Engineered bamboo

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Engineered bamboo is a low cost product manufactured from bamboo. It is designed to be a
replacement for wood[1] or engineered wood, but is used only when high load bearing strength is not
required[2] because building standards for this type of use have not been agreed by regulatory
bodies.[3] Engineered bamboo comes in several different forms, including bamboo scrimber and
laminated bamboo,[4] which has three times the structural capacity as normal timber [5] and is defined
and regulated by the ASTM International Standards.[6]
Engineered bamboo has been used as paneling, vehicle beds, concrete formworks, [2] lightweight
building construction[7] and even for shelters after the 2004 tsunami.[8] In comparison to the woods
that have been traditionally used, a number of benefits and drawbacks have been identified. Lower
cost, especially when replacing wood that would otherwise have been imported, is a key advantage.
[9]
 Further benefits include greater hardness and shape retention, especially in high temperatures. [10]
However, bamboo is not as resilient as most woods and will decay more rapidly than other woods if
not treated with preservatives.[11]
New building methods have had to be developed for engineered bamboo as its properties are
sufficiently different, and make normal wood-working methods used with (non-engineered) bamboo
unsuitable.[12]
In order to overcome the typical loss of strength bamboo incurs when bending takes place post-
harvest, an alternative method to overcome this has been developed.
Pre-harvest bending of the bamboo stems in zig-zags, allows the bamboo to later form a Warren
truss.[13]
Alexander Vittouris has proposed a much simpler 2D S-bend shape, which — after harvesting, and
in sufficient quantities — could be assembled into a variety of 3D shapes.
The arboriculture technique used to make both shapes is similar to tree shaping, and result in parts
similar to knee (construction).[14][15][16][17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineered_bamboo