Author:

Keywords:

adobe, bamboo, durability, cracking, rammed earth, Science & Technology, Technology, Materials Science, Multidisciplinary, Materials Science, Adobe, Bamboo, Durability, Cracking, Rammed Earth

Abstract:

Bamboo is a non-conventional material often used in constructions. This paper discusses the durability of the material by analyzing the construction of a Community Center in the town of Cambury in Brazil, built more than a decade ago. The building is constructed using various locally available non-conventional materials and technologies (NOCMAT), i.e. bamboo, adobe blocks and rammed earth. The Community Center has been constructed by the Belgian non-profit organization Bamboostic in collaboration with KU Leuven and PUC-Rio. Beside the analysis of the durability, defects in the original design and material performance considering local weather conditions are discussed in this paper. The analysis is based on visual inspection and interpretation.