Bamboo: An Engineered Alternative for for Buildings in the Global South

Bamboo is the only Graminea adapted to the life as forest. Bamboos can be found around the globe and are naturally occurring in Africa, America and Asia in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas around the equator. Bamboos are giant grasses that propagate rapidly by the expansion of underground rhizomes. In general, bamboos are known for their rapid growth with a rate of up to 25 cm/day in certain species of woody bamboos such as Guadua angustifolia Kunth (bamboo). Although there are some species of solid bamboos, morphologically bamboo can be generally described as a hollow tapered tube (culm), with internodes separated by nodes, which is supported by an intricate rhizome system (Fig. 15.1). The culm is the main organ of the aerial part of bamboos, which is also comprised of branches, sheaths and foliage leaves, with flowering occurs sporadically. The rhizome and culm neck form the subterranean part. Culms store about 80% of the carbohydrates required by young plants for their growth, whilst rhizomes store the remaining 20%.