Working in flood affected area of Mithilanchal –Bihar, was a great learning.
People of this region have built one of the most enduring lifestyle on their fertile
planes and center of their life is bamboo .They say from birth to death every
step of their life is supported by Bamboo . They usually held notion of trying to
build in such a way that nature cannot degrade the material easily does not
exist in this region. However they build in such a way that degrading material
can be changed without bringing down the structure. Sustainability was not
something that these people needed to learn .In fact, that was something that
they could teach, to any one who listened.
Learning from the community encouraged us to bring it forward, to prepare
guidelines for reconstruction of their houses and different manual for construction,
based on learning and wisdoms of traditional building. Artisans locally
called ‘Dabiya Mistry ’, taught how an entire house can be build with just one
multipurpose tool called Dabiya. (Big knife to cut and split bamboo)
Bamboo is ancient resident of earth among the most primitive of grasses, available
for people since past million years. It still remains an integral part of human
life . It is a renewable resource. During the growth period, it has a good
influence on the climate of the region and helps to control erosion and floods .
Traditional knowledge is an open source for community to use and allows it to
evolve for the future. In contemporary time information technology is becoming
more and more popular and widely used by professionals and community.
This book is an attempt to put together basic knowledge of bamboo, sourced
from the wide pool of knowledge across the world and practicing community.
The book also contains information to know more about different topics to
be explored through web-world, that makes this book The Source Book Of
Bamboo Construction.
The book gives basic idea about building with bamboo. It is advisable for
beginners to involve practicing with local artisan to know more and explore
it further.
We have tried to compile this book so that sharing of knowledge begins. For
further improvement your critical views and suggestions are welcome. We hope
this document will be useful to people with concerns towards communities. Last
but not least, this sharing spirit guide us towards building a better world.
This book is an attempt to encourage young professionals , community builders
, artisans and house owners in the region for supporting sustainable ,affordable
and maintainable housing where bamboo is available .