Bamboo Materials – The answer to green and sustainable architecture

Bamboo is known as the steel of nature. This material has a long history and is still today a good choice for sustainable, environmentally friendly architecture.

In many countries with hot, humid and harsh climates like Vietnam, a successful project does not only come from function or form. The most important factor for that success is the way the building survives, adapts to the times and natural conditions in the area.

To do this, finding the right building materials is the architect's first concern – one of the most typical choices is green materials, typically bamboo.

Dubbed the steel of nature, bamboo is a valuable material of the tropics. They are loved by many Western countries because of their function, durability, bearing capacity, and aesthetics.

In the hot and humid tropical monsoon climate, bamboo is a great solution, contributing to the building of "green architecture", which is beneficial to the environment. Moreover, the use of bamboo in construction is the utilization of natural resources, helping the building to adapt and be sustainable with natural elements.

There have been many architects shaping their names with green materials such as bamboo. Typically, architect Hoang Thuc Hao has a happy architectural philosophy, rooted in the use of natural materials to create the most natural, closest and most human-friendly spaces.

Advantages of bamboo material:
It is a renewable and reusable material
Growth time is much shorter than natural wood, 3-5 years can be harvested
Bamboo can grow in harsh environments, without the need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
High strength with mechanical properties 2-3 times higher than ordinary wood. Bamboo has a greater tensile strength than steel and has a better compressive strength than concrete.
Bamboo is light in weight, easy to transport and construct
With outstanding bending ability, bamboo creates attractive curves for the building and has good vibration resistance.
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Applicability
Use for structural frames of architectural works or works of art
Can be considered as an alternative to iron, steel… bearing materials
Reusability for many purposes, many projects need flexibility (eg temporary space, exhibition ...)
Applied in shaping architecture and art because it is an impressive design language in itself
Applying rhythm, hollowness to create open spaces, skylights, exploiting natural light and ventilation
Use decoration in interior spaces, furniture materials
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A building using completely bamboo materials.
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Great application of bamboo in interior space.
Typical works using bamboo materials
Bamboo stalactites | VTN Architects (Architect Vo Trong Nghia)

This work is an important mark of architect Vo Trong Nghia for international architecture, located in the exhibition area of the works of 100 talented architects in the world. Bamboo is treated, bent and bonded to create a unique structure, then shipped from Vietnam and easily assembled in Italy.

People appreciate this project not only for its architectural form, by the architect's brand, but also for how the architect chooses very effective materials, ensuring functionality, durability, and adaptability to the environment. and easy to construct.

This is a community architecture project that won the SPEC GO GREEN 2014 award, making the office brand 1+1>2. Cam Thanh community house sprouted up as a symbol of crystallization of cultural values, contributing to improving residents' livelihoods by connecting to the city's general tourism network.

The project is both a training ground to respond to climate change, as well as a space for cultural and sports activities.

Among dozens of old building materials, bamboo shines as a material of the future, hopefully it will be used even more in new architectural and artistic works.