Bamboo is an excellent lightweight and strong construction material for buildings and furniture. It
is also widely used for baskets, kitchen utensils, matting and other household artefacts.
Sustainable bamboo plantation management can generate substantial employment requiring only
simple tools, machines and artisan-level work.
However, the harvesting of bamboo is often done unplanned, allowing insufficient re-growth and
causing deterioration of the local ecosystem. This results in total disappearance of the bamboo
and eventually causing soil erosion and finally desertification. The loss of bamboo forests and
plantations has a negative effect on the local ecosystems and climate.
An underlying problem is that bamboo forests are often on public land and villagers use total
cutting and scavenging techniques in exploiting these fields. The stems (culms) are harvested
immature, bundled and sold for construction material without any curing or preservation.
Too early and improperly harvested, non-cured and non-preserved thin bamboo has a short
lifespan (less than five years) and should NOT be used for structural purposes. Culms with a
diameter 7 cm Ø) bamboo. In such a case, it is possible to use the thin
bamboo culms for various construction elements, including lightweight roof trusses and woven wall
panels. This paper presents some criteria and options for these light trusses.
The disadvantage of such constructions is that it is labour intensive and the exposed surface
becomes very large. Because the thinner bamboo is more vulnerable to termites, insects and
fungus, good preservation after curing is essential and good annual control, as well as periodic
cleaning of the construction in the roof, is required.