Name: Ankita Mehta

USN: 2GI11AT008

Date: 01/01/2015
Place: Belgaum

Synopsis
Title : Bamboo - An innovative material
Introduction:
India has a rich tradition of building with bamboo. With about 125 species spread across 18 genera, the
availability of bamboo resource in India is the second largest in the world ranking only behind China.
Bamboo grows on millions of hectares of forest land, in homesteads and on private plantations. There are
1500 only documented traditional uses from - cradle to grave - of bamboo, inclusive of construction.
Urban population unaware of the Bamboo as one the most ecological and flexible building material
which can be used for various purposes from temporary structures to permanent structures. It results into
a sustainable, eco friendly and cost effective product. The use of modern day material have lead to many
environmental problems. The use of bamboo as a green building material can help in this direction.
Bamboo Architecture indicates a comprehensive approach towards sustainable architecture. A close study
of the use of bamboo adds to research going on all over the world with respect to this material. Bamboo
Architecture is a comprehensive effort to emphasize the inherent strength and flexibility of the material,
highlighting its high scientific credentials and simple applicability; all leading to the realization that
bamboo can prove to be a startling replacement for the modern vocabulary of steel, aluminum and glass.
Hence this thesis tries to explore how Bamboo can be a participatory material in creating contemporary
architectural spaces.

Aim :
The aim of the thesis to explore how bamboo can be a participatory material in creating contemporary
architectural spaces.

Objectives of Thesis :
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Creating awareness about Bamboo Architecture.

To explore the architecture of Bamboo.
To understand the use of bamboo and its technology
To understand the scope and limitations of Bamboo as a building material.
To design Research and Development Center.

Hypothesis :
Bamboo may become an innovative material that can create its own vocabulary of Architecture.

Methodology:
1. Literature Review:
1.1 Dictionary meanings of key words:
Bamboo : a kind of grass, which explains the speed of growth. This means that theres lots of it,
and when its harvested it grows itself back again quickly enough not to leave a dent in the ecosystem.
Material : the matter from which a thing is or can be made.
Innovative : The application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in articulated needs,
or existing market needs.
1.2 Historical aspect of the topic:
Historical aspect mainly deals with the study of evolution of Bamboo as a building material.
1.3 Contemporary stands on topic:
Under this title, the application of Bamboo in present days and contemporary stands of the people
about the Bamboo Architecture.
1.4 Opinions of experts in the field:
Opinions of the experts like architects, socialists, thinkers; about Bamboo as a future building material.
2. Case studies
2.1 Live case study:
1. To study Bamboo application in Contemporary Buildings;
Bamboo symphony (Bangalore)

2. To study minimum requirements of spaces in Bamboo Research Center;

Centre For Green Building Material and Technology (Bangalore)
3. To study minimum requirements of spaces in Bamboo Development Center;
Bamboo Workshop (Kudal)

2.2 Literature case study:

1. To understand how Bamboo as a building material can create contemporary architectural
spaces;
Green school (Bali)
2. To study application of Bamboo as a building and designing material;
Inspirational office (Kerala)

3. Site study :
The site study consists of macro level and micro level analysis of climate, topography and context.
Site : Belgaum
4. Program formulation:
The programs are formulated to fulfill the aim of the project that is to use bamboo as a participatory
material in creating contemporary architectural spaces for Research and Development Center.
5. Library study:
The required library study will be done to thoroughly to understand the subject.
6. Concept and design:
The design will incorporate as possible ways of using bamboo both as a building and a design material in
such a way that it create its own vocabulary of Architecture.

Conclusion:
The thesis will bring light on Bamboo as an innovative material. The thesis is going to explore
possibilities of using Bamboo which can serve public all the time. Thus the thesis demonstrates how
Bamboo becomes an ancient solution to modern problems.

