Bamboo and Rattan Update Volume 2 I Issue 1
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B R U Bamboo and Rattan Update Volume 2 I Issue 1 Sharing the latest news and activities from the bamboo and rattan sector 4 9 12 FROM THE BEHIND RAISING GROUND UP BAHAREQUE THE BAR The architects rebuilding The surprise rebirth of a A new bioclimatic housing with bamboo in Lombok, traditional Colombian design offers low-carbon Indonesia. architectural style. housing in Ecuador. VERNACULAR BAMBOO ARCHITECTURE: TRADITION OR FUTURE? Editorial Bamboo and Rattan Update Welcome to the third issue of Bamboo and Rattan Vol. 2 Issue 1 Update: a magazine that aims to bring together March 2021 diverse voices for nature-based solutions around the world. Cover Image The inside of the Fish-Shaped At the time this magazine goes to press, the world population stood at Bamboo Pavilion at the International 7,855,555,000 people (according to data from the UN Population Horticultural Exposition 2021, Division), and is increasing by around 222,000 people every single day. Yangzhou, China. Credit: INBAR. Bamboo construction provides a thousands-year-old answer to a very current question: how can we provide housing that is resilient, affordable Editorial Team and sustainable for a fast-growing global population? This is a Liu Kewei (Guest editor) particularly pressing question for many developing countries in the Wu JunQi tropics and subtropics, whose populations are growing quickly. Charlotte King Because of its strength, load-bearing properties and flexibility, bamboo is one of the world’s oldest housing materials. As well as Contributors lightweight structures like scaffolding—still in continuous use on Hong SUP Atelier, Marcin Dawydzik, Pablo Kong skyscrapers—and bridges, bamboo poles (referred to in this issue as ‘round bamboo’) have been used in the main structure of buildings across Jácome Estrella, Fabián Moreno, South-East Asia, Africa and South America. The oldest known bamboo David Trujillo structure was built 9500 years ago. Could traditional architecture have a place in the twenty-first century? To Submit The contributors to this issue of BRU think so. www.inbar.int/bru-magazine/ One reason is the resilience of bamboo housing in natural disasters. [email protected] Following the devastating 2018 earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia, an international team of architects and engineers has produced a design for About BRU flexible, quake-resilient bamboo housing: an affordable solution for Bamboo and Rattan Update (BRU) is communities looking to rebuild (‘From the Ground Up’, page 6). And in published quarterly by the Latin America, bahareque bamboo architecture is staging a revival, International Bamboo and Rattan following its performance in the devastating 1998 Colombia earthquake Organisation (INBAR). Content does (‘Behind Bahareque’, page 9). not necessarily reflect the views or Climate change may also spur a change in attitude towards round policies of INBAR. Articles may be bamboo construction. In Ecuador, a breathable, low-carbon bamboo house prototype has recently been approved by the Ministry of Urban reprinted without charge provided Development and Housing. INBAR is now working to raise awareness INBAR and author are credited. among public officials about the benefits of bamboo housing, for carbon footprints and local job creation. About INBAR The Fish-Shaped Bamboo Pavilion, built for the International INBAR is an intergovernmental Horticultural Exposition 2021 in Yangzhou, China, showcases the organisation which promotes the use potential of round bamboo construction as a strong structural material, of bamboo and rattan for sustainable which can be integrated into modern designs (‘In Profile’, page 4). development. How to raise the profile of vernacular bamboo housing? In several www.inbar.int Latin American countries, bamboo construction has been integrated into national building codes: a useful step, which provides useful directives INBAR Headquarters: Beijing, China for designers and construction workers. But more work is needed. Greater Regional Offices: Yaoundé, political awareness and promotion can drive investment. At the other end Cameroon; Quito, Ecuador; Addis of the scale, local support is necessary to ensure bamboo housing is taken up by those who would benefit most. Changing the image of Ababa, Ethiopia; Accra, Ghana; New bamboo as a ‘poor man’s timber’ would go a long way to making this Delhi, India grass plant the tradition of the future. B R U T H E E D I T O R S 2 INBAR Magazine VERNACULAR BAMBOO ARCHITECTURE In this issue... The architect firm SUP Atelier of the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University (THAD) on the new Fish-Shaped Bamboo Pavilion in Yangzhou, 20 China (page 4); Marcin Dawydzik on building earthquake- resilient bamboo housing in Indonesia (page 6); David Trujillo on the history—and future—of bahareque construction (page 9); Pablo Jácome Estrella and Fabián Moreno on the new bioclimatic housing design in Ecuador (page 12). Also featured: the latest bamboo and rattan news from around the world (Internode, page 15); updates from INBAR (INBAR Spotlight, page 17); some of the recent events in the bamboo and rattan sector (Events 36 & Meetings, page 19); crunching the numbers on a new 6 report about bamboo carbon storage (In Numbers, page 19); and a picture in 100 words (back cover). 