging & Redefines Sustainable Touring

LONDON - STUFISH Entertainment Architects is advancing its research in sustainable stage architecture following the successful debut of its staging for Global Citizen 2025 in Belém. The scenic elements, built almost entirely from bamboo, serve as a large-scale test for sustainable stage architecture and set a new benchmark for environmentally responsible design in the live entertainment industry.

As global leaders in temporary architecture and stage design, STUFISH’s latest design demonstrates the studio’s commitment to driving and researching new approaches to sustainable construction, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of large-scale shows.

In modern-day show design, traditional stage and concert architecture have long relied on materials chosen for strength and cost-efficiency. Steel and aluminum are the most common materials used for truss systems, rigging, and frameworks due to their ability to handle heavy loads.

Bamboo, long used across Asia for its strength and flexibility, offers low-carbon alternatives to these conventional stage materials. In places such as China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, bamboo has long served as a key structural element in houses, scaffolding, and even furniture. Its rapid growth allows some species, such as Dendrocalamus giganteus, to reach more than 30 metres tall, and its tensile strength rivals that of steel, making it suitable for lightweight frameworks and modular designs, such as major tours.

All scenic elements from the 2025 Global Citizen concert were created from organic or rented materials. Only the stage’s technical components, including the stage’s structure, lighting and LED systems, were traditional rentals. The concert's energy supply also boasted green credentials, powered by green energy sources and offset through carbon programs.

By integrating bamboo into large-scale productions, the 2025 Global Citizen concert signals a meaningful shift in how live entertainment approaches environmental responsibility. STUFISH sees this design as a catalyst for broader change across the industry and as part of a growing movement in the music industry toward greener, more responsible touring architecture. STUFISH hopes this latest milestone will inspire future projects and artists worldwide to adopt more sustainable design practices.

“The 2025 Global Citizen represents a major step forward in live show design. Our goal was to show that sustainability and spectacle can coexist in the same space. By rethinking what a stage can be made of, we hope to open doors towards a lower-carbon future in live entertainment” - Ray Winkler, CEO & Design Director at STUFISH Entertainment Architects

“At STUFISH we believe in pushing boundaries, not only creatively but ethically. This project shows what’s possible when innovation meets responsibility. By using bamboo, we’re able to achieve the same strength and flexibility as traditional materials while dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of the production” -  Dionysis Toumazis, Senior Architect at STUFISH Entertainment Architects

The 2025 Global Citizen event continues STUFISH’s efforts to find more sustainably responsible approaches to event architecture. In 2022, STUFISH completed the revolutionary ABBA Arena, the home of ABBA Voyage, which was constructed using sustainably sourced engineered timber. Located at Pudding Mill Lane DLR in London, the venue encouraged visitors to arrive by public transport or on foot. The venue dramatically reduces travel-related emissions and reinforces ABBA Arena’s environmental credentials.