bamboo furniture

designing

“Where western design meets indian tradition”

 bamboo furniture
designing

“Where western design meets indian tradition”

Photograph on cover: Elke van Gelder

© Before publishing any content of this report first contact CIBART, DDiD or Thies Timmermans
Foreword
This project is a result of an exchange program of DDiD (Dutch Design in De-
velopment) and CIBART (Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technol-
ogy). DDiD sends professional designers who are keen to expand their hori-
zon and are willing to exchange their knowledge for a good cause, wherein
eventually both the parties benefit from a mutual exchange of knowledge &
experience.

This report was initially written as to show the two month during process to all
interested. Eventually its content can be used as a guideline for those who
will participate in the DDiD program or for others who are (going to be) in-
volved in a sustainability, bamboo or development country project.
Contents
Foreword 3

Contents 4

Abbrevitions 7

Assignment 8
Initial design proposal 8
Background 8
Adjusted assignment 10
Workplan 12

Bamboo 15
Bamboo in general 15
Public’s view 15
Region specie 16
Environmental issues 19

Konbac 21
Organisation & location 21
Mission & objectives 22
Set-up 24

Bamboo processing 26
Introduction 26
Preservation 28
Peeling skin & knot removal 31
Sawing 31
Splitting 31
Straightening & bending 32
Construction 32
 Sanding 32
Coating 32
Export 34

Market 36
Introduction 36
Survey 36
Lounge 38

Design 42
Bamboo experience 42
Sketching 42
Concepts 42
Prototyping 46

Evaluation 52
Prototype improvements 52
Project evaluation 56

References 58

Appendix 60
I Contacts 60
II Planning 62
III Market research 64
IV Tactics 65
V Product catalogue 66

Credits 73
Abbreviations
BB Boric Borax
CCB Copper Chrome Boric
CFC Common Facility Centre
CIBART Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology
DDID Dutch Design in Development
IIT Indian Institute of Technology
IPD Industrial Product Development
INBAR International Network on Bamboo and Rattan
NID National Institute of Design
KONBAC Konkan Bamboo and Cane Development Centre
Rs Indian Rupees
TRIBAC Tripura Bamboo and Cane Development
TUDelft Technical University of Delft
 Assignment
assignment

Initial design proposal

The initial design was proposed by Rebecca Reubens of INBAR and can be
summarized as: To design a range of children’s products, especially school
furniture using whole bent bamboo.
Background
The school furniture (main product line) and other children’s furniture and
products is a very generic product for children, who deserve the best in terms
of design - i.e. to say a child in Africa deserves he same quality of furniture
as a child in Holland - for e.g. for children, issues like the product being non
toxic, safe etc. really are very important. Therefore, rather than focussing on
a certain limited market, very generic products of high quality should be de-
veloped, which can be customized as and if required. The product designed
needs to appeal and fit within a wide range of constraints which cut across
‘developed’ and ‘developing country’ definitions and perceptions.

We would like to have a very contemporary product aesthetic, keeping in

mind production that is using very simple whole bamboo technology i.e. the
round form, which can also be bent, and also slat based furniture, i.e. made
from bamboo slats, which can also be bent.
(tubular sections i.e. round cross sections), so that the product can cater to de-
veloped country aesthetics as well, and can be produced in our field projects
in India and Africa.

INBAR and CIBART are development organizations, and so they are trying to
help rural people with livelihood generation, which involved designing prod-
ucts which can be produced by these rural people, and yet cater to larger
markets - like the west - and use technologies and materials that are existing in
the given production set up, keeping in mind constraints like existing materials,
cost, skill sets, infrastructure etc.

 The idea is to design and prototype school furniture collections using solid
bamboo - say around 6 sets or so, lay these out classroom style, and then set
 Bamboo availability in
its different forms. From
the raw whole collumn
to the pressed multilay-


er bamboo fiber mats.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal
assignment

up exhibitions and discussions in different countries including with educators,

government ministries, teachers and so on, to promote these furniture lines.

The chair you designed as you mentioned was for Dutch children and this
would have been a key feature of its ergonomics. The furniture we are looking
at will cater to children all over the world, including Asia, Africa, the EU, USA
and so on, so it has to be much more ergonomically flexible.
Cost wise and design wise as well, the furniture has to be comparable to prod-
ucts used in the North, so standards of design and quality have to be very high,
and so I would suggest using research from the internet of school furniture as
our benchmarks - not local statistics.

Regarding laminated furniture parts, this is indeed a very good technology,

and it is currently being developed further for bent and laminated bamboo
furniture, but it is not sure if it will be perfected this by November.
Adjusted assignment
After discussing the project with the directors of KONBAC, changes were im-
plemented in the initial assignment. Due to the existing market and the current
state of product quality the main goal is altered to: designing a new line of
high quality furniture for the top-end market.

Current production is of mediocre quality, because of lack of experience, due

to the short existence of KONBAC. This combined with the heavy competing
market of school products, that hasn’t yet been penetrated by KONBAC and
where other brands already have settled, makes it hard, if not impossible, to
introduce a successful product. The national image of bamboo material, be-
ing inferior to wood, steel or plastic, also doesn’t contribute to this. The use of
the existing market, that KONBAC has already entered, is more cost reducing
because of more build up experience and set up contacts and less required
promotion. Introducing a new product is expected to be easier, less costly

10
and successful in a shorter period.

The high standard of the new design will hopefully achieve a second goal:
 The beaches of Goa
are a mayor touristic
attraction and offer
an interesting target
market.

11 © Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Vagator
beach
assignment

to take the factory to a new higher level whereas new methods of produc-
tion can be implemented with the aim of reducing manufacturing costs and
production time and improving product quality. Therefore special attention
should be paid to the production method e.g.: line-production, use of malls,
implementation of new constructions and materials.

