Lifestyle

Bamboo has been used for thousands of years in Asia. Now, it can help solve the sustainability problem of construction.


Written by Stories by Rebecca Cairns; video by Gisella Deputato, CNN

Looking for new ways to build sustainable homes, Earl Forlales decided to look not to the future but to the past.

His grandparents, like many generations of Filipinos, lived in a “Bahay Kubo” – a traditional, boxy, one-story bamboo hut, indigenous to the Philippines. “Filipinos have been using bamboo (for housing) for thousands of years before colonial times,” he said.

Strong and versatile, bamboo is one of the fastest growing trees in the world: while soft and hard woods can make up the middle 40 and 150 years To maturity, bamboo is ready to be harvested in as little as three years. When handled and engineered, it can last for decades. Realizing that Bahay Kubo could be adapted to create a contemporary home, Forlales began designing his own bamboo houses.
After winning”Cities for our future“challenged by the UK’s Royal Institute of Notary Surveyors in 2018, the materials engineering graduate turned his idea into a company, co-founding Cubo in 2019.

Forlales said the company began manufacturing prefabricated homes in November 2020. The structures can be assembled in just a few days and are expected to last up to 50 years. He hopes that Cubo’s modular designs and use of bamboo can “help promote sustainable construction” while providing affordable housing solutions to the Philippines’ housing crisis.

Cubo's house has an area of ​​​​30 to 63 square meters, the largest sleeping space for up to six people.

Cubo’s house has an area of ​​​​30 to 63 square meters, the largest sleeping space for up to six people. Credit: CUBO Modular Inc

Contemporary cube house

Cubo’s bamboo houses incorporate many aspects of the traditional “Bahay Kubo” style including raised foundations and louvers, a type of window curtain that allows ventilation and natural light.

But Cubo has upgraded the bamboo hut for the 21st century, including modern lighting fittings and impact-resistant polycarbonate windows. The Philippines is prone to earthquakes and hurricanes, so homes have been designed to be mindful of natural disasters. Metal “storm columns” were used as connections between the walls, roof and floor slabs, and the houses were further reinforced with poured concrete foundations, replacing traditional stilts. While this gives buildings a solid base, concrete contribute to climate change. Forlales said the company is “exploring alternative platform systems to further make our services more sustainable” but this is still in the research phase.

The company’s first project was tested very quickly – in December 2020, just days after the first two houses were built, the area was hit by a magnitude 6 earthquake. . Cubo’s houses remained unharmed.

Making use of all available space, the loft bedroom and furnished furniture make the most of these compact homes.

Making use of all available space, the loft bedroom and furnished furniture make the most of these compact homes. Credit: CUBO Modular Inc

Cubo offers four different models, accommodating up to six residents. Each home is made to order and can be customized to include elements like rooftop solar panels, further reducing residents’ operating costs and carbon footprint.

The company is currently producing six homes a month, but Forlales said demand is much higher and he hopes to increase supply.

“The people of the Philippines welcomed this product warmly because it was so familiar,” he said. “They realized it was a visual evolution for our local bamboo houses.”

Bamboo construction boom

The construction industry has been heavily criticized in recent years for environmental impact. The use of materials such as Steel and concrete are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, while mining raw resources including rocks, gravel, degrade the landscape and soil. This has prompted the search for more eco-friendly alternatives.

Is bamboo the building material of the future?

Cubo is not the only company that sees the potential of bamboo as a strong and sustainable building material. Vietnamese studio Vo Trong Nghia Architects has used bamboo for many of its projects, including the Casamia Community House in Casamia Resort in Hoi An, while Shenzhen-based Zuo Studio created bamboo stall for the Taichung Botanical Exhibition in Taiwan.
In Bali, Indonesia, architecture firm Ibuku specializes in intricate, large-scale bamboo ‘buildings’. Since 2007, Ibuku has built more than 60 bamboo structures, including Green Village, a sustainable community of 12 luxury villas and Green School, where there is a natural wallless campus.

Elora Hardy, founder and creative director of Ibuku, said: Although bamboo has been used to build small structures for thousands of years, “it’s only now that we have natural disposal solutions.” However, it is safe that we can consider building multi-storey buildings”. While most of her projects use treated bamboo in its natural form, she adds that with advancements in engineered bamboo, there could be “skyscrapers and even entire city ​​sets can be built from bamboo” in the future.

Ibuku specializes in sculpture villas, resort hotels and "green" The school campus is made of bamboo.

Ibuku specializes in sculpture villas, hotel resorts and “green” school campuses made from bamboo. Credit: Tommaso Riva / IBUKU

According to Bhavna Sharma, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Southern California and a member of the organization task force develop international standards for bamboo building materials.

“Standards for mechanical testing of fabricated bamboo materials are currently being developed; however, areas like fire resistance require extensive research,” said Sharma.

As a strong, fast-growing and renewable material, bamboo can complement sustainably harvested hardwoods, says Sharma, with the added benefit of growing bamboo that helps restore soil and discolored land.

From the exterior structure to the interior furnishings, Ibuku shows that bamboo can have diverse applications in architecture and design.

From the exterior structure to the interior furnishings, Ibuku shows that bamboo can have diverse applications in architecture and design. Credit: Indra Wiras / IBUKU

Help solve the housing crisis

While sustainability is bamboo’s main advantage, it’s not the only reason Cubo looks to fast-growing grass as an alternative construction material.

The Philippines is currently facing a severe housing shortage, estimated 4.5 million won people living homeless in 2021, and a deficiency or defect of affordable homes.
Cubo manufactures three houses in its workshop every two weeks, and then takes three to five days to assemble each house on site.

Cubo manufactures three houses in its workshop every two weeks, and then takes 3-5 days to assemble each house on site. Credit: CUBO Modular Inc

Forlales said Cubo’s homes range in price from 649,800 Philippine pesos ($12,900) to 1.8 million Philippine pesos ($35,738) — the equivalent of mid-range homes built with common materials. However, he aims to reduce prices by streamlining production and increasing automation in the workshop. The company has also introduced a payment plan, to help reduce upfront costs for buyers.

With bamboo growing naturally throughout Asia, each country has “its own species of bamboo that you can use to build,” said Forlales – creating the potential to build cube homes outside the Philippines.

“All over Asia, we have millions of square kilometers planted with bamboo. So just tap into other markets and you can get it,” he added.

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