You can weave it, laminate it, spin it into fabric, even 3D print it. Bamboo is one of the most versatile materials in the world, yet it is still relatively unknown in world of design. The first book of its kind, Booming Bamboo, written by Dr Pablo van der Lugt and published by Materia, explores the most innovative applications for this material.
As tropical forest timbers rapidly run out in Indonesia, bamboo plantations are being promoted as a sustainable solution for local communities. Bravo to Arief Rabik and his team at Indobamboo for pushing, for innovating, and for pulling in the government of Indonesia in this progressive project.
Bamboo has traditionally been an enigma for policy makers, foresters and environmentalists. Ecologically speaking, the 1,200 plus species of bamboo are part of the grass family but the biomass the plant produces is a wood like fiber, with properties that mirror image those of many traditional wood species, from hardwoods to softwoods.
Last month, 40 nations agreed to restore 5 million hectares (12.4 million acres) of degraded lands and areas of low-quality bamboo production into productive, healthy bamboo forests at the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan’s (INBAR) Ninth Council Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.