Of course during the design process special attention should be made to-
wards the possible production technologies considering the material, used
skills, infrastructure and costs. Other important fields are ergonomics, safety,
toxicology and product aesthetics.
Workplan
To achieve the set goals, a work plan has been developed (seen below). This
work plan states the main steps and achievements in the process and can
be used as a guideline during the project. A more detailed planning can be
found in the attachments.

1. Introduction
2. Company and technology research
3. Market Research
4. Sketching
5. Detailing design
6. Materializing

12
 During the design
process special atten-
tion should be paid to
the traditional low tech

13
skills of the craftsmen.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Kudal
bamboo

Bamboo crops are

often grown for addi-
tional income at small

14
farmers backyards.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal
Bamboo
Bamboo in general
Did you know that bamboo provided the first re-greening in Hiroshima after
the atomic blast in 1945? And Thomas Edison successfully used a carbonized
bamboo filament in his first experiment with the light bulb.

Bamboo can be seen as a very suitable, eco-friendly and easy usable substi-
tute for wood. There are over 1000 species of bamboo on the earth. The di-
versity makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. The plant tolerates
extremes of precipitation, from 30-250 inches of annual rainfall. It is also the
fastest growing woody plant on this planet. It grows one third faster than the
fastest growing tree. Some species can grow up to one meter per day. One
can almost “watch it grow”. This growth pattern makes is easily accessible in
a minimal amount of time. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years
for most softwood.

The sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of bamboo is 25% which
means that bamboo greatly reduces rain run-off, preventing massive soil ero-
sion. Its anti-erosion properties create an effective watershed, stitching the soil
together along fragile river banks, deforested areas.

Product wise the material is very strong: Bamboo’s tensile strength is 28,000
per square inch versus 23,000 for steel. The basic manufacturing of bamboo
doesn’t require special skills or expensive tools.

Since it almost grows everywhere, has good material characteristics and is

easy to manufacture it is very suitable for agricultural and crafting approach-
es for rural communities. It is an important mean for generating income and
improving the nutritional status of poor and disadvantaged people.
Publics view

15
Cane and bamboo are considered as an inferior material in India. This is be-
cause there’s the interpretation that these kinds of materials are only used for
short term use as a substitute for timber. Since bamboo mainly grows in rural
 areas where daily income is below $2, - (below poverty line) it is seen as a
poor-man’s-material. People don’t even know the difference between bam-
boo (a grass) and rattan (a tree) and its distinguished species. This is due to
bamboo

little information and knowledge about bamboo and its possibilities.

In the project this attitude towards bamboo is of main importance, since the
product market is in Goa. Therefore a survey (see chapter) is been held to re-
search the opinion of the target market.
Region species
The used bamboo in the Konkan region takes about 120 days to full growth.
The appearance of branches is a sign of the reached adolescence; it stops
growing in lengths and diameter. For construction stronger bamboo is used
of 4 years old. For furniture and other products bamboo of 2 year old is used.
Another interesting fact is that when bamboo is harvested when the moon is
rising, it will easier be harmed by insects. If harvested under a declining moon,
fewer insects will bother the material as per locally known.

The main species of bamboo found in this district are Oxytenanthera stock-
sii, Bambusa arundinacea, Oxytenanthera monostigma and Dendrocalamus
strictus. The nature of bamboo crop varies from moderately dense type to
regeneration type. At KONBAC only the first two species are used for the man-
ufacturing of products and they are locally addressed with the names of re-
spectively Mannga and Kanak.

The Mannga bamboo is not thorny, has a small diameter and grows to lengths
of 30 feet. Typical is its thick wand that most of the time results in a complete
solid centre. This explains the very strong tubular section. The skin is hard and
strong, but these characteristics decrease towards the centre.

Kanak, a thorny bamboo, grows to lengths of about 80-90 feet. It has a large

16
diameter but is hollow due to its thin wand. Kanak is strong and compara-
ble light, but isn’t used much in construction and furniture designs because its
preservation is unknown with the result that is easy splits.
 The flowering of bam-
boo happens only
once in a long period,
but is disastrous for the
harvest since it makes

17
the bamboo useless

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal
bamboo

For furniture and con-

struction purpose truck-
loads of only mature

18
bamboo are used.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal
 Environmental issues

Bamboo can be seen as a substitute for wood, since it grows faster and lends
itself to easy agricultural approaches in many different climates and in this
manner it can prevent the scarce natural source of wood from being deplet-
ed. Apart from this, bamboo growth can also results in healing degraded land,
stopping soil erosion and helping in drought-proofing. It has an underground
root-and-rhizome system that effectively binds the top one foot soil that is criti-
cal for soil health.

Bamboo is a critical element in maintaining the balance of oxygen and car-

bon dioxide. Carbon gets trapped within bamboo forests, thus reducing car-
bon dioxide gases. It also lowers the intensity of light and protects us from
harmful ultra-violet rays.

Bamboo forests nurture wildlife. Apart from the endangered panda, the most
famous symbol of bamboo forests, many birds, monkeys and boars depends
on bamboo shoots. A problem that is recently occurring in China is the har-
vesting of wild grown bamboo in nature with the result of endangering this
local fauna. In India small farmers cut their bamboo in their jungle backyard
for an extra income. Although when harvested with care it is possible to cut
wild bamboo without harming the environment (cutting one bamboo culm
results in three new ones), most people don’t know this. That’s why aware-
ness programs have been set up. Also several bamboo nurseries have been
implemented. The nurseries grow shoots of the most suitable available species
of bamboo and sell these to farmers so they can grow their own crops. In the
end this will improve quality of the harvested grass.

19
konbac

Teaching women in
rural commmunities the
techniques of bamboo
handcraft results in an
extra eco-income and

20
decreases poverty.

