Today, on World Bamboo Day, we present several constructions that use the super material bamboo.

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet. It has a greater tensile strength than steel and withstands compression better than concrete. It’s no wonder so many people turn to this material for construction. Below, you find some interesting examples.

Disaster relief
After a catastrophic earthquake in Nepal in 2015, Maria da Paz and Joao Boto Caerio from RootStudio worked together to design and build a model house in Nepal using local and accessible materials. One of these materials is bamboo.

The structure consists of a four-column base made out of brick. This base supports a bamboo truss, which in turn holds up the roof. The bamboo structure is covered with rows of reed and then zinc sheets to provide shelter.

The bricks used for the columns and the floor lining are the salvaged remains of deconstructed buildings in the area. The bamboo is locally sourced.

The bamboo structure is adaptable. It can even be built on a larger scale because of the basic bamboo connections.

Bamboo & recycled plastic
The city of Hyderabad, India, created an office building made from recycled plastic and bamboo. The pilot project, taken up by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, is made of half plastic and half bamboo. The structure is fire-, water- and termite proof.

The roofing sheet is made from recycled polyethene covers and PET bottles. The material does not emit any toxic fumes. The flooring tiles are also made with recycled plastic, including recycled plastic bags. The pavilion also uses Tectan Board, made from recycled drink cartons, in addition to bamboo poles and woven mats.

Suspended bamboo pavilion
Students from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem designed a pavilion with suspended bamboo, with joints made of rope and 3D printed pieces.

According to the students, “[l]ocated at the entrance courtyard of the Architecture Department at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, the Bamboo Pavilion welcome visitors, students, and faculty with an inspiring play of shadows and lights, and invites them to engage with the hanging bamboos while challenges their perception of being ‘inside’ and ‘outside’.”

Retractable bamboo yurt
Following the practice of ancient Mongolian yurts, participants of Bamboo U, a build and design course in Bali, created a bamboo yurt that can fold like an umbrella and can be deployed immediately.

The yurt’s frame is made from Phyllostachys bamboo, a type of bamboo referred on Bali as Bambu Jajang. The bamboo has an average diameter of 5 centimetres and up to 8 metres of useable length.

The structure was pre-assembled on the ground using a parametrically designed metal jig. The structure’s partition was given slight inclination by increasing the spacing between each intersection. A recycled bicycle wheel at the top of the roof helps with the triangulation. The frame folds out until the rope, interlaced at the junction of partition and roof, pulls taut.

As the structure is entirely made of bamboo, it’s both light and economical. When retracted, it easily fits into a shipping container.

For more bamboo, click here.

Photos: RootStudio (via ArchDaily) / Bamboo House India (via The News Minute) / Barak Pelman (via ArchDaily) / Tommaso Riva (via ArchDaily)