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Bamboo for the 21st Century Workshop on Building High-end Structures in Bamboo

2nd & 3rd September 2004Gual Pahari Campus, TERI, Gurgaon, India

INTRODUCTION

1 BUILDING HIGH-END ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES IN BAMBOO

The use of bamboo as a construction material will become more widespread

only if people see bamboo being used to build. Bamboo structures need to be

built in public spaces to give the material greater visibility and to provide a

platform for bamboo to poove itself as durable, stylish and contemporary.

The National Mission for Bamboo Applications (NMBA) in collaboration with

the Delhi based design firm Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates, Colombian

Architect Simon Velez and the Delhi Tourism and Transportation

Development Corporation is proposing to build two bamboo structures at

'The Garden of Five Senses', New Delhi. It is hoped that the high-visibility of

the these structures will bring about a greater awareness of bamboo

architecture in the country.

For any efforts in bamboo construction to have long-term impact it is

important to generate awareness of high-end applications of bamboo in the

professional community. The NMBA and Pradeep Sachdeva Design

Associates organised a workshop on ‘Building High-end Structures in

Bamboo’ on the 2nd & 3rd, September, 2004. The workshop was conducted

by Simon Velez and attended by 38 professionals and workers from all over

the country.

Designed as a hands-on learning experience, the participants spent most of

the two days building a bamboo roof-truss at the venue.

CLOSING SESSION The closing session was informally structured, to provide for feedback and

review, and to identify elements of the road ahead.

It was attended by Prof. V. L. Chopra, Member Planning Commission, by the

participants at the workshop, NMBA personnel, and by specialists/ experts

who had contributed to the workshop. Lt. Gen. Shamsher Mehta (Retd.),

Principal Advisor CII and Mr. Sudhir Pande, Distinguished Fellow, TERI were

also present.

The session began with a brief exposition of his work by Simon Velez. This

retraced some of the ground covered earlier, but as extremely useful, because

it provided an opportunity to brief and apprise the Member, Planning

Commission, and enabled participants a fresh look at concepts and

techniques, this time with the benefit of two days of exposure and hands on

experience behind them.

Pradeep Sachdeva and Simon Velez then reviewed the workshop, outlining its

objectives, and the framework in which participants worked over the

preceding day and a half, to create a truss structure. They worked in teams,

with each member of the working group being provided a hands on

opportunity to try his/ her hands at joinery, assembly, treatment and finishing.

Individual participants contributed to the discussion, providing an elaboration

of the work, and their perceptions of the potential, applicability and what

could be done in the months ahead.

The NMBA then made a presentation on the Mission, its objectives and thrust

areas, and the activities undertaken.

Prof. Chopra then addressed the participants and guests. He was deeply

appreciative of the work and the direction in which high end structural

applications were being taken. Most importantly, he referred to the

commitment and the dedication shown by the participants, exemplified by

the fact that many of them had continued to work will the wee hours of the

morning. He assured the participants that bamboo was and will continue to

be a high priority area for the Planning Commission, and the Government was


committed to providing all necessary support for the enlargement of the

sector.

Mr. Sudhir Pande, on behalf of the NMBA, then summed up the closing

session, and thanked Prof. Chopra, the guests and specialists, Pradeep

Sachdeva Design Associates, Simon Velez and the participants.

The NMBA also took the opportunity to thank TERI in whose premises the

workshop had been conducted, for their facilities, goodwill, support and

encouragement


RECOMMENDATIONS It is important that the task begun is carried forward. It would be

inappropriate, even wasteful, if the workshop remained as a workshop and an

event. To be able to do this, to enlarge the corpus of working knowledge and

experience, to disseminate concepts, techniques and methodologies, it is

recommended that:

The project of building two demonstrative structures at the Garden of Five

Senses be concretised and implemented at the earliest. This would provide

practical and invaluable experience through a collaborative partnership with

Simon Velez, and result in the establishment of structural and architecturally

innovative bamboo based structures in a high visibility location.

Critical to the process is selection and sourcing of the bamboo, and its

treatment. The process of building these structures should therefore factor

this into the estimation of time and resources needed.

It is important this experience is not a one-off exercise, and that the process

of building such structures is fully internalised and capable of being replicated

and even built upon. To ensure that the basic skill levels of the team of people

working are adequate, it is recommended that a team of 5 work persons be

deputed by NMBA to Colombia, to work for 3-4 weeks on the projects and

structures currently being implemented by Simon Velez. These persons

should be from the group of people who have already been exposed to the

work required at this workshop, and should be selected on the basis of their

prowess and potential and the actual work needed. It is preferable to send

workers, and not people whose skills and future role will be supervisory.

