Our Reasons For Selecting Bamboo For Construction Use

Bamboo checks many of the boxes of an eco-friendly construction material which is the reason that we have chosen it to work with and add to our line of products. It’s widely available and inexpensive, particularly in areas of the world with growing populations. As a lightweight local material, using bamboo minimizes the environmental costs of harvesting and transportation. Bamboo also sequesters carbon both as it grows and after harvest, making it potentially carbon-negative.  

Bamboo’s renewability credentials far exceed timber. It can be harvested within three to five years of planting, as opposed to the decades timber requires. It regrows without needing to be replanted, which provides additional environmental benefits. Its large root network also protects against soil erosion and landslides.  

A growing body of research shows that certain bamboo species such as Moso, Guadua and Trei Gai bamboo strains have impressive and efficient mechanical properties, including possessing a strength-to-weight ratio equal or better than that of steel and lumber. These bamboos also have the compressive strength of concrete. Bamboo has hundreds of fibers surrounded by lignin matrix that bind the fibers together,” said Dr. Alireza Javadian, a co-author on numerous studies on bamboo’s potential in construction. “These fibers are a major point of load transfer that provides its strength.”  

Bamboo’s strength and flexibility have proven better at absorbing seismic activity than more common building materials. A collection of bamboo houses withstood a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Costa Rica in 1991, while wood and concrete houses in the same area suffered damage. 

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There are a multitude of materials and complete bamboo products that are currently being produced for the construction industry. We are excited to utilize these technologies and merge the bamboo aspect with our hemp adobe and hempcrete operations. This merger will allow us to create a powerful line of products as well as the "Kit/Pre-Fab Homes" that we are getting tested now.

This technology merger of hemp and bamboo will set us apart in the industry. It will provide us options for construction projects that others that are reliant on one technology may not be able to provide due to supply chain issues now being experienced. We are planning our own hemp and bamboo farm to supplement any shortages as well. This addition of bamboo to our line of materials and products being offered will be key to moving our business forward.