ABSTRACT
Becoming more aware of environmental impact associated with producing common construction materials (e.g. wood, concrete, steel) is drawing on ancient tradition of using natural organic materials in architecture and structural engineering. Bamboo, as one of the oldest natural building materials, currently has been proved to be a green substitute to wood, concrete and steel due to its exceptional natural properties such as flexibility and higher specific strength and stiffness. However, due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of bamboo’s potentials as building material, this versatile material continues to be undervalued by designers and communities. With conducting desk research including case studies, this study investigates the use of bamboo culms in traditional and modern architecture and highlights the design opportunities and challenges. The current research is expected to put forward a deeper understanding of using bamboo culm as a building material and the results to be of interest and benefit architects, structural engineers, and decision makers involved in the construction projects.
