Experiencing Bamboo: Analyzing the Material in an Alternative Way - Essay Example

This substitution analysis has helped identify which methods to implement in designing the final design proposal. The hollow-stemmed grass is not just for flimsy tropical huts any more – it is getting significant attention in the world as a serious architectural material.

Many organizations and research groups are quantifying the strengths of bamboo while investigating treatments to protect this material so that it can be used in more permanent types of buildings and in other climates. Structural research, such as that conducted by the Pontificia University Javeriana in Bogota, Columbia, has led to a better understanding of bamboo‘s innate qualities.2 “Forget steel and concrete. The building material of choice for the 21st century might just be bamboo.”3 It appears that the cultural inference of bamboo has changed yet again.

Many modern architects are taking an interest in the material, not only for its exotic look but also for its physical and environmental capabilities. Experimentation and the implementation of bamboo as a structural material have led to standardization and quantification of its capabilities, treatment and safety. International standards of bamboo are being investigated by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization)4. With the experimentation of bamboo out of its natural climate and its usual uses, we can bring new significance to this already culturally important material.

Bamboo is a building material that continues to inspire the imagination. With increased interest in bamboo as a building material, a push is needed for further exploration into the possibilities of this material. “There is a connection between social and technical problems relating to the use of bamboo in the field of civil engineering, building and architecture. Or even more generally, in relation to overall construction purposes. The link is the lack of a sufficient understanding of the material among professionals and the general public.

”5 According to the conventional investigation and understanding of bamboo, the concept needs to optimize the natural beauty of bamboo. This can be done by creating a space in which the public can experience nature, explore and understand the aesthetics of bamboo while utilizing the unique shape of bamboo and its strong structure. This step is relatively easy to achieve. The present study has shown, however, that further steps in correlating bamboo‘s natural form and abilities to its design feasibility are still necessary.

An appreciation of bamboo’s strength and flexibility, and of its lightweight and environmentally friendly production are also necessary if people in Western cultures are to learn to appreciate all that bamboo has to offer.