DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No.

02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

BAMBOO: AS A GREEN CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

I. Summary of Key points

Bamboo is widely recognized as highly renewable, fast growing,

economic raw material. Products from bamboo are grouped into
industrial use, food products, construction and structural application,
wood substitutes and composites, and cottage and handicraft industry.
Bamboo is most abundant in India. India has the huge potential for
bamboo with 14 million hectares of bamboo forest area. India is the
second largest country in terms of bamboo resources. The yield per
hectare of bamboo in India is very low compared to China, Taiwan and
Japan which contribute about 80% to the world’s bamboo market.
In coming years India is expected to face timber shortage in order to
meet the housing needs of the increasing population. Moreover, the
increased dependency on conventional materials is held responsible
for degradation of environment. Both the reasons have led to give a
thought on the use of bamboo as a substitute for wood and steel as it
is considered as highly renewable and environment friendly material.
Bamboo products (bamboo boards, bamboo veneers, bamboo mat
corrugated roofing sheets, etc.) due to their physical and mechanical
performance in terms of hardness, stability and strength are gaining
attention with large opportunities in emerging market. Moreover,
bamboo has the capability of mitigating climate change as it restores
degraded land, act as carbon sequesters and protects from soil
erosion.

Technology advancement and initiatives taken up by the central and

state government has helped in the development of bamboo in
construction and structural applications. New technologies on jointing,
protection and preservation of bamboo has been developed which has
increased its durability and quality and opened new areas for bamboo
as wood substitute. Traditional bamboo culm used in rural housing can
now be transformed into new and innovative bamboo-based products
with latest technology and can be used in top grade houses in roofing,
flooring, doors, windows, etc.
Presently India has no export market for bamboo products except an
insignificant export of handicrafts products. India has huge potential
for bamboo export as it is the second largest country after China in
terms of bamboo resources.
Bamboo sector has been getting support from various stakeholders
that include government sector, private sector, research institutes and
financial institutes. These stakeholders are promoting and regulating
the use of bamboo in construction. Initiatives taken up by these
stakeholders are helping in strengthening the value chain and creating
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

the market for bamboo use in construction and structural applications.

Despite of these initiatives bamboo is not being utilized much in

construction sector as there is a huge demand and supply gap for
bamboo raw material for its industry. Majority of the bamboo is
supplied to the paper and pulp industry because of increased demand
after which very little is left for consumption by other industry.
Moreover, the regulatory mechanisms in India impose restriction on
transit and harvesting of bamboo which has a negative impact on the
bamboo construction industry.

Bamboo can be manufactured into various kinds of top-grade housing

materials to meet different performances by introducing the advanced
combination, restructuring technologies. Bamboo can be transformed
to make products like Bamboo Veneers, Bamboo Panels, Corrugated
Bamboo Roofing Sheets, Bamboo Particle Board, etc. which can be
used as a construction material in various applications. Lots of
organizations like Indian Plywood Industry Research and Training
Institute, Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council,
Building Material and Technology Promotion Council etc. are coming up
with latest, innovative, cost effective and eco-friendly bamboo-based
products that can be used in construction application.
Presently India has got no export market for bamboo products except
an insignificant export of handicrafts products. India has the higher
potential of export if bamboo products are produced and attempts
made for export

The global bamboo coverage worldwide is 36 million hectares that is

3.2% of total forest area. Bamboo is mostly distributed in temperate,
tropic and sub-tropical zones of all continents naturally except Europe
and North America. Recently, bamboo has been introduced into North
America, Europe and Australia (Pannipa Chaowana, 2013). Asia is the
richest bamboo producer with about 24 million hectares of the total
world bamboo resources. Five out of six countries have large extent of
bamboo forests in Asia viz. India, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, and
Vietnam.
Bamboo as a building material has high compressive strength
and low weight has been one of the most used building
materials as support for concrete, especially in those locations
where it is found in abundance.

