Bamboo for building a hard-sell in China
By Zhang Qian |
April 22, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
BAMBOO, symbolizing nobility, longevity and many virtues, is a powerful symbol in traditional Chinese culture and today some architects are using it as aesthetically pleasing and sustainable building material.
Bamboo is now more widely recognized as an environmentally sustainable and durable construction material in place of wood and for use in paneling and flooring.
Bamboo, which is cheap, abundant, flexible and durable is "the wise man's timber" and is gradually being accepted by more people worldwide, according to Coosje Hoogendoom, director general of International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR).
Though bamboo used to be considered mainly as cheap material for poor people in the tropics and sub-tropics, modern technology and treatment of bamboo has found many uses for it in a wide range of structures and products.
"Bamboo is flexible, but it is strong as well," says Hoogendoom. "Even in bad weather like storms, bamboo plants may bend temperately but hardly break, which makes it an ideal material for construction."
Bamboo's resilience - its ability to bend, not break, and to return to an upright position - is considered one of its ancient virtues, qualities prized in individuals as well.
Bamboo was used in a number of pavilions in 2010 World Expo, including those of India, Indonesia, Norway and Madrid. It is said that about 20 bamboo houses survived in a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Costa Rica 1991, while many concrete houses were destroyed.
Experiments are underway in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to produce bamboo vanes for wind turbines, according to Hoogendoom.
Of course, the biggest benefit of bamboo is its sustainability and it can replace materials that have a large carbon footprint.
Bamboo is among the world's fastest-growing plants, growing at up to a meter per day. It can be harvested and used as raw material in around four years, while it may take around 25 years to become heavy and thick enough to be used as timber for structural purposes. Harvested bamboo starts growing back within a year - it has an extensive rhizome system.
Replacing wood with bamboo can help save threatened forest resources. Planting bamboo groves also helps in soil and water conservation. Bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide three times faster than trees, because it grows so fast.
Chinese not convinced
Despite the many benefits of bamboo as a substitute for wood, it isn't very well received by Chinese consumers who find it quite ordinary; it doesn't seem modern, attractive and strong.
Ironically, China is the world's largest exporter of bamboo and rattan commodities; In 2009 China contributed 57.3 percent of the global bamboo and rattan exports worth US$1 billion, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam. The United States, the EU and Japan together consumed more than 56 percent of bamboo and rattan commodities.
But they are far from mainstream in China.
The traditional appreciation for wood furniture and the relatively limited types of bamboo products available are probably the two major reasons that keep Chinese from choosing bamboo.
"Wood furniture is more elegant in my view; bamboo looks a bit cheap," says 51-year-old Lin Fuxuan, "Wood flooring can help make the room warm in winter and cool in summer. I just don't think bamboo flooring can work as well."
David Chen, a 32-year-old professional, chose not to use bamboo furnishings. "I know that it is more environment-friendly, but it is not really that easy to use in decoration," Chen says. "If I choose a bamboo chair, then I have to make all the other furniture bamboo as well for a harmonious look. But there are not just as many choices for bamboo as wood. I may be unable to find the right bamboo furniture."
Hoogendoom agrees that bamboo choices are more limited than wood, since it's still a new product. "But as more people recognize the benefits of bamboo products, more variety of bamboo goods is entering the market."
Ten years ago there was only one type of bamboo flooring at a home furnishing market she visited, but now Hoogendoom says there are at least 20 types. "The market is growing and so will the types of bamboo products."
Perhaps one day Chinese consumers will appreciate the sentiments of Su Dongpo (1037-1101), an ancient Chinese poet and calligrapher, who wrote, "I would rather go without meat in my diet than bamboo around my house."
Bamboo is now more widely recognized as an environmentally sustainable and durable construction material in place of wood and for use in paneling and flooring.
Bamboo, which is cheap, abundant, flexible and durable is "the wise man's timber" and is gradually being accepted by more people worldwide, according to Coosje Hoogendoom, director general of International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR).
Though bamboo used to be considered mainly as cheap material for poor people in the tropics and sub-tropics, modern technology and treatment of bamboo has found many uses for it in a wide range of structures and products.
"Bamboo is flexible, but it is strong as well," says Hoogendoom. "Even in bad weather like storms, bamboo plants may bend temperately but hardly break, which makes it an ideal material for construction."
Bamboo's resilience - its ability to bend, not break, and to return to an upright position - is considered one of its ancient virtues, qualities prized in individuals as well.
Bamboo was used in a number of pavilions in 2010 World Expo, including those of India, Indonesia, Norway and Madrid. It is said that about 20 bamboo houses survived in a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Costa Rica 1991, while many concrete houses were destroyed.
Experiments are underway in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to produce bamboo vanes for wind turbines, according to Hoogendoom.
Of course, the biggest benefit of bamboo is its sustainability and it can replace materials that have a large carbon footprint.
Bamboo is among the world's fastest-growing plants, growing at up to a meter per day. It can be harvested and used as raw material in around four years, while it may take around 25 years to become heavy and thick enough to be used as timber for structural purposes. Harvested bamboo starts growing back within a year - it has an extensive rhizome system.
Replacing wood with bamboo can help save threatened forest resources. Planting bamboo groves also helps in soil and water conservation. Bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide three times faster than trees, because it grows so fast.
Chinese not convinced
Despite the many benefits of bamboo as a substitute for wood, it isn't very well received by Chinese consumers who find it quite ordinary; it doesn't seem modern, attractive and strong.
Ironically, China is the world's largest exporter of bamboo and rattan commodities; In 2009 China contributed 57.3 percent of the global bamboo and rattan exports worth US$1 billion, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam. The United States, the EU and Japan together consumed more than 56 percent of bamboo and rattan commodities.
But they are far from mainstream in China.
The traditional appreciation for wood furniture and the relatively limited types of bamboo products available are probably the two major reasons that keep Chinese from choosing bamboo.
"Wood furniture is more elegant in my view; bamboo looks a bit cheap," says 51-year-old Lin Fuxuan, "Wood flooring can help make the room warm in winter and cool in summer. I just don't think bamboo flooring can work as well."
David Chen, a 32-year-old professional, chose not to use bamboo furnishings. "I know that it is more environment-friendly, but it is not really that easy to use in decoration," Chen says. "If I choose a bamboo chair, then I have to make all the other furniture bamboo as well for a harmonious look. But there are not just as many choices for bamboo as wood. I may be unable to find the right bamboo furniture."
Hoogendoom agrees that bamboo choices are more limited than wood, since it's still a new product. "But as more people recognize the benefits of bamboo products, more variety of bamboo goods is entering the market."
Ten years ago there was only one type of bamboo flooring at a home furnishing market she visited, but now Hoogendoom says there are at least 20 types. "The market is growing and so will the types of bamboo products."
Perhaps one day Chinese consumers will appreciate the sentiments of Su Dongpo (1037-1101), an ancient Chinese poet and calligrapher, who wrote, "I would rather go without meat in my diet than bamboo around my house."
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