ABSTRACT
Bamboo has never been an unusual construction material in Thailand, but it has only recently begun to receive attention from the rest of the world. Bamboo is classified as a grass, not a timber, and 20–25% of the poles in a bamboo forest or plantation can be sustainably harvested annually without decreasing the size of the plantation. Bamboo is not utilised in many developed countries due to its negative associations as the ‘poor man’s timber’ and in some cases people have opted to live in unsafe wooden shacks rather than in more resilient bamboo buildings because of this perception. However, the growing popularity of bamboo in contemporary structures is beginning to dismantle this stereotype. The bamboo was prefabricated and installed to span 16.7 m with no steel reinforcements or connections. This approach displays both the impressive structural creativity of the designers and the inherent strength of the material.
