5-STOREY COMMERCIAL BUILDING MADE WITH BAMBOO REINFORCED

CONCRETE

INTRODUCTION

In this day and age, shortage and depletion of resources is not a new topic
anymore. Compensating or developing new ways to conserve resources and divert the
attention of consumption is the aim of this proposal. It is widely known that the roots of
steel comes down to the ores that are obtained by mining-which is controversial for a
couple of months due to the repercussions of some of its operations causing severe
damage to the environment.

To provide another option to lessen these activities and address the incoming
exhaustion of resources used to produce steel, we have decided to propose a project
that incorporates the use of bamboo as a substitute of steel bars in reinforcing
concrete. This idea is supported by other articles, journals, tests and prototypes that
unleashes the potential of bamboo to rival steel as reinforcement.

In relation with the supporting prototypes that other researchers have done,
bamboo exhibited compressive strength that exceeds that of wood and concrete, and a
tensile strength that has the possibility to outshine steel’s. Taking advantage of this
promising capability of bamboo, we may open new possibilities to further its utilization
for industrial use. Not only they are found almost everywhere in the Philippines, but
they can also be planted and grows in a short amount of time enough to replenish its
sources and be ready for the next batch of consumption.

POSSIBLE BENEFITS
 Structural shapes can be easily made with bamboos just by training them to grow
into the desired form of the manufacturer. This will be a great appeal to a variety of
curvy forms like arches since this will cost lesser in contrast with the efforts to obtain
the same shape with wood timber. It is efficient when it comes to production since it will
cause minimal energy to produce. It’s production can also open up opportunities of
employment to a lot of people and most importantly, it is cheap.

Its hollow shape provides more efficiency than that of a solid cylinder shape. Its
fibres is almost three times stronger than structural steel. It is a lightweight material that
contributes to the overall dead load caused by the reinforced concrete itself. It does not
emit carbon dioxide during production unlike steel that emits 15 kilogram of carbon.

PRODUCTION METHOD

Dirk Hebel, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH),
has developed a new material made of bamboo fibres mixed with organic resin. The
material, called bamboo composite material, can be pressed into any shape and then
sawn or sanded like wood. Formed into rods, the material could potentially replace steel
as a reinforcing matrix for concrete with no loss of performance, according to Hebel.

"We can produce a material that in terms of tensile capacity is better than steel,"
Hebel said. "Our material is only a quarter of the weight of steel. In terms of strength to
weight, it performs better than steel." he said. "The big advantage of a bamboo fibre is
that it is 100 times cheaper than carbon fibre, but it has potentially the same strength."

Bamboo, which has extremely high tensile strength, has long been used as a
construction material in the developing world. But rather than use bamboo in its natural
state, Hebel developed a way of extracting fibres from the plant and mixing it with 10%
organic resin to create a mouldable material. Concrete reinforced with the material has
been undergoing testing at a laboratory in Singapore. "Yesterday we had a
breakthrough – our testing machine was not able to break the material," Hebel said.
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/04/bamboo-fibre-stronger-than-steel-dirk-hebel-world-architecture-festival-2015/