Bamboo Design Home

Bamboo Home

In addition to an earthbag design, the Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building, along with partner organizations and housing professionals, is developing an affordable bamboo housing prototype for use in the tsunami-impacted region of Southeast Asia . The focus of both designs is to incorporate low-cost sustainable building materials and techniques, as well as making the homes tsunami, earthquake, and hurricane resistant.

The main concept of the bamboo design is a raised structure that is adaptable to varied topographic conditions along the coastal areas. The structure would minimize cost, maximize livable space, and serve as a shelter in extreme weather conditions.

The facilities as well as the cooking, dining and social areas are located on the ground level on a compacted fill pad retained by a sandbag system two steps above the adjacent natural ground level.

Bamboo Design

Isolated foundations on each column are conformed by a sandbag system enclosing a cavity for the accommodation of the 4-culm column. Sandbags would work as a form and as part of the footing. Anchors and some heavy aggregate could be added to reinforce the foundation system.

Each housing unit is supported by 4 bamboo columns; each of the columns consists of 4 bamboo culms, which interlock with the floor structure as vertical and horizontal elements. The same 4-culm concept is used for beams, top plates and other structural elements in general.