Bamboo Building Materials, an Eco-Friendly Renewable Resource

Bamboo is often used in construction in many parts of Asia. It has been used in the construction of bridges, dwellings and as scaffolding. Bamboo that will be used for construction is generally harvested after the end of the dry season, when the bamboo is at its strongest, and sugar levels in the sap are lowest. After harvesting, sap is "leached" off the plant by various methods. In addition, the bamboo is treated to resist pests and fungus.

Bamboo can be trained to grow in various shapes, such as squared sections or archways. Bamboo can also made into sheets or planks by cutting into strips and then laminating it.

Bamboo is being used in a variety of construction-related applications, such as reinforcement for concrete, and it is possible to build an entire house made out of bamboo. Bamboo is also used to construct other useful items, such as ladders, clothes lines, flag poles, and even skateboards.

Bamboo has certainly been touted as an eco-friendly resource, and has a wide variety of uses; from building material to home decorating to fabrics and furniture. But is it actually eco-friendly?

The pros: Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, and is highly renewable, as opposed to traditional hard wood forests. Bamboo forests help convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and are great at preventing erosion. In addition, bamboo can grow without the need for pesticides.

The cons: Often the process used to construct materials out of bamboo is not-so-green. The use of large amounts of water and chemicals in manufacturing, plus the amount of energy required, can counteract the positive ecological impact achieved by using bamboo as a source material.

So overall, while there are many earth-friendly characteristics intrinsic to the cultivation and harvesting of bamboo, the challenge lies in finding green manufacturing methods to ensure that bamboo's use in construction and manufacturing result in a net positive impact on the environment.