What _ Jotunn is a botanical project, launched in June 2024, focused on experimenting new growing and reproduction systems applied to high-value timber bamboos.
Why _ Jotunn is aimed at creating superior cultivars, improving aesthetics, quality of timber and anti-oxidative compounds, and resilience to thermal stress, for applications in architecture, landscape, and land fertility.
How _ Cultivation and reproduction systems are mainly focused on increasing the organic carbon and silicon content in the biomass, without industrial chemicals or laboratory technology. Mother plants are sourced from wild groves or private collections, strictly avoiding tissue-culture plants. Reproductions are made through rhizome, culm, and branch division, preserving the genetic heritage of the mother plant.
Who _ Jotunn is owned and funded by White Oak Arkitecture, directed by Thomas Allocca, with the support of several private landowners in Italy, for experimenting the growing systems at different latitudes and altitudes. Thomas Allocca has been an independent researcher, collector, and journalist, specializing in timber bamboo since 2006, internationally recognized with publications by the prestigious international institutions The European Bamboo Society, The American Bamboo Society, The World Bamboo Congress, The National Botanic Gardens at Akureyri (Iceland), and The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (England).
Name _ In the Norse language, Jotunn means "giant", referring both to "big physical size" and "being of great value".
