Bamboo as a Building Material

Institute for
Structural Design
RWTH Aachen University

Bamboo as a Building Material

Bamboo as a Building Material

Institute for
Structural Design
RWTH Aachen University

The Bamboo Plant

giant grass

distribution:

tropical areas

growth:

telescope-like
diameter decreases with increasing height
growth exclusively in length
no changes in thickness

Guadua Angustifolia:

growth in length: 12 cm / day

height: 20-25m
diameter: about 12 cm

lignification:

after about 3 years

harvest

after about 5 years

Institute for
Structural Design
RWTH Aachen University

cell section

divided in nodes and segments

strengthened by diaphragms at the nodes

all fibers orientated lengthwise:

softer at the inside
harder at the outside

>

light

>

Tensile strength nearly as high as steel!

Bamboo as a Building Material

The Bamboo Culm

Institute for
Structural Design
RWTH Aachen University

fast growing natural material

binding of CO2

sustainability

available in large amounts (countries of origin)

Bamboo as a Building Material

Advantages of Bamboo

Institute for
Structural Design
RWTH Aachen University

Bamboo as a Building Material

Advantages of Bamboo as a Building Material

high mechanical strength

high flexibility (earthquake-proof)

inexpensive and sustainable

development of new areas of application for

bamboo in the building industry

innovative application for represantative

buildings with high span widths

application possible in countries of origin as

well as in Europe (tropical panache)

encouragement of autonomy in the countries

of origin by export (pre-fabrication)

application as whole culm or as pre-fabricated

product (e.g. plates)

Institute for
Structural Design
RWTH Aachen University

thrust load: maximum utilization of the

mechanical properties of the bamboo profile
(tube with reinforcements, fibrousity)

better environmental performance for use

of whole bamboo culms than for processed
products.

prefabrication of construction elements:

easy and fast application
no adjustments at the construction site
quality assurance by prefabrication

joint construction transferable from other

materials (e.g. Mero/steel etc.)

reusability of beams and joints

Bamboo as a Building Material

Bamboo Space Frames