Summary Reader Response Draft 3: Building with Bamboo

In the article, “An Architect’s Guide to Building with Bamboo”, Vadot (n.d) develops the idea of using bamboo as a sustainable material for the future of construction. He mentions that bamboo can mature fast with little maintenance and are being harvested in various places around the world. Being a lightweight material, bamboo is available at a low cost in these areas and is easy to transport. He also notes that while bamboo is often referred to as an alternative for steel, it is quite fragile and requires treatment and protection from various natural circumstances. He concludes that it is hard to normalise bamboo as construction material as it is impossible to classify the 1,200 species under a standardised civil building code. However standards have been made locally in Columbia. While Vadot (n.d) mentions the advantages of using bamboo, he fails to elaborate sufficiently about the disadvantages. 

Firstly, Vadot (n.d) only briefly mentions that bamboo requires treatment and protection from various natural circumstances. He fails to elaborate on the kind of natural circumstances and how it affects the use of bamboo. Jason (2016) states that bamboo lifespan can increase by treating it. This allows it to be resistant to fungi, bacteria and insect attacks. Elemental Green (n.d) further supports it by mentioning that bamboo is highly susceptible to deterioration. If harvested bamboo is not cut, treated and stored properly, insects, fungus, rot and flame can easily take advantage of it due to it’s high starch content. Some manufacturers treat it using harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and arsenic even though there are other natural ways such as air drying and heating. 


Secondly, Vadot (n.d) indicates that bamboo can be grown from various places around the world. He fails to specify on how only bamboo that were grown in specific places and conditions have the strength relative to steel. Lara and Espinosa (2019) states that bamboo structural behavior varies depending on the place where its planted and its growing conditions. Elemental Green (n.d) further elaborates the issue and how the transportation of bamboo becomes a concern. He noted that only bamboo that was grown in places with favorable conditions have the same strength as steel. Bamboo would have to be imported to countries which do not meet the required conditions. This leads to the problem of tarnishing bamboo’s eco cred as fossil fuels are burned in the process of transporting it to those countries. However Minke (2012) explains that only a small amount of energy is required to transport bamboo using a boat as it is a lightweight material.


Thirdly, Vadot (n.d) does not elaborate sufficiently when he mentions that it is hard to normalise bamboo as a construction material. Lara and Espinosa (2019) indicates that there is no uniform or extended legislation for bamboo. This causes a difficulty in obtaining the permits and structural calculations. Elemental Green (n.d) further adds that since there are very little regulations for bamboo, the quality of it may not be easily differentiated. The longevity and quality of the bamboo structure is affected as there is insufficient data on it as a construction material.


Even though there are many advantages to using bamboo as a construction material, there are disadvantages as well. Vadot (n.d) should have stated and elaborated on both the advantages and disadvantages sufficiently so that readers are able to weigh the pros and cons before considering whether bamboo is suitable or not for construction.


Reference:

Jasondreamwork. (2016, May 21). Disadvantage of Bamboo as a Construction Material. Wordpress

https://jasondreamwork.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/disadvantage-of-bamboo/ 


Lara, R & Espinosa, R. (2019, July). Bamboo: Alternative sustainable tourism for community development. Researchgate.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-bamboo-in-construction_fig10_334375828 


Minke, G. (2012, July 18). Building with Bamboo: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture. Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Bamboo-Gernot-Minke/dp/3034607482 


Elemental Green. (n.d). The Pros and Cons of Bamboo in Green Building. 

https://elemental.green/the-pros-and-cons-of-bamboo-in-green-building/ 


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



Image by Kelly Hart


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