The transition of the construction sector to sustainable development mostly depends on the environmental friendliness of building materials. This, in turn, calls for the development of new, strong, and sustainable materials that would be a worthy alternative for traditional materials, including wood. Over the past decade, laminated bamboo lumber (LBL) has received much attention from engineers, practitioners, and scientists for its attractive mechanical properties, comparable to and in some cases superior to hard and softwood. Moreover, the sustainability of LBL is characterized by its high carbon sequestration, fast time to harvest, high yield, and low energy consumption for processing. However, the behavior of LBL is not yet fully understood, which in turn affects the low awareness and application of the material by practitioners and engineers around the world. Since LBL has a promising future, this article will contribute to a better understanding of its mechanical properties and a more accurate design, taking into account the influencing factors. This article discusses the mechanical properties of three types of structural LBL, namely beams, columns, and sheathing panels. The previous works of researchers on the mechanical properties of structural LBL were reviewed, and thus the most common failure modes, the causes of the destruction of structural elements, and the factors that affect their behavior were discussed and described. This work will serve as a reference for current practitioners and future research.

In light of the increasing demand for sustainable building materials, the effectiveness of bamboo utilization in various fields has become the object of scientists' close attention. The increased interest in bamboo is explained by its sustainable characteristics, which make it the most preferred material for environmentally friendly and costeffective construction compared to conventional ones. Applicability of bamboo is vast and diverse: from decoration and furniture to structural members and reinforcement. Due to the low price, rich resources, and high elasticity, bamboo culms have also been used as an alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete structures. Extensive research has been done to assess feasibility of bamboo reinforcement in structural elements made of concrete. This article discusses the mechanical properties of three types of structural bamboo reinforced concrete (BRC) beams. Existing original papers on the mechanical behaviour of structural BRC members were studied, and the fundamental properties including typical failure modes, reasons of failure, load-displacement relationships, and influencing factors were discussed and described. Observations and conclusions of the review will contribute to deep understanding of structural feasibility of BRC beams and serve as a base for future research.

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