Schools, airports, high-rise towers: architects urged to get ‘bamboo-ready’

For decades, bamboo has been primarily recognized as a dietary staple for giant pandas. However, a growing number of engineers are advocating for a serious reevaluation of bamboo’s potential – as a building material.

A New Manual for Bamboo Construction

This week, the Institution of Structural Engineers took a significant step towards this goal by publishing a manual for designing permanent structures using bamboo. This initiative aims to promote low-carbon construction practices and establish bamboo as a viable alternative to traditional materials like steel and concrete.

Bamboo in Practice: Global Examples

Bamboo is already being implemented in innovative construction projects worldwide. At Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India, bamboo tubes form the ceiling and pillars of Terminal 2. In north-east China, the Ninghai bamboo tower, exceeding 20 metres in height, is reportedly the world’s first high-rise building constructed with engineered bamboo.

Did You Know? The construction industry was responsible for one-third of global carbon emissions in 2022, with cement and cementitious materials accounting for over half of that total.

The Green School in Bali, Indonesia, showcases the material’s versatility with a bamboo-made arc serving as its gymnasium. In Colombia and the Philippines, composite bamboo shear walls have demonstrated resilience against earthquakes and extreme weather, contributing to sustainable and disaster-resistant housing built with locally sourced materials.

Addressing the Carbon Footprint of Construction

With urbanization continuing to drive demand for housing and infrastructure, the construction sector faces the challenge of meeting these needs while simultaneously achieving net zero targets. Bamboo, with its rapid growth rate – approximately three to six years, compared to decades for timber – presents a compelling solution.

Expert Insight: The push to embrace bamboo as a mainstream building material reflects a broader effort to move away from carbon-intensive construction practices and towards materials that either have a low carbon footprint or actively store carbon, offering a potentially significant step towards mitigating the environmental impact of urbanization.

Neil Thomas, director of Atelier One, a UK-based structural engineering company involved in the Green School project, stated, “Everything you can do with timber, you can do with bamboo.” While bamboo has a historical precedent in construction, the new manual acknowledges “knowledge gaps” that have hindered its full potential, partly attributed to the influence of colonisation on technical education.

David Trujillo, lead author of the manual and an assistant professor at the University of Warwick, expressed hope that it would “empower engineers to use their local resources” like bamboo. The material is already abundant in tropical and subtropical regions, and its cultivation is expanding – even in Portugal, where larger bamboo varieties are being grown, potentially opening doors for wider use in Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary goal of the new manual?

The manual aims to encourage low-carbon construction and position bamboo as a proper alternative to steel and concrete.

Where has bamboo already been used in significant construction projects?

Bamboo has been used at Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India, the Ninghai bamboo tower in China, and the Green School in Bali, Indonesia.

How does the growth rate of bamboo compare to timber?

Bamboo has a fast growth rate – of about three to six years, compared with timber which is measured in decades.

Could this renewed focus on bamboo lead to a significant shift in construction practices, particularly in regions where it is readily available?

Schools, airports, high-rise towers: architects urged to get ‘bamboo-ready’ | Green building