RECENTLY, I attended a seminar conducted by a Swiss engineering consultant which focused on the application of new types of composite bamboo. These have the potential to replace steel reinforcement bars used in the construction industry.
Such bamboo possesses the advantage of high tensile strength, which means it can effectively withstand stresses in concrete.
The bamboo's tension-resistant fibre enables it to deflect significantly without breaking, when embedded within concrete components.It is also much lighter than the typical steel reinforcement bars. In other words, composite bamboo has a higher strength-to-weight ratio.
It is also more eco-friendly, as it is capable of absorbing and reducing carbon emissions.
Since bamboo can be grown in large quantities, this is also a renewable material whose supply won't be exhausted, unlikeresources such as steel which are gradually depleting, owing to heavy demands in the construction industry from developing countries.
Does the Building and Construction Authority have any plans to actively promote the use of composite bamboo in the casting of prefabricated concrete components for our public and private housing developments?
Teo Kok Seah
Such bamboo possesses the advantage of high tensile strength, which means it can effectively withstand stresses in concrete.
The bamboo's tension-resistant fibre enables it to deflect significantly without breaking, when embedded within concrete components.It is also much lighter than the typical steel reinforcement bars. In other words, composite bamboo has a higher strength-to-weight ratio.
It is also more eco-friendly, as it is capable of absorbing and reducing carbon emissions.
Since bamboo can be grown in large quantities, this is also a renewable material whose supply won't be exhausted, unlikeresources such as steel which are gradually depleting, owing to heavy demands in the construction industry from developing countries.
Does the Building and Construction Authority have any plans to actively promote the use of composite bamboo in the casting of prefabricated concrete components for our public and private housing developments?
Teo Kok Seah