© Photograph by Thies
Timmermans
Konbac
Organisation & location
With the objective of strengthening the bamboo sector in the Konkan region,
the Centre for Indian Bamboo Resource and Technology (CIBART), having its
Head Quarters in New Delhi, established an office in Kudal of Sindhudurg Dis-
trict in June 2004. The strategic reason for setting up the office in Kudal is its
proximity to Goa (tourist destination) and Mumbai, the business hub and also
the availability of bamboo resources in Sindhudurg. Sindhudurg district of Ma-
harashtra has a geographical area of 5087 sq. km with a forest area of around
910 sq. km. The forest lands are largely owned by the government (to the tune
of 94 sq. km) with about 50 sq. km. under the ownership of private persons.

CIBART has established a Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Kudal with the
funding support from Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under Ministry
of Textiles in January 2005. The technical inputs and guidance were extended
by International Network on Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) which is a global
network having its Head Quarters in Beijing, China.

To promote the lo-

cal ownership, the
Konkan Bamboo
and Cane Devel-
opment Centre
(KONBAC) was reg-
istered as a not for
profit organisation
under section 25
of company act in
June 2004. Though
the CFC was initial-
ly set up by CIBART,

21
the implementa-
tion is done by
KONBAC. Till now,

organisation hierarchy
 KONBAC was a supporting agency for CIBART initiatives and it is expected to
take the lead role in strengthening the bamboo sector initiatives in the Konkan
region.
Mission & Objectives

KONBAC aims at establishing backward linkages into the villages and forward
linkages into technical and with other development agencies at the regional,
national and international level.
konbac

The organisation intends to work with civil society, government and community
to make bamboo-based sustainable development a reality. It works through
building networks and partnership. The aim of KONBAC is to achieve environ-
mental security and economic development of the community through sus-
tainable use of bamboo. Given India’s rich bamboo resources and the peo-
ple’s natural affinity to this grass there are immense opportunities and KONBAC
aims to actualize this untapped potential by guiding and training communities
to set up bamboo based enterprises.

KONBAC has global outlook, yet one that addresses local needs. It is for the
communities, but is market driven and businesslike. For KONBAC, the commu-
nities are the primary beneficiary market the goal and the production of the
craft and manufactured goods using industrial approaches the means.

KONBAC aims to develop interventions that would promote eco-income gen-

eration activity by total involvement of the local basket-makers communities.

KONBAC has set up a office in Kudal, Sindhudurg and within a span of 2 year
KONBAC has initiated several steps. Awareness raising and training programs
is ongoing features of KONBAC’s activities. KONBAC through such activities
intends to provide technology support to these groups in the area of design,

22
development and market linkages that would promotes eco-income general
activity.
With the funding sup-
port from Development
Commissioner (Handi-
crafts) under Ministry of
Textiles a Common Fa-
cility Centre (CFC) was

23
established in Kudal.

© Photograph by Kon-
bac archives, Kudal
 Set-up

KONBAC promotes and has set up a large number of activities. These can be
summarized in four groups.

1) Common Facility Centre.

Set up by CIBART in 2005, but implemented by KONBAC, this facility centre
houses bamboo preservation machinery and other (heavy) machinery for the
basic manufacturing of all bamboo products. A great deal of the pre- and
konbac

post-construction activities of both furniture and structuring works is carried out

here. Secondly the centre has a medium stock of both the uncut material right
from the fields as the preserved ready to be used bamboo.

2) Training Programs.
Set up by KONBAC with the intention to promote eco-income to those who
are living under the poverty line in especially the rural areas. Local teacher are
educated by professionals from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, in Mum-
bai) or the National Institute of Design (NID in Ahmedabad). Knowledge about
design and manufacturing of bamboo products, general development and
marketing is carried out. KONBAC also provides these teachers with technol-
ogy support in the form of an specially designed tool-kit (prof. A.G. Rao of IIT).

3) Furniture unit (factory).

This facility is situated only 200 metres from the CFC. All bamboo furniture is
constructed here. Four groups are working separately according to a working
scheme planned by the supervisor. Each group consists of one master crafts-
man who directs and teaches 6 to 7 assistants.

4) Structuring.
This youngest project of KONBAC is for the design, fabrication and erection of
bamboo structures. A full time (construction) designer is directing most of the

24
projects. In special occasions professional architects or constructors are ap-
proached.
 The development of a
resort in South Mahar-
astra is an example of
possible bamboo tech-
nology and can be
seen as a direct result
of the new structuring

25
program of Konbac.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal
 Bamboo processing
Introduction
In this chapter the whole process flow (see diagram) is discussed. Facilities of
bamboo manufacturing are available in the CFC and the furniture factory. In
the CFC main activities of pre-construction are pealing skin, removing knots,
preservation and conserving,
length sawing, splitting and raw material
bending whole bamboo and
slats. Post-construction consist
primary preparation
of sandpapering and apply- 1.

ing varnish. drilling holes

chemical treatment
The construction and assem-
bly of the bamboo is done in peeling skin
processing

the furniture factory. Around knot removing

six different types of bamboo
construction methods are 2. primary processing
used (see pictures on the next
pages) and all of them are straightening culm

similar to wooden construc- sawing

tion techniques. Most work is
done by hand using sizzles, splitting

hammer and hack saw. Small bending

electrical equipment, like a
jointing & binding
column drill and hand drills, is
also used.
3. finishing

A product catalogue can filling

be found in the appendix.

sanding
The weaving of bamboo into
products like basket etc. is painting

26
learned during the training
program and is no part of the
end product
factory process. Since it isn’t
process flow
 A large part of the
processing of bamboo
is done by hand using

27
the dao or machette

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal
 involved in the making of furniture it hasn’t been researched thoroughly in this
project.
Preservation
To preserve the bamboo for 25-30 years a toxic Copper Chrome Boric (CCB)
chemical is used at CFC. The bamboo is placed in a pressure tank and this is
vacuumized. After this the chemical is added and pressure changes from vac-
uum to 14 kg/cm2. The pressure makes sure the small capillary of the bamboo
is filled with the chemical (these capillary close within 48 hours of cutting the
bamboo). The bamboo skin is not penetrable by the CCB, so holes are drilled
into the centre of the bamboo to provide an entrance and let the chemical
penetrate from the inside.

