As the sustainable concept is getting widespread and a lot of industries turned to more environmentally friendly methods, the matter of sustainable materials for buildings is a highly important factor to tackle. A number of more environmentally friendly alternatives are discovered, and it’s something highly essential to address. One of those materials is none other than Bamboo. The perennial grass has been a huge rave in the topic of sustainability. It’s one of the best construction materials, and even beyond, where sustainability is concerned. People have been using bamboo for construction for millennia. What are some of the excellent qualities of bamboo as a sustainable material?
Bamboo has a rapid growth rate
Compared to most forest woods, bamboo grows dozen times faster. Bamboo also requires minimum replanting. In terms of growth, bamboo boasts an impressive growth rate. Although the speed and growth varies from species to species, even the slowest growing bamboo is still considerably faster in growth when compared to most wood plants. It’s been reported that bamboo can grow almost one meter in a matter of approximately 24 hours. This is no common feat shared by wood plants often used in building constructions.
Th individual bamboo plants can reach their full height in only three to four months, in which the average height of the bamboo ranges from 5 meters to 12 meters. The impressive growth rate makes bamboo one of the fastest growing plants in the world. The amazingly speedy growth spurt of bamboos don’t stop there. It’s been observed that bamboo reaches maturity in very short period of time of 2 to 5 years, making bamboo some of the multipurpose plants quickest to mature. Because of this, bamboo is a great resource for not just constructions, but many other human necessities as well such as textiles and even writing surfaces in the past.
Little to no use of pesticides and fertilizers
The antimicrobial and anti fungal agents of bamboo help a lot in the persistent survival of these plants. These agents are referred to as “bamboo-kun”. This is able to protect bamboo from a wide range of insects and bacteria even without the use of pesticides. This greatly minimizes and even eliminates the need for harmful chemicals on the environment.
The growth rate of bamboo is already rapid even without the use of fertilizing agents. A lot of companies focusing on eco-friendly concepts put on the emphasis that no fertilizers are used in the growth of their bamboos. This is of course, highly dependent on each company; their methods of growing, how much and what type of fertilizers one use, and so forth. One cannot make a universal claim, but regardless of the usage, the fact that bamboo’s growth is rarely dependent on the use of fertilizers is a huge step up compared to many other plants used in constructions.
Bamboo grows in almost all parts of the world
Bamboo grows rapidly in diverse climates with the exception of Antarctica, bamboo grows in virtually all parts of the world. Therefore it isn’t difficult to get a locally sourced bamboo. Bamboo is native to tropical and warm temperate climates, but many species grow in a wide range of climates including cool mountainous regions. Bamboo is also extremely lightweight compared to many construction materials, and therefore the energy consumption when it comes to the transportation of the materials is more effective