With great sadness we learn the news of the passing of our dear friend, our magnificent teacher, our respectful mentor, our great World Bamboo Pioneer = Jorge Moran Ubidia, of Ecuador. He will be so missed.
Jorge Morán was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 1940. He received a degree in Architecture at the University of Guayaquil where he later taught in the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism for decades and also guided students’ theses in the Architecture Faculty at the Catholic University of Guayaquil.
Professor Morán was one of the first to compare the physical properties of bamboo with wood and recognize the great structural strength of some bamboo species. Feeling an affinity for the spectacular native timber bamboo, Guadua angustifolia - known locally as “caña guadua” and at the time used for mostly humble purposes - he devoted his life to researching and using this resource. Jorge was instrumental in developing the Hogar de Cristo social housing project by designing ecological housing built with Ecuadorian bamboo for low-income families. The families moved into dignified, environmentally-friendly houses, and being elevated, were safe as they were no longer subjected to flooding.
For more about his life, read here.
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