Architects and construction experts released the “Pittsburgh Declaration,” calling for bamboo to become a widely used building material for the 21st Century at a recent University of Pittsburgh symposium.
The declaration cited multiple benefits of bamboo including seismic resiliency after bamboo structures often fared better than buildings made from conventional construction material such as concrete in earthquakes in Nepal and Ecuador. Reconstruction in those countries is expected to include more bamboo building materials.
The Declaration was a result of the “Symposium on Bamboo in the Urban Environment,” part of a US-State Department and UK British Council-funded Global Innovation Initiative project that is supporting the development of bamboo as a sustainable and engineered alternative construction material.
The Declaration makes several recommendations to ensure bamboo is harnessed more effectively and becomes a viable building material. A key issue is the development of international standards. Bamboo's use in modern structures has been hampered by a lack of formal standards and codes.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 24, 2016
Building energy codes projected to save $126 billion in energy costs from 2010-2040
Commercial and residential structures are both included in the total.
Codes and Standards | Oct 24, 2016
Fall hazards, hazard communication lead 2016 OSHA top violations
The 2016 list bears a strong resemblance to the 2015 list.
Codes and Standards | Oct 21, 2016
Green Bond Guidelines for the Real Estate Sector updated
The market growth is a signal of future opportunities.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2016
What top-ranked energy efficiency states are doing right on codes, utility mandates
Calif., and Mass., use aggressive targets to lead nation.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2016
New cross-laminated timber fire tests back proponents of high-rise wood structures
'Demonstrating for the first time the feasibility of tall mass timber buildings in the U.S.’
Codes and Standards | Oct 14, 2016
ASCE issues first tsunami-safe building standards
The new standards will become part of international building code.
Codes and Standards | Oct 12, 2016
Making concrete greener
The high energy-consuming material can be made more sustainably.
Codes and Standards | Oct 11, 2016
Historic preservation moving beyond saving grand old buildings
National Trust for Historic Preservation CEO says the focus is on saving cities, not just buildings
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
Los Angeles voters will decide whether high-density developments should be harder to build
A March vote on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative would put 2-year ban on zoning changes
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
New sustainable landscape development and management credential launched
GBCI offered the first testing opportunity Oct. 3 at Greenbuild
