Page 41 - Demo

Bamboo: A Sustainable MaterialPanels made from bamboo are used in the construction of thehouses. The use of this material facilitates the involvement of peoplewithout experience in construction. The house has a roof, walls, anda solid bamboo structure. CAEMBA delivers a finished house to itsfinal users.One of the main advantages of building with bamboo is that it is arenewable resource, capable of rapid growth that can avoid futuredeforestation of the native tropical rain-forests.Bamboo has the capacity to absorb energy and the higher bendingstrength makes it an ideal material for seismic-resistantconstructions. Bamboo has only a small proportion of lignin. Its maincomponent is silicic acid, which gives the shoot its durability andhardness. The Rough or Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) is thespecies used in the houses built by CAEMBA. It is a giant tropicaland subtropical dense clumping species native to Southeast Asia.According to the site %u201cGuadua Bamboo%u201d, Dendrocalamus asper polesare used as a building material and structural timber for heavyconstruction such as houses and bridges. %u201cThe culm internodes usedas containers for water and other fluids, and as cooking pots.This bamboo is also used for making laminated boards, furniture,musical instruments, chopsticks, household utensils, andhandicrafts. Young shoots are sweet and considered a deliciousvegetable%u201d.The Bamboo Houses: Overcoming PrecariousHousingThe design of the houses has been optimized for rapid construction.The parts are prefabricated as panels of wood structure covered withchopped bamboo previously treated in a solution of boric acid, boraxand copper sulfate.The houses have a front of 4.8 meters by 9 meters deep, with a usefularea of 43.20 m2. They can fit two bedrooms, a living/dining room,kitchen, bathroom, and a covered patio. The structure can beassembled on a cement slab or on an elevated floor made of bambooand its assembly lasts between 1 to 2 days. The design of the houseadapts to the typical lands of low- or middle-income families withnarrow fronts and backyard. Each house costs USD 2900. Thefunding for the construction comes from the civil society, throughprivate donors (companies or individuals) that constantly fundCAEMBA to increase the impact of the project. The recipient familiescontribute with the divisions or with the concrete floor that goes overthe bamboo, which is considered the vegetable steel.The houses are integrated within the surrounding neighborhoods,which are in the process of urban consolidation. Most houses arepartially elevated above the floor, to avoid the risks of flooding andthe entry of animals. The 319 houses have been built mainly in verypoor urban-rural contexts in Atacames and Tonsupa, in Esmeraldasprovince and in some cantons of the province of Manab%u00ed, both on thecoast of Ecuador.Since the earthquake in 2016, almost 2000 people have been given ahouse, considering that each family has approximately six members.But the work does not end here.I A M . M A G A Z I N E - C A E M B AI A M . M A G A Z I N E - 4 1