Although the CCB is considered not harmful for the customer due to its posi-
tion on the inside of the product and the protective layer of varnish, it is not an
processing

ecological material to use.

There are more different treatments to preserve bamboo available, but tech-
nical (short conservation period), economical (too expensive) and implemen-
tation (long processing time) characteristics make them not ideal.

One of them is the using of a mixture of Boric Acid and Borax. This chemical is
not toxic, but can only be used for indoor products since its working will disap-
pear when contacted with water.

A more lasting result can be obtained soaking the bamboo in a solution of

0.75% of Sodium Pentachorophinate to 1 litre of water. The solution with the
bamboo is then boiled for 15 minutes and cooled to room temperature. Alter-
natively, if boiling is not possible, the strips are kept immersed in the cold solu-
tion for 24 hours. Finally, the bamboo parts are removed and spread out, in a
shaded place, to air dry.

28
A more traditional way of preserving bamboo is by smoking. The finished prod-
uct is subjected to prolonged smoking over a fireplace. This technique, that
is also available at CFC, leaves a darker brown colour over the bamboo pro-
 Clockwise from upper
left: drilling, preserva-
tion tank, peelin skin,
knot removal.

29 © Photographs by Elke
van Gelder & Thies Tim-
mermans, CFC Kudal
processing

Clockwise from up-

per left: widt sizing
and planing machine,
sawing, radial splitting,
straightening.

30
© Photographs by Elke
van Gelder & KONBAC
archives, CFC Kudal
 ducts.

Out of an ecological point of view and considering people health an alter-

native is sought for.
Peeling skin & knot removal
The rough and uneven surface of the bamboo culms is smoothened primary
for aesthetic and preservation (since the CCB doesn’t penetrate the skin)
reasons. The knots are evened by circular rotating blades. Although the skin
is the strongest part of the bamboo it is also peeled. This can be done in the
traditional way: using a machete or dhau. For the removal of the cortex of
bamboo splits there is also the availability of using a width sizing and planing
machine. Operating this machine consists of manually passing single splits
through it. The splits are divided into two equal parts.
Sawing
The bamboo is sized and cut using a circular saw. The machine has a meas-
uring device to saw pieces of uniform length. During construction simple
hack saws are used for slotting and seizing more detailed work.

Splitting
Whole bamboo culm can be split into slivers or splits. Splits are the full thick-
ness of the culm wall and have the green outer layer still attached whereas
slivers are thin, narrow sections of the bamboo split.

This radial splitting of the bamboo culm is done with a machine. The columns
is placed on the machine manually. One end is fitted between the blade
radial splitter and the chuck (metal disk). The blade radial splitter is shaped
like a wheel and has 4, 8, 12, and 16 blade variations. The size of the resulting
splits depends on the used blade variation.

31
Once the bamboo is fitted onto it, the chuck pushes the bamboo through
the blade radial splitter, and the bamboo gets split into as many divisions of
the ‘wheel’ that the blade has. The blade moves fast to allow the bamboo
 to pass through the cutting edge with force.
Straightening & Bending
Bending of bamboo culm, splits or slivers is done by heating the bamboo with
a flame. On microscopic level fibres are melted and these can be deformed.
When the required bend is completed, the heated portion should be kept im-
mersed in water till the water temperature returns to ambient. The whole proc-
ess is reversible. Sometimes jigs or malls are used to repeat the process while
maintaining the same shape.

The straightening and bending of bamboo is easier when the material is green,
rather than when it has dried. Though it is relatively easy to bend an immature
bamboo, it will revert to its original state within a very short time.

The black burning spots that are a result of this process are removed by hand,
processing

but will always be partly visible in the product. Bending with steam won’t leave
these scars on the material. KONBAC is planning to purchase this kind of ma-
chinery in the future.
Construction
Construction is done by four small groups with an artisan as team leader. The
artisans can be considered as skilled teachers who train their group. Construc-
tion techniques consist of simple methods that are similar to construction of
wood (see pictures). The craftsmen use sizzles, hammers and drills to construct.
For connection cane bindings, iron nails, bamboo pens and glue are used.
Sanding
To improve the durability of the varnish attachment and to increase aesthet-
ics, the products are sanded. Sanding is mainly done by hand. Sometimes
square plane sanding machines are used.

Coating

32 The furniture is finished with commercial varnish. Polyurethane or melamine

varnish is currently popular because of its durability and scratch resistance.
 Clockwise from upper
left: bending, construc-

33
tion, sanding, painting.

© Photographs by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Kudal
 Depending on the products and the wishes of the customers a synthetic col-
our is added to the painting mixture. Although other finishing methods are
more eco friendlier they are not used for economic and durability reasons.

Export
KONBAC has some experience on export and is interested. The main problem
of possible export will be the conservation of product quality. Compared to
the Dutch climate, the Konkan region has a higher degree of moist in the air.
When the products is transported to a less moisture climate chances are that
cracks will appear due to splitting. A possible solution can be the local season-
ing of bamboo. This means that the material will be dried for a longer period
before used for furniture. This is not possible during the 4 month monsoon.
processing

34
 For jointing traditional
construction meth-
ods are used. For extra
strength and a nice
finishing cane bindings
are used.

