Summary Reader Response Draft 2 - "Building with Bamboo"

In the article, “An Architect’s Guide to Building with Bamboo,” Vadot (n.d) develops the idea of bamboo as a sustainable material for the future of construction. He mentions that bamboo can mature fast with little maintenance and is widely available around the world. On top of that, being a lightweight material, bamboo will be available at a low cost in these areas and will be affordable to transport due to its light weight. He also notes that bamboo is often referred to as an alternative for steel. However, he added that it is also quite fragile, and requires treatment and protection from various natural circumstances. He then concludes that because of its drastically volatile properties due to nurturing in different environments, it makes it impossible to classify the 1,200 species under a standardized civil building code. However, Columbia has achieved so by determining a code for their locally grown material.

While Vadot provides substantial detail on the advantages of bamboo as a sustainable construction material, he should discuss more on the disadvantages and elaborate on the challenges of building with bamboo.

I believe that though bamboo has its many advantages. We should be well informed of the disadvantages that come along with it. In line with Vadot, based on the article, “The Pros and Cons of Bamboo in Green Building,” Elemental Green (n.d), it was reiterated that bamboo is very susceptible to deterioration. Insects, fungus, rot, and fire will likely take advantage of the harvested bamboo if “not cut, treated, and stored correctly.” Methods of treating bamboo vary from each manufacturer. Whilst there are ways to treat it naturally, through drying or heating. Some manufacturers use harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde and arsenic instead. In my opinion, if not treated correctly, this poses a huge safety risk for bamboo construction. On top of that, the use of formaldehyde contains toxic materials that can greatly harm small animals and children. Emissions can continue for several years, doing irreversible damage. This point is further supported in the article, “Bamboo in Construction: Is the Grass Always Greener?” Boehland (2006), that though efforts were made to meet emission limits, “to date no bamboo products have been certified through the Greenguard Environmental Institute’s program”.

Secondly, Elemental Green (n.d) goes on to elaborate on the transportation considerations for bamboo. As only a handful of bamboo species have the same strength ratio of steel, countries without these favorable growing conditions for these species will have to import it. With that being said, though Vadot stated that it would be affordable to transport, does it justify the fossil fuels required to move bamboo products halfway around the world by boat transportation? This tarnishes the eco cred of bamboo, to which some may argue it is not sustainable anymore. However, In "Building with Bamboo: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture," Minke (2012) explains that harvesting and processing of bamboo require very little energy, together with the lightweight factor makes it excellent for boat transportation, “causing comparatively little environmental pollution” compared to wooden profiles. (p.27)

Lastly, in the article, “Bamboo in Construction: Is the Grass Always Greener?” Boehland (2006) explained the structural difficulties of creating an insulated wall using structural bamboo. Especially in countries where insulation is critical, the effort and time spent creating an insulated system with structural bamboo is arguable if it would then be better off using "some piece of wood instead". Supported in the article, "Bamboo Construction and Inspection," Gromicko (n.d) states bamboo is prone to splitting, especially when standard construction fasteners are used, therefore increasing the difficulty of designing one.

Although there are many benefits that come with using bamboo for construction, there are a few notable challenges that come along with it that Vadot should elaborate more on. This will allow people to make informed decisions before jumping on the idea of using bamboo for construction.

References:

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

The Pros and Cons of Bamboo in Green Building. (n.d). Elemental Green. https://elemental.green/the-pros-and-cons-of-bamboo-in-green-building/

Boehland, J. (2006, March 01) Bamboo in Construction: Is the Grass Always Greener?. Building Green.

https://www.buildinggreen.com/feature/bamboo-construction-grass-always-greener

Minke, G. (2012) Building with Bamboo: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture. doi:10.1515/9783034611787

Gromicko, N. (n.d) Bamboo Construction and Inspection. InterNACHI. https://www.nachi.org/bamboo-construction-inspection.htm

Image by Guillaume Gauthereau