About a hundred thousand families in Aceh were left homeless by the tsunami almost ten months ago. Possibly the main obstacle that has delayed the rebuilding of homes in Aceh is the question of what building materials to use. Traditional Acehnese homes were made of wood, but the island of Sumatra has been remorselessly logged for decades. The only significant forests left standing are in the Leuser National Park. After the tsunami, at least one international NGO issued chainsaws to survivors along the coast, directing them to cut up and burn the wooden debris on the beaches in a cash-for-work program. Not only did thousands of tons of potential building material go up in smoke, but the saws are now being used for illegal logging in the park and elsewhere. In a desperate attempt to start rebuilding, another international NGO is talking about importing legal wood at insane expense from Europe and North America.
A few building projects were evident when I drove through part of the tsunami zone in August. One house was being built of aluminum siding; I wondered how the architect would enjoy living there in the hot season. Elsewhere, homes were being constructed of brick, and others of unreinforced concrete block. In an area that’s still experiencing almost daily earthquakes, these unsafe buildings could prove deadly for those who live in them.
Columbia, also a country of intense seismic activity, long ago found an earthquake-resistant housing solution. Strong, flexible bamboo is used to construct substantial houses and public buildings. When the walls are plastered and painted the structures look like ordinary houses, yet stand through the strongest earthquakes. One attractive building constructed in 1880 has been continually inhabited despite many strong earthquakes. In another urban area, a community of low-cost housing had been constructed from bamboo. After a massive earthquake flattened the rest of the city, these buildings were found to be almost undamaged. Now there is a growing demand for bamboo housing from the middle class. In fact, bamboo homes are becoming a fashion trend among South America’s wealthy.
Japan has also recognized the unique properties of bamboo, and uses it to construct stunning community centres and resorts. India and Costa Rica use bamboo for attractive, low cost houses. Architects in India have developed a bamboo house with a concrete or stone base which can be built in a week. In Equador, a factory is producing 50 bamboo houses a day which are sold for under $400, mainly to poor single mothers. The 30 square metre houses can be erected in a few hours.
Legendary Columbian bamboo architect Simon Velez constructed the Zeri Pavillion entirely from bamboo at World Expo 2000 held in Hanover, Germany. The pavilion was extensively tested by engineers for strength and other properties and met or exceeded all standards. Since 2000, Germany has recognized bamboo as an approved building material. Its tensile strength-to-weight ratio was found to be higher than steel. Standardized bamboo building materials, both composite materials like bamboo plywood (plyboo) and laminated beams and flooring, are already popular with high-end western designers with prices to match.
Bali’s Linda Garland, a bamboo expert and founder of the Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF), has long advocated the use of bamboo as a building material in Indonesia. In September, she made a presentation on the subject at the Bandung Institute of Technology which was warmly received by Minister of the Environment Ir. Rachmat Witoelar and other senior government officials.
Over a decade ago, the EBF began experimenting with a borate solution to treat bamboo. This method has proved effective in protecting bamboo against powderpost beetle and other insect damage, and is also a fire retardant. In February the EBF gave a workshop on bamboo treatment and construction to 20 Indonesian builders, engineers and architects at its treatment plant in Bali. Since then, bamboo houses and community buildings have been built in Java, Timor, Sulawesi and Aceh.
Bamboo is the most sustainable building material in existence, and species appropriate for construction grow abundantly in Aceh. Easy to propagate, a well-managed clump of bamboo can be harvested every three years, providing an endless supply of building material. It’s the fastest-growing plant on earth, surviving both droughts and floods. Growing in the most infertile of soils, its falling leaves provide compost. The root system of bamboo spreads quickly, stabilizing river banks, reversing erosion and raising the water table. Traditionally used to reforest degraded lands, it may flourish in the tsunami zone.
Ironically, many officials in the developing world are not yet aware of bamboo’s international acceptance as a building material. There’s resistance to using bamboo for housing in Aceh, where it is still seen as a temporary measure. IDEP, a Bali-based NGO that has been active in Aceh since the tsunami, is determined to change this perception. IDEP field staff working in seven villages in Samatiga subdistrict explained the benefits of bamboo housing and surveyed the district for appropriate bamboo stands, using information from the EBF. The community responded enthusiastically, donating a hectare of land for a treatment plant and training and propagation centre. The treatment plant, built with a grant from Canada’s Manitoba Centre for International Cooperation, is almost complete. Seven villagers have already received training in bamboo identification, harvest, treatment and propagation. Two hundred bamboo poles are currently being treated with borates, and a trainer will travel to Samatiga after Id il Fitri to help the trainees construct a model building. CUSO, the Canadian NGO that helped secure the grant, is now exploring options to send a bamboo specialist and an architect to Samatiga to design an appropriate house for Aceh in consultation with the villagers.
Half a million are still living in emergency shelters in Aceh and over 3 million people are thought to be homeless following the recent earthquake in Pakistan. Sustainable, earthquake resistant housing is an urgent priority. Perhaps bamboo seems too easy in an increasingly complicated world. But sometimes the easy answer is the right one.