Due to a distinctive rhizome-dependent system, bamboos are

one of the fastest-growing plants in the world and their growth is
three times faster than most other species of plants. They are
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

renewable and extremely versatile resource with multi-purpose

usage. Among many uses of bamboo, Housing is one of the
major area’s applications especially in the wake of residential
shortages around the globe.

Bamboo as a building material is conventionally associated with

the region of Southeast Asia and South America where climate is
best suitable for its cultivation. In many of the nations, bamboo
is used to hold up suspension bridges or simply make places of
dwelling. Bamboos are treated in such a way that they assume
desired shapes and structures while they grow.

For a bamboo to be used as a building material, it must be

worked on to create desired shape, bend and length to be used
for structural or other purposes.

A thorough treatment of Bamboo is required to protect it against

insects and rot before it is put into use. Commonly a mixture of
Borax and Boric acid are utilized for this purpose. Another
procedure generally employed is to boil cut bamboo to remove
the starches that draw insects.

Utilization of Bamboo for construction is achieved by a structural

frame technique which is related to same approach applied in
usual timber frame design and construction. In the case
bamboo, floor, walls and roof are interconnected and often rely
on the other for overall stability. Bamboo has played a vital role
in the growth of enterprises and the rural transformation.

There is very limited use of bamboo as foundation material

because when in contact with moisture laden surface they decay
fast. However, this issue can be tackled to quite an extent
though proper treatment using appropriate chemicals.

The various types of foundations constructed with bamboo are:

a) Bamboo which is in direct contact with ground surface.

b) Bamboo fixed to rock or preformed concrete footings

c) Composite bamboo or concrete columns

d) Bamboo piles
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

Bamboos are used in various shapes and forms to build

foundation. Some of the common shapes of bamboos are:

a) Flattened bamboo shape which is acquired by splitting

freshly cut bamboo stalks and then rolling and flattening
them.

b) Bamboo mats as thin as 5-6mm or 10-15mm in size are

woven according to design prerequisite. Phenolic resins
are used in structures employing bamboo mats.

c) Bamboo plastic composite is a pioneering technology in

which bamboo fiber as raw material is blended with
plastic as the core material. These mats are highly
resistant to moisture and structurally more stable.

Bamboo is extensively used for construction of walls and

partitions. Posts and beams are the main elements normally
constructed with bamboo provide structural framework for walls.
They positioned in a way to be able to withstand forces of
nature. An infill is used between framing elements to add
strength and stability to the walls.

Bamboo is one of the best roofing materials and provides ample

sturdiness to the structure. It is a proven shield against forces of
nature or animals and are considerably light weighted which
makes them easy to install. The bamboo roofs encompass
purlins, rafters and trusses.

Due to advantageous properties of bearing heavy load bamboos

are considered as one of the highly-endorsed materials for
scaffolding even for tall structures. For the construction of
scaffolding, cane extensions are obtained by lashing cane ends
using several ropes. The ties are positioned in such a way that
forces acting vertically downwards lodge the nodes in the
lashing. This technique has immense significance since the
joints can be re-aligned in the right degree.
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

The various advantages of bamboo are as mentioned below:

Tensile strength: Bamboo has higher tensile strength than

steel because its fibers run axially.

Fire Resistance: Capability of bamboo to resist fire is very

high and it can withstand temperature up to 4000 C. This
is due to the presence of high value of silicate acid and
water.

Elasticity: Bamboo is widely preferred in earthquake prone

regions due to its elastic features.

Weight of bamboo: Bamboos due to their low weight are

easily displaced or installed making it very easier for
transportation and construction.

Disadvantages of Bamboo are as mentioned below:

Shrinkage: Bamboo shrinks much greater than any other

type of timber especially when it loses water.

Durability: Bamboo should be sufficiently treated against

insect or fungus attack before being utilized for building
purposes.