It is also necessary to repeat the exercise of holding workshops of this nature,

at different locations in the country, deepening the base of people exposed to

and familiar with this kin of innovative architecture. These workshops,

possibly three over the period of a year, should be held at locations like IIT

Roorkee, Auroville, in the North East. Such workshops should be supported

by the NMBA, and by organisations with outreach and commitment to the

bamboo sector like HUDCO. As a first step, such a workshop could be held

either at Auroville or at Roorkee.


DISCUSSION ON

TREATMENT OF

BAMBOO

Insects are a major problem in bamboo structures and the discussion on

treatment focussed mostly on how to deal with the insect menace. A

common practice all over the world is to harvest the bamboo during the

waning phase of the moon. In certain regions the bamboo is cut immediately

after flowering and in the early part of the morning. These practises stem

from the belief that the starch content in bamboo is the lowest during these

times.

In certain parts of the country such as Maharashtra the bamboo is left in

running water for 3-4 months to leech the starch out. The bamboo is not

treated with preservatives and is used only where there is no direct contact

with external elements.

In the North-East the bamboo is cut in the dry season and dried by stacking

vertically. This allows the moisture to collect in the bottom of the culm, which

is cut off before the bamboo is used. It was also found that continuous

exposure to smoke from hearths and kitchens kept the bamboo insect free.

The buildings in the areas have comparatively short life cycles due to the

nomadic nature of the local community but in other areas where the buildings

are used for longer times it was observed that insects attack the bamboo the

as soon as the frequency of exposure to the smoke decreases.

It was also common consensus that the bamboo used should be mature but

not too old and should have low moisture content. Neem oil and Cashew oil/

cashew based preservatives have been found to be effective chemical

treatments. Cashew oil which is applied as a surface coating has to be

reapplied periodically and is ineffective if the bamboo is already infested with

insects.

Speaking of his experiences in the treatment of bamboo Simon Velez said that

he preferred treated bamboo by leaving it in a pool of diesel diluted with

thinner, and chemicals such as 'Dursban' for 1 - 3 days depending on the

nature of the structure to be built. Two holes are drilled on the opposite faces

of each note to allow the chemical to permeate into the bamboo. Simon Velez

found diesel as a better preservation medium compared to water as the


PARTICIPANTS A Chenithung LothaGovernment of NagalandUrban Development, Kohima, Nagaland 797001Tel: +91 (0)370 224100/147Mob: +91 94360 01853E mail: [email protected]

Anup NaikIN ANTIS Design Consultants3/2 C Lady Curzon Road, Shivajinagar, Bangalore 560001Tel: +91 (0)80 25596811/25327302Mob: +91 9243101116Fax: +91 (0)80 22899207E mail: [email protected]

Amarjeet Singh HUDCO HUDCO Bhawan, India Habitat Centre Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003Tel: +91 (0)11 24603069/24648420Fax:+91(0)1124603069

Arvind GuptaStructural Consultant, Arvind Gupta Consultants B-51A, Kalkaji, New Delhi-110019Tel: +91 (0)11 26294746/26468629Fax: +91 (0)11 26428516Mob: +91 98100 70143E mail: [email protected]

Benny KuriakoseArchitect

st1 Floor, Old no.19, New No.53, Vasantha Avenue, MRC Nagar,R A Puram, Chennai 600028Tel: +91 (0)44 24942941/24614794E mail: [email protected]

Bindu JeswaniHUDCO HUDCO Bhawan, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003Tel: +91 (0)11 24651675Fax: +91 (0)11 24603069E mail: [email protected]

Byabang RocketFuture Generation Arunachal PradeshVillage Palin, P.O. Palin, District Kurung Kumey, Arunachal PradeshTel: +91 (0)3788 244310

C ThanchuangaBamboo Development Agency, MizoramC/o Directorate of Industries BuildingKhatla, Aizawl 796001 MizoramTel: +91 (0)389 2314950Fax: +91 (0)389 2325003/7E mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Deepti DebasScientist (C), NMBA/TIFACVishwakarma Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 016Tel: +91 (0)11 55659876Fax: +91 (0)11 26962267

Ishwar SinghCarpenter,Sampoorna Bamboo KendraLavada, P.O. Duni, Tal. Dharni, District Amravati 444702 Maharashtra

Johnny AllenArchitectFertile, Auroville, Tamil NaduTel: 2622390E Mail: [email protected]

K K AgarwalCivil Engineer, KK Agarwal Associates Pvt. Ltd.117A Andheria Mod, Near Kairali Health Centre, New DelhiTel: +91 (0)11 26805197/26894836Mob: +91 (0)11 33894836E mail: [email protected]

K S Sethi TERIDarbari Seth Block, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003Tel: +91 (0)11 24682100/11Fax: +91 (0)11 24682144/145E mail: [email protected]

