Bamboo is an extremely versatile grass that doesn’t follow the conventions of the past millennia of architecture and construction mostly due to its shape: round, hollow and tapering.
Growing in exposure, primarily in South America and Southeast Asia, bamboo’s compressive and tensile strength is similar to those of concrete and steel, and it not only offers new forms for the spaces we live in and visit but also, unlike concrete or steel, it sequesters carbon as it grows instead of emitting it while it’s made.
These properties make bamboo relevant to all of the “emerging performing” cities, from temporary music festival structures and high-rise construction scaffoldings to green walls, life fences and high-end alternative private schooling.