© Photographs by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Kudal.
rendering by Thies Tim-
mermans

35
 Market
Recent market
CFC was established in Kudal for its near markets of Goa and Mumbai. Mum-
bai is considered as business capital of West-India and should therefore be a
right target for bamboo products. The state of Goa is the Mecca of India for
tourists. It offers not only lots of restaurants, hotels and cafes as potential buy-
ers, it’s also considered as the gateway to the Western countries. In this project
we will concentrate on the Goan market only.

Although these areas are the reason for the CFC establishments in Kudal, most
of the bamboo furniture is purchased by local companies and organisations.
This is probably because of the little recognition of the organisation and the
lack of promotion. Combined with the general fact that bamboo is seen as
poor people’s material and the constant threat of competitive cheaper local
wooden and plastic products and the bamboo furniture out of China, it can
be said that the bamboo-market is not an easy one. Most sales (approximate-
ly 90%), carried out the last two years, are orders done by the hotel, restaurant
and guesthouse sector.

Special opportunities lay in future plans:

1) The construction of a resort in Tarkali beach in South-Maharashtra has re-
market

cently started. Because of its potential attention in the media, the resort is seen
as an exhibition of possible bamboo technology. Secondly it can function as a
showroom for other bamboo products like furniture.
2) KONBAC is planning to set up a showroom of bamboo products only. This
should functions as a centre sales and promotion point and should raise aware-
ness of bamboo benefits (e.g. environmental issues, poverty reduction of rural
communities). It should be located in the Goa state or Mumbai.

Survey
A survey was held under the owners of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and

36
bars in different places in the state of Goa, regarding their opinion of bam-
boo furniture. An attempt to retrieve information by sending an email (see
attachment) resulted in a response of two out of fifty sent emails. Visiting the
 Most bamboo furniture
is used in the hotel and
restaurant sector in for

37
example a garden.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Mapusa
 target group physically provided more information also due to the possibility
of deepening out the conversation. In the attachments more information can
be found about the companies that have responded.

Survey conclusion
Most reactions are positive about bamboo and cane. It seems that the nega-
tive image of bamboo, being poor material, is less strong in Goa. Probably
because they follow the Western trends and habits more closely.

Bamboo (and rattan) furniture is welcomed with open arms. People think it has
an appealing and natural look. Bamboo and cane furniture is mostly seen as
comfortable furniture to relax and is therefore wanted as outdoor furniture for
terrace, garden and lounge rooms. The availability of cushions in seats is found
a necessary item. Although traditional designs are still wanted, some up-mar-
ket restaurants and hotels prefer new design to offer something original to their
customers.

Cane furniture is already widely used in touristy Goa and is also referred to as
bamboo furniture. Most problems of this type of furniture happen when stored
during the monsoon period. Fungus, insects and the moist weather afflict dam-
age to the furniture e.g. causing rusty nails, stains and spots and loose liga-
market

ments. Other problems are caused by constant sunshine, guests or personnel

and chemicals like sun oil or makeup. This results in high yearly maintenance
costs. To avoid these costs sometimes artificial cane or bamboo furniture is
used.

Still bamboo furniture is not so common to be found in Goa because it takes

effort to find good quality within the state. Bamboo is also considered as fairly
expensive when compared to the cheaper and easily available cane (500-
600 Rs) and plastic (150-350 Rs) products. The maximum price people are will-
ing to pay for a sofa differs from 800-1000 Rs.

38
Lounge
One of the criteria of the newly designed bamboo furniture is that concepts
 Bamboo is widely used
in Goa since it’s nega-
tive image isn’t too

39
strong.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Vagator
market

40
One style to concen-
trate on is lounging.

Photograph from the

 should fit in the Goan market. Possible customers like tourists and owners of tour-
ist facilities should be willing to buy the product not only for its attractiveness
and traditional craftsmanship but also for its valuable functionality. Because of
the already existing connection of bamboo with comfort and the rising trend
in Western countries of lounging, the focus is set on lounging furniture. These
types of products are commonly used as garden furniture in western countries
but also wouldn’t be awkward in the lobby of a hotel, in the lounge room of a
nightclub or on the terrace of a beach shack.

Lounging can be described as a relaxed style where comfort has a high prior-
ity and the whole environment is transformed to an easy going state of being.
This means chill out music, comfortable furniture, and dimmed lights.

Characteristics and criteria of typical lounge furniture are:

• Lot of cushion and pillows
• Comfortable for longer period
• Low sitting position
• Multiple body positions possible
• Modern looks
• Rounded shapes mostly organic or natural

41
 Design
Bamboo experience
The best way to get to know the material and the skills of workmen is by expe-
riencing it yourself. During the first days I was “educated” by local craftsmen
and encountered the manufacturing of furniture out of whole bamboo and
weaving baskets of bamboo.

Sketching
With the just learned available techniques several sketches were made. Dur-
ing the design process schematic tables of Pablo van der Lugt are used (see
appendix). Different characteristics of the creative process for bamboo de-
signing are taken into account:

• Intrinsic qualities of bamboo

• Using culm or splits
• Combine with other materials
• Use cultural skills
• Product innovation (new product)
• Market & consumer research

Concepts
The concepts were chosen from the initial sketches on base of 4 main crite-
ria:
1) Western design
The concepts should be different from the traditional products, both in form
and functionality. They ought to have a modern look.
2) Organic forms
design

Form and curves should be as organic as possible to emphasize the natural

material. Box shaped furniture (like the traditional) is out of the question.
3) Traditional skills
Although different in looks and forms, the concept furniture should be able to

42
be made by the local craftsmen and their traditional skills.
4) Suitable for target market
The concepts should fit in the Goan market. Possible customers like tourists and
 The designer at work to
gain a real bamboo ex-

43
perience.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Kudal
 owners of tourist facilities should be willing to buy the product not only for its
looks and traditional craftsmanship but also for its valuable functionality.

