Bamboo has been used in construction for millennia, yet colonisation and industrialisation have resulted in the replacement of this natural resource by technologies such as steel, concrete, and masonry. This change became more entrenched in the twentieth century with the development of construction codes as means to ensure structures were safe, since none were written for bamboo.
Now University of Warwick engineers have led the creation of a significant milestone manual for bamboo engineering, which will drive the low-carbon construction sector. The international collaboration between Warwick, Pittsburgh, Arup, INBAR and BASE has since met this challenge and produced the new Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) manual providing comprehensive guidance about the design of bamboo structures. It is the first structural engineering manual for bamboo in the world.
This free resource will empower engineers across the tropics and subtropics to adopt bamboo at no cost. With over 1600 species of bamboo spread across all continents except for Antarctica and Europe (although numerous species successfully thrive across Europe), this manual has the chance to hugely expand the usage of this bio-based material.
The manual centres in the use of bamboo poles (the stems) as the main structural component of buildings. In these structures, bamboo poles act as beams and columns, though the manual also explains how to use bamboo in a structural system called Composite Bamboo Shear Walls – CBSW. This system is particularly effective for making resilient housing in earthquake and typhoon prone locations.
According to Dr. David Trujillo, Assistant Professor in Humanitarian Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Warwick Bamboo is a fast-growing, strong, inexpensive, and highly sustainable material, and, amongst other things, it is a very effective carbon sink (naturally absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere). “Unfortunately, the countries that had the expertise in developing construction codes to regulate the design and building of structures, were not those interested in bamboo. For this to change, international collaboration was needed,” he said.
Professor Kent Harries, PEng, Professor of Structural Engineering and Mechanics, University of Pittsburgh adds, “Structurally, bamboo has remarkable mechanical properties. It has also become a very promising bio-based resource, with growing credentials as a sustainable construction material. Nonetheless, this is hugely dependent on designing and building safe and durable structures. Our detailed manual helps to achieve this.”
Dr David Trujillo, University of Warwick adding his own perspective said,“There are both challenges and delights of working with bamboo. We aim for this guide to be a must-use resource for the structural engineer already working with bamboo or considering its use. We also hope it will be a great resource for colleagues across the built environment globally, whether in industry or academia.
The guide is published in the wake of the tragic Hong Kong tower block fires. We share condolences for all those impacted, and await the outcome of investigations as we cannot comment until all the facts are in. However general risk management principles advocate a risk assessment and consideration of use of flame-retardant materials on high rise and closely spaced buildings, along with fire detection and suppression. Importantly, and given the wide use of bamboo, this guide sets out provisions for its safe use, including for fire, covering permanent buildings and not scaffolding. Our aim is for this to be a must-use resource for the structural engineer already working with bamboo or considering its use. We also hope it will be a trusted resource for colleagues across the built environment globally, whether in industry or academia.”
