Bamboo as a sustanaible material for several city uses

Bamboo is a green material. It is an evergreen grass that is becoming recognized as a viable, sustainable and engineered alternative to other materials in many areas worldwide. Its light weight and high flexibility can be mentioned as main properties. In addition, bamboo is an eco-friendly material as it reaches maturity much faster than conventional trees (3-5 years versus 30-50); and produces more oxygen than the hard wood trees, so it is of great help in reducing global warming and, finally, another interesting aspect is that no pesticides or chemicals are needed for its development. Structural applications of bamboo are diverse: from flooring to reinforcement and framing. As the most of the knowledge of bamboo used for structural purposes is based on cultural tradition, a new engineering culture should be created so as to evaluate the non-engineered techniques and develop, accordingly standards for design and performance assessment. At Gijon Polytechnic School of Engineering, some design were analyzed and manufactured so some applications of bamboo in urban uses can be drawn, such as sustainable urban mobility (from bikes to electric cars), city furniture, smart buildings and urban infrastructures, as shelters with photovoltaic panels or monopiles for eolic energy generators.