4 12 17 Bamboo and Rattan Update V2/I 3 IN PROFILE: THE FISH-SHAPED BAMBOO PAVILION back (which is pronounced like ‘jade’ in Chinese). In From April to October, INBAR will Chinese culture, fish are an auspicious animal, be hosting a Garden at the symbolising abundance. International Horticultural The building comprises a series of bamboo arcs Exposition 2021. Here, the team varying in size, defining an interior space full of behind one of the Garden’s bamboo rhythmic curves. The head of the fish, facing west with a large opening, serves as the main entrance. Its pavilions discuss their inspiration. tail points to the east with a smaller opening, where visitors can exit the Pavilion in accordance with the The Fish-Shaped Bamboo Pavilion is an open designated route for the Exposition Garden. exhibition hall with a floor area covering 288 square In the design process, digital models were metres. introduced as soon as the conceptual form was As the major exhibition space for INBAR at the confirmed. Architects and structural engineers worked International Horticultural Exposition 2021, together on the logic of construction. After the form Yangzhou, China (Yangzhou Expo), the Pavilion will was finalised, the sectional dimensions and be regularly used for exhibitions and events during constructional logic were defined with the help of a the six-month-long event. Once the Exposition closes professional bamboo contractor. in October, the Pavilion will be preserved, as a long- The whole structure is divided into three systems: term testament to bamboo construction. main pillars, subsidiary pillars and purlins. Using bamboo allows people to see this structure in full. Building with bamboo The structure also makes use of different kinds of Bamboo was a sensible choice of building material bamboo: raw bamboo pillars, exterior bamboo tile for this Pavilion. Easily obtained, renewable and fast- finish, plaited bamboo, bamboo curtain interior finish, growing, bamboo is used in many regions of southern bamboo furniture, and bamboo umbrella lights. China, to create structures such as pavilions, bridges The Exposition will be held in spring through early and fences. In Chinese culture, bamboo is a symbol of autumn, when the air in Yangzhou is humid. With this nobleness and perseverance. in mind, the Pavilion is designed with openings on In modern times, bamboo has not played a major both the west and east sides to boost natural role in construction, due to its lack of durability. ventilation. A plexiglass belt is planned for the Recently, however, it has become more competitive middle part of the building, creating diverse effects of thanks to modern processing techniques, which have light and shade. Rhombus-shaped woven bamboo significantly improved bamboo’s resilience with high- pieces, with waterproof membranes coated on both temperature treatment and anti-corrosion coating. sides, are overlapped around this belt. Modern processing technology also makes it possible to standardise sizes and processes in factories or on Built for the future site. These technologies have all been used in the The theme of the Yangzhou Expo is ‘Green City, construction of the Fish-Shaped Pavilion. Healthy Life’. The INBAR Pavilion aims to promote eco-friendly bamboo Context-driven design construction, as a push for carbon neutrality, as well Yangzhou is a historical water town, and fish have as a traditional part of Chinese culture. been a popular element in China in both historic With the development of modern technologies, allusions and folk culture since ancient times. technological problems in bamboo construction will The Pavilion’s design is based on the Chinese no longer be obstacles for its promotion. As designers saying, “Celebrating with gold and jade”. The and builders of bamboo structures, we are fully Pavilion plays on the golden colour of the bamboo convinced of bamboo construction’s prospects across and is constructed in the shape of a fish arching its the world in the future. 4 INBAR Magazine VERNACULAR BAMBOO ARCHITECTURE About the Yangzhou Expo... Hosted in Jiangsu province, China, the Yangzhou Expo is a six-month-long exhibition space, made up of gardens hosted by different countries and organisations. The theme of the Exposition is ‘Green City, Green Life’, and gardens explore the applications of horticulture and nature-based solutions to human lives. INBAR's Garden at the Yangzhou Expo: Covers over 3000 square metres Includes two bamboo pavilions built in different styles, which integrate modern and traditional elements. One is the modern Fish-Shaped Bamboo Pavilion, which is constructed using round bamboo, and the other is the Waterside Bamboo Pavilion, a traditional garden made using modern engineered bamboo. Uses a number of bamboo species for landscaping, including Pleioblastus argenteastriatus, Phyllostachys propinqua, Phyllostachys bambusoides, Phyllostachys heterocycla, and Phyllostachys aurea.