Empirically derived connection design properties for Guadua bamboo

Deciding on Bamboo or Steel as a Building Material in Rural China: The Area X Project

“…In other words, all bamboo architecture is eventually going to disappear. However, there are now certain techniques that are able to increase significantly the lifespan of bamboo construction [2,8,10]. This section therefore discusses three primary considerations in manipulating the durability of structural bamboo: protection by design, preservation treatment, and suitable joinery systems.…”

“…In rural China, the typical fabrication of animal shelters and farm tools depends on vernacular joinery techniques, yet for this essay our proposition is that affordable joinery offers the most reasonable choice for new bamboo construction. For affordable joinery, site workers are required to drill a hole into the key connection joints between the bamboo poles, with mortar then being injected into it: doing this increases the compression strength from 300 kilogrammes per metre up to 3 tons per metre [10,13] (Figure 6). If the use of local resources is what characterises Critical Regionalist architecture, then bamboo is the most obviously abundant and renewable resource in China to provide the 'regional' element.…”

“…However, there is as yet no scientific consensus about the most appropriate method for making an environmental impact comparison of CO 2 levels [14]. To overcome this challenge, the equivalents for the CO 2 balance of each version were calculated in kilogrammes, as based on the works of Trujillo and Malkowska [10] and Escamilla et al [16]. For the transportation distance, the equivalent figures were compared in terms of kilometres; for maneuverability, it was the equivalents in days.…”

“…According to the work of Trujillo, a one-metre run of steel tube contributes 3.33 kg of CO 2 to the environment, while for bamboo it is only 0.33 kg of CO 2 [10]. Furthermore, steel cannot store CO 2 , whereas bamboo stores 10 kg of CO 2 per kilogram of mass [8].…”

“…It does not need to be manufactured; instead its growth consumes minimum energy while also readily absorbing carbon dioxide. Farmers can harvest mature bamboo poles after 3-5 years of growth, meaning that millions of rural Chinese residents now gain sustainable income from these tropical forests [10]. Among more than 1600 variant species worldwide, it is Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) that is the basis for the US$ 30 billion per annum bamboo industry in China.…”