Building with Bamboo - the basics

In India there is a saying that “after birth one cannot survive without bamboo”. The early human use of bamboo tools and technology may have preceded the usage of the Stone Age tools, but unlike stone, bamboo is perishable and no record of the use has been preserved.

Bamboo is an extremely sustainable building material. Bamboo plants renew themselves very fast, from 30cm to 100 cm/day. As bamboo reaches maturity very fast, it should be harvested for Jörg Stamm: Bridge Liceo Frances, Green School, Bali Pereira with span of 52 m. building purposes in the age of 3-8 years. The plant doesn’t die when harvested and starts growing again immediately after harvesting.

The yield of bamboo (weight/acreage/ year) is 25 times higher than timber. The tensile strength of bamboo is relatively high and can reach 370MPa.

Approximately 50 or 100 bamboo species are preferred for use and are undergoing some degree of domestication. However, there are estimated to be nearly 2000 species.