Bibliography:
References:
1. "VenuBharti" by Vinoo Kaley
2. "The use of bamboo in architecture" by Cesar O. Gonzalez
3. "Bamboo Construction Technology" by Shila K. de Vries
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Websites:
http://www.bamboogrove.com
http://www.bdcnetwork.com
https://www.google.com
http://www.guaduabamboo.com/

Literature review
Interaction with the people in the field of bamboo architecture.
Famous architects following bamboo architecture : Simon Velez
Common peoples considerations about bamboo architecture
Study of the material and its uses
Construction details
Internet study
Origin of Bamboo
The plant known as bamboo to the entire world has been around and used for centuries. Records dating
back more than seven thousand years talk about products made of bamboo such as arrows, paper, building
materials, and books. Because of its origins, the current way it is used, and the economic sustainability of
the plant, bamboo is an excellent resource.
Origins
While bamboo grows everywhere in the world except those places with extremely cold climates, it is
thought to have originated in China, where the first use of bamboo to make every day items was recorded.
This tall, hearty grass (yep, bamboo is technically grass) was used for as many products as they could
manage, as it was a quickly renewable resource.
The species of bamboo that we know today evolved from prehistoric grasses between thirty and forty
million years ago, long after the extinction of the dinosaurs. It then became the major food source for
herbivorous animals, eventually becoming a food source for the modern human being as well.
Current Use
Major bamboo research didnt begin until 1920, when the history of the plant was studied. It has shown
that there are native species of bamboo almost everywhere, including the United States. It is now used
widely in landscaping, but bamboo grows in two styles, clumping and running, which make it a
widespread plant that can easily take over a garden if not cared for properly.
While bamboo was used frequently in the eastern hemisphere for housing for centuries, it is now only
becoming popular in the western part of the world. More and more architects are seeing the beauty and
intelligence in using bamboo for structures and other building material, and are becoming famous from
the use of it in buildings.
Economic Sustainability
Bamboo has been used through history not only because of the strength of the material, but also through
the renewable prospects. Through history, wood has become more and more scarce, simply because to
produce a full grown tree can take up to sixty years, and then another sixty years time for a replacement.
Species of bamboo equal to the height and width of a tree take as little as sixty days to mature completely.

Bamboo is also easy to grow, because of the root systems. Running bamboo species are especially easy to
grow, as they produce several shoots at a time, and will take over as much room as they possibly can.
Bamboo is also difficult to get rid of, unless it is completely plowed under.
The unknown building material and resource of the future, bamboo has had a long and rich history. It will
be used for years to come in everything from housing to bed sheets, and even more as more information is
learned about this amazing plant.
Bamboo Architecture
Once thought of as the building material of the poor, bamboo is now being used more prominently in all
types of architecture. From houses to business buildings, there are more and more places that are being
built with bamboo as a main material or at least an accenting material of the architecture.
Ancient Bamboo Architecture
In the past, bamboo was not known as a premium building material. In most cultures that used it, from
China to India, the poorest people were the ones who used bamboo as building material for their homes.
While it is true that bamboo is an easily renewed, inexpensive resource, it is being cultivated to become
more mainstream in places like Western Europe and all over America.
Renewable Resource
Unlike wood, which can take between twenty and sixty years to mature to the stage where it can be
harvested, bamboo takes a very short amount of time to regenerate in comparison. Most species of
bamboo that are used in architecture can be harvested after three to six years of growth. The quickest
growing species of bamboo can grow up to one meter a day, and reach full growth within two months
time. This makes bamboo the most efficient renewable resource, especially in today's world where wood
is becoming scarcer.
Structural Characteristics
Bamboo is a unique building material in that it is strong in both rigidity and density. While tensile
strength remains the same throughout the age of the bamboo plant, the plant fiber strength increases as it
gets older. There is some controversy in determining proper testing protocols though and is still under
debate. To utilize bamboo to its utmost potential, several conditions are important to consider. One factor
is that bamboo grown on slopes is stronger than bamboo grown in valleys, and that bamboos that grow in
poor dry soils are usually more solid than those grown in rich soils. Bamboo also shrinks diametrically,
and that should be taken into consideration.
There are certain limitations of the use of bamboo in construction due to the nature of the plant. The
starchy interior is attractive to insects, and if not treated can rot, and fill with insects. In addition, because
bamboo has a slick waterproof coating, it cannot be painted very easily, but it can be accomplished with
the right types of paint. Bamboo architecture is growing in popularity. It has gone from the building
material of the poor to the choice of architects and artists with rapid ambition. While the world isn't yet
ready for whole cities made out of bamboo, it is certainly ready for homes made of it, and it seems to be
coming in the near future.
(bamboo composite materials)

(traditional and modern technology used to build walls, floors and structures)