summary reader response #2

In the article, “An Architect’s Guide to Building with Bamboo,” Vadot (n.d.) explains how bamboo is an alternative material that holds a place in the construction industry in time to come. He states that this inspiration for adopting organic materials came from the growing awareness of sustainable living. He mentions that bamboo has the potential to replace steel, but the only drawback is its fragility. Its core is prone to cracks during hot and humid weather and when untreated properly before using, the bamboo will decompose due to the microbes. He counters that with the bamboo’s strength-to-weight ratio, its production cost and its capability of growing rapidly anywhere in the world with minimal maintenance. Unlike conventional timber, classifying bamboo is hardly possible as its characteristics vary depending on the growth environment. Nevertheless, Vadot gives an example of how Columbia was able to adopt bamboo materials into their building craftsmanship. Based on the points explored in the article, it seems clear that although bamboo has great potential, Vadot could have elaborated more on the limitations that bamboo has that induce scepticism about incorporating bamboo as a universal building material in the construction industry. 

 

First of all, bamboo lacks design guidance and uniformity. Lara et al. (2019) mention that its structural behaviour can have extensive variations depending on the species, the region where it was planted, age and moisture content. Boehland (2006) proclaims that the lack of universally recognised standards is a severe setback to the use of structural bamboo. This very fact has "kept architects and designers away from bamboo, even from expressing their requirements for bamboo as a building material.” Permits and structural calculations are difficult to obtain because there are no uniform standards, affecting bamboo’s reliability as a construction material. It needs to be engineered with other materials to allow for predictable properties, standardisation and less variability. Engineered bamboo products occur from processing the raw bamboo culm into a laminated composite. Sharma et al. (2020) state that these products allow the material to "be used in standardised sections" and have less "inherent variability" than the original material. 

 

Secondly, bamboo has low durability when it is not taken care of properly. It necessitates closely-monitored maintenance as Carrera, J. (2003) states that bamboo is vulnerable when exposed to ultraviolet rays and rain. Furthermore, Kaminski et al. (2016) explain that when bamboo is kept indoors and protected, they can have a lifespan of up to 30 years. They mention that the biological attacks on the bamboo caused by fungi and insects hinder its durability, deeming it as a disadvantage of the material. Adding on, they also describe the need to add a chemical preservative such as boron to the bamboo, to deter fungal and insect attack or else the bamboo can deteriorate very quickly. As a result, due to bamboo's low durability and high-maintenance as a building material, it is unpreferred in the construction industry. 

 

Lastly, despite the numerous traditional and contemporary bamboo member connection methods, many factors are to be considered before construction. For instance, the availability of adequate manpower, as specific skills and craftsmanship are required to execute the jointing methods. As a single point of reference for the joinery techniques of bamboo have yet to be established, Murrow (2017) identifies the connection of bamboo structural members as a challenge. As a result, posing it as one of the risks for practical implementation in civil construction.

 

All in all, bamboo is easily obtainable across large regions of the world and has many advantages that include favourable material properties, energy and financial savings. Nonetheless, Vadot could have been more precise in exploring the shortcomings of bamboo usage in the construction industry. Once the design code series is complete and comprehensive, the risk should be low enough for designers and engineers to consider bamboo as a credible and an alternative option. Consequently, presenting them with the opportunity to create safe structures globally by using this innovative green building material.

 

References

 

Vadot, C. (n.d.). An Architect’s Guide to Building with Bamboo. Architizer Journal. https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/how-to-bamboo. Accessed 2 February 2021.

 

Boehland, J. (2006). Bamboo in Construction: Is the Grass Always Greener? Building Green. https://www.buildinggreen.com/feature/bamboo-construction-grass-always-greener Accessed 4 February 2021.

 

Kaminski, S., Lawrence, A., Trujillo, D., & King, C. (2016). Structural use of bamboo. Part 2: Durability and preservation. The Structural Engineer. https://www.istructe.org/journal/volumes/volume-94-(2016)/issue-10/structural-use-of-bamboo-part-2-durability-and-pr

 

Lara, Rigoberto & Espinosa, Ramón. (2019). Bamboo: Alternative sustainable tourism for community development. EUMED. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334375828_Bamboo_Alternative_sustainable_tourism_for_community_development

 

Sharma, B., Gatóo, A., Bock, M., & Ramage, M. (2015). Engineered bamboo for structural applications. Construction and Building Materials, 81, 66-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.01.077

 

Murrow, J. (2017) ICE Emerging Engineers Paper. Bamboo, an alternate structural material for The Corps of Royal Engineers. https://www.ice.org.uk/