The concepts (see pictures) were developed with the intention to be manu-
factured by bamboo material only (cushions not taken into account).
design

44
 From sketch to con-
cepts.

45
© Photographs by Elke
van Gelder, Kudal, ren-
dering by Thies Timmer-
mans
 Prototyping
Since the project would only last for one month, the stage of prototyping was
initialized already in the third week. The three concepts shown on the pictures
on the previous page were found most suitable and interesting and were pro-
totyped. Each design was prototyped by a different group of artisans led by a
master craftsman as team leader. During the prototyping each concept had
its typical problems.

The cocoon was expected the easiest to be materialized, thus it was given to
the least experienced group of artisans. In the end this was clearly visible in the
product. The bending and shaping of the slats was an easy task to perform but
It turned out to be quite difficult to make a proper equal spacing between the
bent slats. The main problem was the making of the round frame. The radii of
the circles were found to small to be made from whole bent bamboo culm. A
first attempt to use bamboo splits resulted in a deformed round shape. Using a
round mall also didn’t work. In the end rattan was used for the internal frame.
The form turned out rather well, but the strength of the frame is below what is
to be expected.

During the construction of the roundabout it was obvious a mall or jig was
needed. The wooden jig didn’t work. A mall consisting of iron nails on a board
resulted in a fine main shape of the bamboo slats. The skill of the master artisan
was needed to make all shaped slats rather equal because they all revered
back differently due to the variable maturity of the used bamboo. The first slats
were made from the Kanak bamboo, but Mannga offered a stronger and
nicer solution. Another problem that had to be faced was how to attach the
design

slats so that eventually an consistent form of the chair should appear. A frame
needed to be designed that would function as a guide for the slats and that
at the same time would look elegant, be able to be made by the artisans and
provide enough strength to carry a single person. On the next page is to be

46
seen what frame designs were considered as an option.

The spine was favourite from the beginning, but problems were expected
 How to communi-
cate western design
into eastern traditional

47
craftsman minds.

© Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Kudal
 when making the frame. Artisans thought the frame couldn’t be made out of
whole bamboo culm. That’s why they started with bamboo splits. Shaping the
right form was very difficult and in the end the manufactured frame consisted
out of four different parts. From an aesthetic and a construction point of view
we considered the use of cane as the construction material. Implementing this
decreased manufacturing time and improved the quality of the form drasti-
cally. But the strength and construction problem remained. To solve this, hori-
zontal pipes were inserted. Additional shear prevention was found in a cross
section, materialised in the frame. All these extras did not support the aesthet-
ics of the product. The option of using a metal frame, which is expected to be
both strong and elegant, was tried to implement, but finding a suitable metal
workshop with the required machines turned out to be very difficult. Hopefully
this variant will succeed in near future.
design

48
 During prototyping it
was hard to find the

49
right shape.

© Photograph Elke van

Gelder, CFC Kudal
 design

50
 The most promissing
concepts were proto-

51
typed.

© Photographs KON-
BAC Archives, Kudal
 Evaluation
Prototype improvements
The concepts have been modified in the prototype phase. However after dis-
cussing the prototypes with the artisans, the management team of KONBAC,
coordinators of the project and people from within the Goan market other
improvements definitely have to be implemented.

General improvements involve the using of bamboo nails instead of iron nails.
Iron nails will get rusty after a while and this will affect the product quality and
durability in a negative way. Secondly the cane bindings should not be used
at all. Market research shows that already after one year of use these bindings
start to come off. This affects not only the looks but also the whole image of
the bamboo. People see it as a fact of indurability and that’s not true since
these bindings are mainly used for aesthetic reason (hide iron nails) and they
don’t add to the product strength. From a Western perspective a chair with-
out binding looks more appealing because the product doesn’t seem to be
kept together by strings. A third change comes from the artisan corner. They
suggest using the Mannga, bamboo, instead of Kanak, for the making of the
shaped slats. Mannga is better to manufacture and looks better. When pro-
ducing these special curved splits, different malls should be used in which the
revered position is calculated and tested.

Suggested change to the spine:

• A prototype with a tubular stainless steel frame should be tried. Bamboo
slats of the same form should be attached from the inside of the frame with
screws.
• For a cane frame, longer cane material should be used, so that the
frame will consist of one part only. The horizontal rods should be place be-
tween the round shaped framings and not on top of them.
• More effort has to be taken into the detailing of the edges of the bam-
boo slats. The bending points should be at equal position to all parts. The edg-

52
es of these parts should be cut off straight at a uniform length.
evaluation

• Special attention should be paid to the base of the chair. The “legs” of
the hair should provide a stable and sufficient support for the user.
 The prototypes should
be improved so they
can compete with the
disgraceful artificial
bamboo furniture.

53 © Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, Calan-
gute, Goa
 • The concept of this lounge chair was the possibility of extending it by
connecting it to other furniture of the same line. But this involves a connection
or interaction mechanism, that is no yet available on the prototype.

After the completion of the prototype, the roundabout was found most prom-
ising for the market. A few improvements are:
• Since there is a frame to support the user’s weight, out of elegancy, the
bamboo strips are advised to be of thinner dimension.
• Additional horizontal supports that are not part of the frame should be
inserted. These supports form an interconnection of the shaped slats. This will
improve both strength and uniform shape of the product.
• Any frame parts should not out length the external bamboo shaped
slats. The rectangular frame should be of a more organic form to emphasize its
original curved form. Dimensions of the prototype seemed to be slightly inap-
propriate so they should be resized (see picture below).
• The basic idea of the roundabout was the forming of a circle when
several chairs were sideways connected. This slight implemented curve was
initially not placed in the concept because of expected difficulties, but the
product is now ready for.
• Basic dimensions turned out to be over-sized. Dimensions should be al-
tered to ergonomically just values.
• For the interconnection of several chairs, a mechanism should e invent-
ed.

