BAMBOOOZ

General information

Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. Its qualities of strength, light weight and
flexibility make it a viable alternative to tropical timber that is used in the furniture and building materials industries.

Bamboo is one of the world’s best natural engineering materials. Due to its high tensile strength, it is an essential structural material in earthquake architecture and is one of the strongest building materials. Its strength-to-weight ratio is better than that of teak wood and mild steel. Bamboo's tensile strength is 28,000 lb per square inch versus 23,000 for mild steel. This makes bamboo wood a potential alternative, at least in some applications, to steel which requires more energy for manufacturing/production. Its strength and flexibility make it a viable material for building shelters that offer protection against hurricanes and earthquakes.

Bamboo based pre-fabricated houses also can be constructed quickly with new and emerging techniques and is thus an important post-disaster relief material. It is extensively being used in Tsunami rehabilitation in India. Bamboo reinforcement in concrete piles is used by the Indian Railways and a innovative and alternative material for Bus/Truck body building.

Its biological characteristics make it a perfect tool for reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. It generates more oxygen than equivalent strands of trees, lowers light intensity, protects against ultraviolet rays and is an atmospheric and soil purifier.

Bamboo is an enduring and versatile natural resource. The great diversity of species makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. It tolerates extreme precipitation from 30 to 250 inches of annual rainfall. A dense bamboo cover also offers stakes to trees, fodder to animals and food to humans.