TASK:The hidden potential for bamboo as a sustainable construction material, according to an impact entrepreneur By Chong Jinn XiungApr $03,2024$Lucas Loo$$s sustainable startup, Sead Industries, is focused on combating climate change while empowering $$Orang Asli$$ communities by transforming bamboo into the construction material of the future.Bamboo, a plant found deep in secondary forests, has immense potential to revolutionise future construction methods. While technically a type of grass, bamboo has been used for centuries to build houses because of its strength. Several properties make bamboo a highly sustainable material: it grows abundantly and helps absorb carbon dioxide $($CO$2)$ while releasing oxygen at a higher rate than traditional forests.Like many others, Lucas Loo, architect, founder and executive director of Sead Industries, was initially sceptical about bamboo$$s reputation as a building material. Loo believed it was primarily a low$-$cost timber alternative that didn$$t last long and deteriorated quickly. However, his perspective changed once he researched bamboo and discovered its many uses.$$At some point, I decided to try bamboo and was impressed by its versatility. It is one of the most sustainable construction materials available today. It has exceptional tensile strength, which surpasses that of certain steel, and it can withstand extreme weather conditions,$$ he says.Today, more architects recognise its aesthetic and practical benefits as a building material. Many have even gained fame from incorporatingit into their designs.

BMK$314/03$ May$2024$Peninsular Malaysia alone has around $400,000$ hectares of naturally grown bamboo in forests. A mature clump of bamboo stands between $50$ and $100$ feet tall and can grow as much as a metre in a day. $$There$$s nothing else like bamboo out there. We can harvest no structural materials in the forest to increase its carbon sequestration rate. The more you work with it$,$ the more you understand its amazing strengths and weaknesses,$$ says Loo.This hearty grass could replace emissions$-$intensive materials like concrete and steel on construction sites worldwide. Unlike cutting down forests for lumber, growing and harvesting bamboo captures far more carbon than it emits.Amidst the benefits, there is one problem with bamboo. It contains starch,sugars and carbohydrates, which make it a prime target for insects and fungal infections, rendering affected plants ill$-$suited as building materials. To solve this issue, Sead devised a treatment process involving natural salt solutions to protect bamboo from deterioration and insects. This breakthrough enabled Sead to build sturdy, beautiful structures from bamboo poles and beams that last $100$ years$10$ times longer than untreated bamboo.

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BMK$314/03$ May$2024$The way forward$$It$$s not easy to normalise a building material,$$ says Loo. $$We wanted to show how you can build amazing things from bamboo.$$ In pursuit of this goal, Sead has undertaken numerous projects to demonstrate the unique structures that bamboo can create.One such example is Teja Luna in Ipoh, Perak. The curves of the adjacent lake inspire the $1,800$ sqft building$$s main concept. One of the main features is the initiative to prefabricate the bamboo off$-$site, saving time and labour costs and pioneering a more efficient method of building with bamboo. The bamboo structure is assembled using a series of portal frames, supporting a recycled timber upper floor and radiating to form a semi$-$circular plan.This edifice showcases how bamboo can be used to construct striking buildings and serves as a carbon sink. Bamboo, often called the $$world$$s fastest$-$growing plant,$$ absorbs CO$2$ from the atmosphere rapidly due to its fast growth. Its extensive and intricate root system plays a crucial role in sequestering carbon. As the bamboo grows, it pulls in CO$2$ during photosynthesis, transforming it into organic matter.Furthermore, bamboo not only absorbs CO$2$ but also produces more oxygen than many types of trees. A mature bamboo grove generates approximately $30$ to $35$ per cent moreoxygen than a same$-$sized forest. This oxygen production helps balance out the CO$2$ in the atmosphere.

BMK$314/03$ May$2024$It takes a villageLoo says, $$Previously$,$ we taught Orang Aslicommunities to harvest bamboo sustainably, but we have yet to standardise, document or certify our methods. We are getting forestry assets certified under the Forest Stewardship Council $($FSC$)$ this year. This is a significant leap forward for us$,$ as havingthe FSC label indicates we have followed sustainable sourcing practices that benefit forests and people. But more importantly, it opens access to markets such as the United States and Europe.$$We have ambitious goals this year, but we want to consolidateover $4,000$ hectares of forestry assets and create two Bamboo Villages,$$ explains