After Many Centuries, Bamboo Still Has a Role to Play in the Construction Sector

Some types of bamboo have been used to produce scaffolding, bridges and even buildings.One example of bamboo being used to build structures is a place called Green Village in Bali, Indonesia.

A type of grass, bamboo has a number of uses. The shoots of some species, for instance, can be eaten by humans, while panda bears are known for consuming huge amounts of the stuff for sustenance.In the built environment, some types of bamboo have been utilized to produce everything from scaffolding and bridges to entire buildings.From Asia to South America, its use in this kind of setting dates back centuries, with several factors making it a favorable material, including strength and the fact that it can grow very quickly.

One example of bamboo being used to build things is a place called Green Village. Located on the island of Bali, Indonesia, the houses and villas there were built by IBUKU, an architecture and design company.“In the forest, for a bamboo pole to mature it takes three to four years,” Elora Hardy, IBUKU’s founder and creative director, told CNBC’s “Sustainable Energy.”“And, on top of that, it’s growing within a clump that’s just sending up a new generation of shoots every year for decades, so there’s no replanting,” she added.

Referring to a house in the village, Hardy explained that, “the day that it was completed, it was made out of material none of which existed five or six years before.”According to its website, IBUKU uses a type of bamboo called Dendrocalamus asper, which can be found in Java and Bali. A chemical element called boron is used to treat the bamboo to ensure it can’t be eaten by insects.As concerns about the environment and sustainability grow, the use of more novel materials in the construction sector could become important in the years ahead.