BAMBOO
AS SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL
On 13th September, a talk named “UCSI Bamboo Architect Movement” which is about uses and benefits of bamboo was held at UCSI Northwing. As an architecture student, the talk would be beneficial as bamboo is now being used more prominently in all types of architecture. To me, from houses to business buildings nowadays, there are more and more places that are being built with bamboo as a main material or at least an accenting material of the architecture.
The talk was delivered by Mr. Amar Mohd. Ramli who is an expert on bamboo. He choose bamboo as materials in his design when he’s still a student. He then explained to us about this sustainable material. Firstly, Why Bamboo? In my opinion, one of the main advantages of building with bamboo is that it is a wonderful, natural and renewable resource, capable of rapid growth that can avoid future deforestation of our precious tropical rainforests. But, there is more. Its capacity to absorb energy and the higher bending strength makes this bamboo an ideal material for seismic-resistant constructions.
I start to wonder again why bamboo is less likely to be used in Malaysia. After listening to the talk, I knew that bamboo is non-polluting and does not have crusts or parts that can be considered waste. Instead of adding to the problems of polluting land-fills like conventional building waste, any part of the bamboo that is not used is recycled back into the earth as fertilizer or can be processed as bamboo charcoal. Besides, it’s circular form and hollow sections make bamboo a light building material, which is easy to handle, transport and store. Therefore, building with bamboo saves time. Bamboo can be utilized for permanent and for temporary constructions. I think I will start to consider bamboo as the building materials for my future design as to its utmost potential.
Between, one of the Malaysian architect Eleena Jamil has built a bamboo pavilion in Kuala Lumpur's botanical gardens, featuring tree-like columns and a floor made up of 31 elevated platforms. Inspiration for the playhouse stems from traditional vernacular structures called the 'wakaf' which are originally found in villages. While bamboo is a popular building material in Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea, its use in new construction is more unusual in Malaysia. With the desire to raise the profile of this sustainable building material, I hope bamboo can be widely used in modern Malaysian architecture.
However, there are certain limitations of the use of bamboo in construction due to the nature of the plant. The starchy interior is attractive to insects, and if not treated can rot, and fill with insects. In addition, because bamboo has a slick waterproof coating, it cannot be painted very easily, but it can be accomplished with the right types of paint. Therefore, it has to be treated well.
As a conclusion, bamboo is the future. It is the most beautiful, versatile, tallest & strongest material that we could possibly choose. The rainforest almost gone, plywood is mostly made from the rainforest & cement has carbon load that is not going to help the future. While the world isn't yet ready for whole cities made out of bamboo, it is certainly ready for homes made of it, and it seems to be coming in the near future.