The prototype of the cocoon was visually inferior to the other concepts. In
a way this is the result of poor craftsmanship, but mainly it’s the design that
needs a lot of improvements. KONBAC decided to drop this concept and
concentrate on the other two.
• The internal frame is not stable. This is because the outer form has been
developed first and the inner frame was constructed and adjusted afterwards.
A stronger and more stable frame (using metal?) should be inserted.

54
• As the cushion will be permanently attached, the bottom of the chair
evaluation

should be kept open to make cleaning considerable easy.

• The outer form of the short shaped slats and the longer ones do not fol-
 For the shaping of the
main form, jigs should
be used, instead of
working on the eye.

55 © Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Ku-
dal
 low the same line. Additional horizontal support can solve this.
• The spacing of the strips should be as tight together at the bottom of
the product as possible. They will widen more when going up and the resulting
gaps are intolerable wide.
Project evaluation
Although this project has come to an end, the research and detailing of the
designed furniture should continue. Special attention should be paid towards
the frame and the finishing of the strips. For the Goan market maintenance
costs are very important so the product should be as durable as possible.

The style and technique that is used in the concepts of the spine and the
roundabout can be implemented on different kinds of furniture and can form
a complete new furniture line (e.g. stools, tables, lounge beds and multiple
seaters).

A longer and better market research should be implemented in future, for it

is important to keep an eye on the changes and hypes. The use of a public
relation can improve customer relations and can increase valuable market
feedback.

In my personal opinion I think that both concepts have a chance on the Dutch
market and should be tried to be exported whenever product quality (detail-
ing) has improved and factory capacity has increased. At that time special
attention should be paid to the effect of the different climate of the countries
in accordance with the preservation value of the products.

56
evaluation
 Using bamboo nails in-
stead of iron ones will
improve quality and
lower maintenance
costs

57 © Photograph by Elke
van Gelder, CFC Ku-
dal
References
Bamboo: an introduction
graduation report NID
Rebecca Reubens

Bamboo development in Konkan

a sheet presentation by KONBAC
KONBAC, 2004, Kudal

Bamboo processing
graduation report NID
Rebecca Reubens

Bamboos of India
K.K. Seethalakshmi & M.S. Muktesh Kumar, 1998, Art Options, New Delhi, ISBN
81-86247-25-4

CIBART communiqué
quarterly newsmagazine of CIBART
I.V. Ramanuja Rao, Vol. 1 issue 1, February 2004, New Delhi

Global Initiative on Marketing Community Based Bamboo Products

a product catalogue
INBAR

Human powered bamboo splitting tool for rural India

a graduation report
Willem van Glasbergen, June 2006, Delft, the Netherlands

58
references
 Local tools, equipment and technologies for processing bamboo and
rattan
an illustrated manual
R. Gnanaharan & A.P. Mosteiro, INBAR, 1997, Art Options, New Delhi, ISBN 81-
86247-17-3

Market report
INBAR

Product catalogue KONBAC

KONBAC, 2006, Kudal

Summary INBAR projects India

a powerpoint presentation
INBAR

Sustainable bamboo product development

a basic presentation to Han Brezet
ir. Pablo van der Lugt, Delft, January 2005

TRIBAC, Tripura bamboo and cane development

a powerpoint presentation
TRIBAC.

Why bamboo?
a website
http://kauai.net/bambooweb/whybamboo.html

59
Appendix I: Contacts
Freelance Product Designer
Thies Timmermans
+31 (0) 642150095
thies.timmermans@gmail.com
http://www.thiestimmermans.tk

Photographer
Elke van Gelder
+31 (0) 623735012
elkevangelder@hotmail.com
http://www.elkevangelder.tk

Director KONBAC
Sanjeev Karpe
+91 (0) 9422369789
sanjeev.cibart@gmail.com

Project officer KONBAC

Shilpesh Gambhire
+91 (0) 9423408703
shilpesh.gambhire@gmail.com

Architect Mozaic Design

Kanwarjit Nagi
+91 (0) 9421246125
architecture@mozaic-design.com
http//:www.mozaic-design.com

Construction Designer KONBAC

George Joel

60
+91 (0) 94903335066
greenearthculture@gmail.com

appendices
 Head Design INBAR
Rebecca Reubens
rreubens@gmail.com

Contact DDiD
Stella van Himbergen
Stella@ddid.nl

Bamboo Researcher TUDelft

Pablo van der Lugt
p.vanderlugt@tudelft.nl

IPO Graduate on bamboo design

Arjan van der Vegte
arjan@vdv-design.nl

DDiD Participant
Lara de Greef
info@laradegreef.nl

DDiD Participant
Eliza Noordhoek
lentekind@gmail.com

TUDelft Graduate on Bamboo Matchstick Machine

Willem Glasbergen
willemglasbergen@hotmail.com
http//:www.bambootool.com

NID exchange student, Pforzheim University, Germany

61
Sebastian Philipp
+49 (0) 17620102814
Bamsoknight@web.de
Appendix II: Planning
week 45 (10 nov - 12 nov) Settle & Introduction
fri 10 transport to Kudal
sat 11 settle at Kudal,quick tour around
sun 12 talk about planning, send contract, receive document information, investigate about organisa-
tion, ornigram, talk to Kanwarjit

week 46 (13 nov - 19 nov) Technology & Market research

mon 13 day off
tue 14 full day walk around wokshop, take pictures of products, catalogue products, inform in details
about constructions by workmen, inform about idea
wed 15 report workshop day
thu 16 follow traditional workshop
fri 17 report and leave for Goa
sat 18 investigate Goa market, visit hotels/shops/?
sun 19 investigate Goa market, visit hotels/shops/?

