Bamboo as a building material

Bamboo is a perennial angiosperm plant of the herbaceous family Poaceae. Its stalks have been used since ancient times, among many other applications, in the construction of buildings. Its use, whether for structural, cladding and/or decorative purposes, has many advantages over other building materials. On the other hand, its use has gone from being purely artisanal to industrialised, with the production of other products and derivatives.

It has many advantages over other materials in the design and construction of buildings:

• Its growth speed is approximately three times faster than that of the other wood-supplying species (pine, oak, cedar) commonly used in construction.
• It is a plant that is very easy to propagate and is currently available on practically all continents (with the exception of Europe).
• It stores carbon dioxide during its growth.
• As a result, it facilitates the granting of environmental certificates.
• Its wood has a tensile strength between 3 and 10 times higher than that of other construction timbers.
• It has a compressive strength 2 to 3 times higher than other construction timbers.
• It has a bending strength between 4 and 5 times higher than those woods.
• On the other hand, it has a design compressive strength about half that of standard concrete.
• However, its timber is four times lighter than standard concrete.
• Finally, the strength to mass ratio of bamboo is higher than that of concrete.

In terms of industrial processes to improve its performance, specific treatments have been developed based on subjecting the material to high pressures and temperatures. Its mass is also impregnated with resins or ceramic particles. With these treatments, the functionality of bamboo wood is extended, with products suitable for cladding, flooring, false ceilings or decorative elements. There are many examples of the use of bamboo in beautiful and ancient constructions, so its durability has been amply demonstrated.