Mahesh SharmaCarpenter, Windmill Interiors Pvt. Ltd.1 Windmill Place, Ayanagar VillageNew Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26501032

Dr. Mahua MukherjeeDepartment of Architecture & Planning,IIT Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttaranchal 247667Tel: +91 (0)1332 285036/285334E mail: [email protected]

Mohammed IftkharCarpenter, Windmill Interiors Pvt. Ltd.1 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village, New Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26501032

Mukesh SharmaCarpenter, Windmill Interiors Pvt. Ltd.1 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village, New Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26501032


N RamuArchitect, Sanjay Prakash & AssociatesR-301 Park View Apt., Hauz Khas, New DelhiTel: +91 (0)11 31113414

Pradeep SachdevaPrincipal Architect,Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates4 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village, New Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26503741/3859Fax: +91 (0)11 26502373E mail: [email protected]

Prakash Lohia Century Laminating Delhi Road, Hapur, Ghaziabad, Uttar PradeshTel: +91 (0)122 2312687E mail: [email protected]

Prof. R ShankarDept. of Architecture & PlanningIIT Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttaranchal 247667Tel: +91 (0)1332 285839/214Fax: +91 (0)1332 285214E mail: [email protected]

Rajeev Garg HUDCO HUDCO Bhawan, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003Tel: +91 (0)11 24603069Fax: +91 (0)11 24603069E mail: [email protected]

Ramvir Singh HUDCO HUDCO Bhawan, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003Tel: +91 (0)11 24642193-95 Ext.3067Fax: +91 (0)11 24603069E mail: [email protected]

Sanghmitra ChakrabortyScientist (C), NMBA/TIFACVishwakarma Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 016Tel: +91 (0)11 55659876Fax: +91 (0)11 26962267

Dr. Satish KumarTreatment Expert, American Connexion214 Phase II, Vasant Vihar, Dehradun 248006Tel: +91 (0)135 276543E mail: [email protected]

Shafique Ahmed KhanAssistant EngineerDelhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation

th10 Floor, Mayur BhavanConnaught Place, New Delhi-110001Tel: +91 (0)11 23411236

Sunil DeshpandeSampoorna Bamboo KendraLavada, P.O. Duni, Tal. Dharni, District Amravati 444702 Maharashtra

S K PandeySenior Forestry Specialist, NMBA/TIFACVishwakarma Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 016Tel: +91 (0)11 26566329Fax: +91 (0)11 26962267

Sri Tassar TachangFuture Generation Arunachal PradeshNew Palin, P.O. New Palin, District Kurung Kumey, Arunachal PradeshTel: +91 (0)3788 244337

T MridulaGeneral Manager, ProjectsThe Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. Projects Department, Taj Palace Hotel, S P Marg New Delhi

Tania SenguptaFaculty, TVB School of Habitat Studies12/25 Sarvapriya Vihar, New Delhi -110016Tel: +91 (0)11 26511089 Mob: +91 98106 41336 E mail: [email protected]

Thungdemo PattonGovernment of NagalandDirectorate of Tourism, Kohima, Nagaland 797001Tel: +91 (0)370 2243124Mob: +91 94360 01795Fax: +91 (0)3702243124E mail: [email protected]

Vidisha Salunke Architect, TERIDarbari Seth Block, India Habitat CentreLodhi Road, New Delhi-110003Tel: +91 (0)11 24682100/11Fax: +91 (0)11 24682144/45E mail: [email protected]

V N GoreSARMET

stGanesh Kutir, 1 Floor, 68, P S Road, Ville Parle(E), Mumbai 400057Tel: +91 (0)22 26145411/26182591E mail: [email protected]

Vidya TongbramArchitect, Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates4 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village New Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26503741/3859Fax: +91 (0)11 26502373E mail: [email protected]

V S OberoiAdvisor, NMBA/TIFACVishwakarma Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110 016Tel: +91 (0)11 26566778Fax: +91 (0)11 26962267

Vinay ThomasArchitect, Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates4 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village New Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26503741/3859Fax: +91 (0)11 26502373E mail: [email protected]

Vishwesh ViswanathanArchitect, Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates4 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village New Delhi 110047Tel: +91 (0)11 26503741/3859Fax: +91 (0)11 26502373E mail: [email protected]


NATIONAL MISSION ON BAMBOO APPLICATIONS Technology, Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC)Department of Science & Technology (DST)Government of IndiaTechnology Bhavan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110016Tel +91 (0)11 26566778 / 55659876Fax +91 (0)11 26962267E mail [email protected]

PRADEEP SACHDEVA DESIGN ASSOCIATES4 Windmill Place, Ayanagar Village, New Delhi 110047Tel +91 (0)11 26503741 / 26503859Fax +91 (0)11 26502373E mail [email protected]

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