week 47 (20 nov - 26 nov) Sketching ideas
mon 20 day off
tue 21 arrive from Goa, discuss possible target markets in afternoon
wed 22 report
thu 23 make rough sketches & report
fri 24 make rough sketches & report
sat 25 present rough sketches and choose a few design to detail
sun 26 day off

week 48 (27 nov - 3 dec) Materialise & Detail
mon 27 day off
tue 28 detail design, talk to workmen
wed 29 detail design, talk to workmen, use CAD if needed
thu 30 detail design, talk to workmen, use CAD if needed
fri 1 detail design, talk to workmen, use CAD if needed
sat 2 present design for proto typing (on scale)
sun 3 day off

week 49 (4 dec - 10 dec) Prototyping (on scale)
mon 4 day off
tue 5 dutch holiday
wed 6 start prototyping (on scale) or practical details
thu 7 start prototyping (on scale) or practical details
fri 8 prototyping

62
sat 9 prototyping
sun 10 day off

appendices
 week 50 (11 dec - 17 dec) Meet coordinator in Ahmedabad
mon 11 day off
tue 12 leave for Ahmedebad
wed 13 arrive and accommodate
thu 14 discuss prototype and project
fri 15 make improvements
sat 16 visit design academie and do market research
sun 17 day off

week 51 (18 dec - 24 dec) Final adjustments
mon 18 day off
tue 19 return from Ahmedebad
wed 20 arrive at Kudal
thu 21 discuss prototype and possible improvements
fri 22 start 1 to 1 prototype
sat 23 start 1 to 1 prototype
sun 24 day off

week 52 (25 dec - 31 dec) Final prototype & Report
mon 25 day off, christmas
tue 26 day off, christmas
wed 27 1 to 1 prototype
thu 28 1 to 1 prototype
fri 29 1 to 1 prototype
sat 30 1 to 1 prototype
sun 31 day off, new year

week 1 (1 jan - 7 jan) Final prototype & Report
mon 1 day off, new year
tue 2 prototype + report
wed 3 prototype + report
thu 4 prototype + report
fri 5 prototype + report
sat 6 prototype + finish and deliver report
sun 7 day off, new year

week 2 (8 jan - 10 jan) Evaluate
mon 8 day off
tue 9 evaluate project

63
wed 10 leave Kudal
Appendix III: Research
During the market research the following places were visited:

Maggie’s guesthouse - Calangute

9822122174, Maggiesgoa_94@hotmail.com
Midrange guesthouse with rooms RS1500,-

Villa Theresa - Calangute

Villatheresa@hotmail.com
Midrange guesthouse with rooms Rs1200,-

Utopia - Calangute
09810543115, info@utopiagoa.com
Trendy beachclub/restaurant/lounge bar

Taj holiday Village - Candolim

918326645858, Aveek.sengupta@tajhotels.com
Top end 5-star resort with cottages $190,-

Goan Village/Alegria Beach resort - Candolim

2489284, alegriadegoa@gmail.com
Budget guesthouse and midrange cottage resort

Lemontree - Candolim PERSONAL OPINION

Sapana2k@rediffmail.com,
Top end, 3-star hotel

Le Bluebird - Vagator
9522587056
Midrange guesthouse with rooms Rs1500,-

64
appendices
Appenix IV: Tactics
During the project, especially in the sketch and concept phase, design tactics were
used of Pablo van der Lugt.

65
Appendix V: Catalogue
This is the main part of the furniture catalogue with products that are manufacture
by CFC and its artisans. Because of the rapid development o new designs there are
still some pieces missing in the catalogue (all photographs by Elke van Gelder).

66
appendices
67
68
appendices
69
70
appendices
 This page displays some of the
manually fabricated handcrafts

71
 Design consultant
Thies Timmermans

Project coordinators
Stella van Himbergen, DDiD, the Netherlands
Rebecca Reubens, INBAR, India
Sanjeev Karpe, KONBAC, India

Photography
Elke van Gelder
Thies Timmermans
KONBAC Archives

The office
Sanjeev Karpe, Mohan Hodawadekar, Shilpesh Gambhire, Vikas Bendke (Dada),
Madan Samant, Sagar Dalvi, Huliapa Talwar, Miind Thakur, Kapil Pokle, Sachin Tuwar,
Chudnaik, NayanMasurkar, Ramchandra Rawool

CFC
Amit Dhondu Kudalkar, Zilu Krishna Bhagat, Bhaskar Madhukar Terse, Hanumant
Anant Sadvelkar, Sameer Ramesh Parab, Satesh Subhash Haldankar, Sachin Sahil,
Mahesh Mahadev Sawant, Anup Sadvelkar, Mukund Nerurkar, Sachin Satardekar,
Sanjay Parab, Anita Kudalkar, Rakhi Kudalkar, Ujwala R. Jadhav, Sarika Kudalkar,
Soudamini Kudalkar, Ujawala Vasant Jadhav, Shubhangi Kudalkar, Vidya Lad, Amita
Loke, Snehalata Malvankar, Sameer Satardekar, Sameer Rawool, Deven Satam,
Madhukar Paste, Pravin Telikocharekar, Mahesh Rane, Amol Naik, Parag Gosavi,
Chandrakant Mestry, Sanjay Patel, Dattaprasad Sakharam Mestry, Mahadev Kam-
bali, Vijay S. Patel, Nilesh Dhuri, Dattaprasad Mestry, Shyamsundar Mestry, Anand
Dalavi, Sunil Mestry, Laxman Mestry, Dilip Nicham, Sudhir Majumdar, Sudan Rudrapal,
Subrata Sarkar, Manoranjan Deb Barma, Jyotish Deb Barma, Sanjay Deb Barma,

Others
Dieuwertje, Eliza Noordhoek, George Joel, Lara de Greef, Manu Mayank, Kanwarjit
Nagi, Sebastian Philipp, Willem Glasbergen, Michael KwakuRamchandra Rawool

Special thanks to
Elke van Gelder
© Before publishing any content of this report first contact CIBART, DDiD or Thies Timmermans