The bamboo plant is the most renewable construction material on the planet.

From the perspective of farming, bamboo is adaptable to most climatic conditions and soil types, making it an ideal and hardy building material “crop.” Therefore, it may come as a surprise that bamboo is not more readily available as a standard building construction material.

On my unremitting quest to find and promote prospering, sustainably focused business and manufacturing solutions, I stumbled upon Big Tree Farms in Bali, Indonesia. There we stood in the middle of a lush jungle, about to enter a coconut and cocoa processing plant that was like Willie Wonka meets the Jungle Book. As the world’s largest commercial bamboo structure, the factory has been referred to as the “Cathedral” by their team. You may have come across some of the Big Tree Farms product family in grocery retail outlets such as CostCo, or even Whole Foods. At first, I was excited to learn about the understated health benefits and uses for their coconut products, but I left most intrigued by their entire production system and the structure itself.

I was first introduced to coconut sugar as a baking replacement for its lower fructose levels and higher vitamin content compared to standard sugar (coconut sugar is comprised of 3–9% fructose and standard cane sugar is made up of 50% fructose). Aside from the health benefits, I found the multidimensional, “mapley” flavor to be more inviting than typical sugar, providing a perfectly balanced sweetness profile to make outstanding desserts. After trialling various flavor infused coconut sugar samples, we dove into our first cacao processing lesson, sampling everything from the raw fruit to the processed cocoa products it bears; roasted beans, flavored powders, and nibs. Apparently, agricultural mulch and barbecue fuel are just a few of the possible wasteproducts to come from both coconut and bamboo. Similarly, nothing from the cocoa product goes to waste. The nonedible byproducts of these delectable delights are used in the beauty industry such as shea butter. But enough on my sugar high, even more compelling was what the factory itself symbolized.

Raw cacao is processed into multitude of culinary and beauty products inside a factory made entirely of bamboo; representing a completely sustainable, closed loop manufacturing system.

The agricultural commodities of family farms were being employed in a healthy, closed loop product lifecycle, representing a cohesive “farm to factory” business model. The beautifully constructed (and clean) factory was comprised of green building materials, mainly bamboo. It did not smell of chemical exhaust, but rather the heavenly aroma of burnt brownies. The products echoed sustainability and social value, and so did the factory itself.

I began to marvel at the building surrounding me. Every facet of the factory’s structure was constructed from some type of bamboo; from the floor to the ceiling. Towering above my head were giant bamboo columns, some nearly a foot in diameter serving as structural support beams. Thinly sliced pieces of bamboo trimmed the window panes and doorways and woven bamboo created privacy screens between offices. Even the water cooler was constructed from bamboo! Still, I wondered how structurally sound the building could be.

I thought to myself, “This looks beautiful, but won’t this building cave in on itself in just a few years time?” I soon learned that the tall support beams holding up the structure were filled in the center with a concrete mortar. Bamboo has always been regarded as a scaffolding structure, a material used as a temporary means, but as it turns out, bamboo can also serve as a main structural support to building projects.

Unlike it’s hardwood counterparts, bamboo is a readily available material in many parts of the world. Although the demand for bamboo is increasing, posing a risk to some species, there is promise in knowing that the resilient plant can be sustainably grown and farmed from bamboo forests nearly anywhere in the world. Not only is it a low-energy-intensive material, but it’s a rapidly renewable resource that can provide the structural integrity required of a modern construction material. The bamboo plant acts as a carbon sink, which means it pulls carbon out of the air. In my personal experience growing bamboo, I have found that it is virtually maintenance free and pest resistant.

This co-working space in Bali is another example of an office fully constructed from bamboo - floor to ceiling.

Beyond concrete filled bamboo scaffolding, new breakthrough technological advances in bamboo have the potential to uproot sustainable building initiatives for both the eco home and standard building industry. Production techniques that manufacture new bamboo composites are derived from concrete and agricultural waste. These eco-friendly bamboo materials can be produced as a more renewable alternative compared to their traditional particle board counterparts. When added to concrete, the plant fibers provide crack resistance, ductility, and energy absorption. However, the plant fibers that are extracted from either bamboo plants or palm still do not match the standards of traditional concrete when considering factors such as resistance to flame and biodegrading agents (like termites and fungus). The current solution to that dilemma is the amalgamation of plant flakes and chemical admixtures.

The good news is that this production technique has been proven to create particle board that matches the industry standards of concrete composites (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC). Therefore, the particleboard derived from either bamboo flakes or oil palm fibres will satisfy the dimensional stability required of national building standards. This makes both bamboo construction and bamboo material fabrication a promising alternative for new sustainable building initiatives.

One drawback to note on bamboo material fabrication is the the necessity for an admixture containing aluminum sulphate. As aluminum sulphate is derived from mined bauxite ore, we may still be looking at a fabrication technique in opposition to the most environmentally sound extraction method. Further research into “healthier” admixture alternatives will be required. But hey, it’s a start considering that the aluminum sulphate only makes up about 2% of the cement mixture by mass. We are still talking a rather low percentage of aluminum sulphate as compared to the majority of the composite comprised of plant fiber.

How strong is bamboo wood and bamboo composite?

In both its virgin form and as a composite, bamboo is structurally sound and incredibly resilient — even to earthquakes. TRADA (The Timber Research and Development Association) developed an earthquake simulation complete with a full test building and state-of-the-art shake table. The test building constructed from bamboo was exposed to 7 consecutive simulations the equivalent of a Zone 5 Earthquake (this translates to over 7 on the Richter Scale). The results of the simulation showed that there was no damage to the test building whatsoever, bearing no signs of crumbling or falling as concrete structures do (Paul Follett.)

This Chinese plant is producing bamboo winding composite material for use in underground piping. (Photo courtesy of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan)

With such promising research backing the construction of old school bamboo building techniques matched with seemingly revolutionary bamboo composites, it comes as a surprise that bamboo as a building material is not more widespread. Apparently, there is a barrier to entry for architects and engineers wishing to employ the material in new construction projects.

Imagine if we could reevaluate our modern building codes to implement resilent, earthquake proof bamboo composite materials.

The bamboo plant can be administered to a wide range of infrastructure construction applications. Less cracking and greater stability translates to less servicing and maintenance required down the line. We are talking long-term energy efficiency, resource conservation, and an overall reduction in pollution compared to the manufacture and procurement of standard building materials. Bamboo can effectively replace both concrete and wood in construction. We should consider this remarkable plant to promote more sustainable construction and living practices.

In what future applications can you imagine seeing bamboo construction and bamboo composite being employed?