Jointing: Despite prevalence of various techniques of

jointing, structural reliability of bamboo is questionable.

Bamboo is mainly found in Asia, some parts of Africa and parts

of Americas in many different varieties. Over centuries bamboo
has been found a variety of uses like culinary, medicine, textiles,
paper, construction, furniture, home décor and musical
instruments.

The versatile quality of bamboo makes it a good material for

flooring, roofing, concrete reinforcement, scaffolding (used in
Hong Kong for building skyscrapers), piping and for walls
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

Bamboo is very flexible and hence when it grows it can be

defined to grow into specific shapes. Its shock absorption
capacity makes it a great building material for earthquake
resistant houses

Bamboo houses can also stand hurricane with wind speeds of up

to 170mph

It is light in weight and thus transportation of bamboo is easy.

Unlike other materials which require the use of cranes and
heavy machinery, none is required when building with bamboo
When bamboo is properly maintained it can last for a very long
time like wood

Bamboo is cheap and readily available in areas where it is

cultivated. Transportation of bamboo is also cheaper than other
materials

The most important quality of bamboo is its environmentally

friendly quality. It is renewable and bamboo forests can be
grown in a few years. Its naturally waxy surface does not require
painting; making it safe from health hazards caused by paints
(they contain toxic substances). Bamboo can be smoked in its
own resin making its surface impenetrable to insects thereby
protecting it from insect infestation. Bamboo can be grown in a
variety of climates and houses made of bamboo do not require
use of other materials like concrete, steel etc. Pesticides and
other chemicals need not be used while cultivating bamboo
making it eco-friendlier.

Conclusion
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

We can say bamboo is a well-established building material. It is

not easy to create beautiful spaces by using bamboo, because it
is uneven material. We try to control the accuracy of the
construction by applying unit-frame pre-fabrication. It is
essential for us to educate workers and build the construction
together. Good plantation control and management,
straightening the culms through heat treatment, as well as good
quality control can diminish irregularities of the material.
However, bamboo gives a good thermal insulation by reflecting
heat while brick absorbs heat, so the inside of house kept more
comfortable.

The use of bamboo as a construction material is not new and

many countries have been using it to build homes for centuries.
Generally, when we think of a house made of bamboo the
picture that comes to mind is a small hut in a village. But this
concept is fast changing because of the global demand for
environmentally friendly and sustainable building materials.
Bamboo’s unique and efficient natural design makes it a good
building material.

A number of things like functionality, availability and expenses

have to be considered when choosing a building material. The
natural structural design is bamboo is unique, it is hollow inside
and the fibers run longitudinally hence less material mass is
required when compared to timber which has a larger material
mass section. When considering the load bearing mass, it
functions as I -shape cross section. Bamboo can also be shaped
according to the building requirements. Bamboo which grows in
a box gets a square shape and can be used for connecting
items. It can be bent after freshly cut and will remain in that
shape after drying too.

Pollution is also reduced with bamboo cultivation as the plants

reduce up to 35% carbon di oxide in the atmosphere and
produce more oxygen. Studies have shown that of all the
building materials that are used in construction bamboo is the
least hazardous in terms of waste as it can be recycled and does
not have disposal problems. The roots in bamboo help control
soil erosion as it creates a water barrier. Developing countries
use bamboo to protect their crops and villages from washing
away. Bamboo consumes high quantities of nitrogen and this can
DUMAS, AURORA MAE B. Critique Paper No. 02
BS ARCHITECTURE-4A November 07, 2018
TECHNICAL WRITING AND REPORTING

help reduce water pollution. Hence, it is good to grow bamboo

alongside industrial areas where it converts waste water into
nutrients for its own growth.

Despite all the drawbacks, the sustainable and environmentally

friendly features of bamboo make it a great building material.
The few drawbacks that bamboo has can be mitigated with
research and the use of bamboo as an alternate building
material should be encouraged to make our earth greener and
pollution free.