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Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

bbc.com

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Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#61

Post by LeifCarrotson »

proee wrote: post #57

One problem with bamboo is that it easily grows mold. So even if you treat the outside it's entirely possible mold is growing on the inside. I'm sure there are some good ways to "dip" bamboo and coat it in something to prevent mold growth. I live in Hawaii and I won't use anything with bamboo because it always seems to eventually mold.

To be fair, Hawaii is a pretty extreme environment for mold problems. Bali likely is too, but it's hardly fair to judge the material for mold problems when hollow PVC will develop mold too...

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#62

Post by choot »

ajuc wrote: post #52
choot wrote: post #19

Density of Carbon Fiber is 1743kg/m^3 and that of Bamboo is 1160 kg/m^3. Acrlyic, Nylon, Polycarbonate have similar density as Bamboo. Bamboo's strength falls somewhere between fiberglass and carbon fiber Some things to think about include ecological factors (bamboo is renewable), environmental factors (bamboo is flammable), loading factors (steel can be made ductile and its high properties are isotropic), and weight…

Is this density including the void inside, or just for the non-hollow parts?

Excluding void.

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#63

Post by cwkoss »

proee wrote: post #57

One problem with bamboo is that it easily grows mold. So even if you treat the outside it's entirely possible mold is growing on the inside. I'm sure there are some good ways to "dip" bamboo and coat it in something to prevent mold growth. I live in Hawaii and I won't use anything with bamboo because it always seems to eventually mold.

I visited this bamboo factory and village. I forget exactly what chemicals they used. I think they said it was a 'bromine bath' - they have long troughs that they fill with bamboo, then pump full of warm liquid. They let them soak for an amount of hours, then wash off the solution. They said this process both hardens the material and makes it less vulnerable to pest damage. Bamboo requires different amounts of treatment for different uses (sounds like too long makes it brittle, but very hard).

Didn't see a spot of mold on the houses we toured - but I'm certainly curious about the longevity as well.

Another neat design trick: they would cut little square holes in posts about 3 feet off the ground, so they could pour the supporting footings through the hole so the cement actually extends a few feet up into the post.

Here's their website - if you're in Ubud, you should visit! Their ~1-2 hour walking tour was nice. Or, you can book ahead to stay in one of these houses. http://greenvillagebali.com/

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#65

Post by proee »

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #61
proee wrote: post #57

One problem with bamboo is that it easily grows mold. So even if you treat the outside it's entirely possible mold is growing on the inside. I'm sure there are some good ways to "dip" bamboo and coat it in something to prevent mold growth. I live in Hawaii and I won't use anything with bamboo because it always seems to eventually mold.

To be fair, Hawaii is a pretty extreme environment for mold problems. Bali likely is too, but it's hardly fair to judge the material for mold problems when hollow PVC will develop mold too...

PVC actually does pretty well against mold growth. It's the organic materials that are usually the biggest problem. Metals, glass, and dense plastics are fairly mold resistant.

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#66

Post by cwkoss »

fermienrico wrote: post #53

I am more interested in the engineering aspects of Bamboo than just the aesthetics. The entire video is about how unique it is, and how beautiful it looks. None of that matters if the whole house of cards falls over. There was an interesting brief comment about treatment to protect the Bamboo from rotting away but very little information was conveyed in the presentation. I wish they'd show the technical fundamentals…

I visited this bamboo factory - they soak the bamboo in a chemical bath (bromine I think?) and wash it off to make the bamboo harder and less vulnerable to pests.

As such, the bamboo they are building with may have notably different mechanical properties than raw, dried bamboo.

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#67

Post by agumonkey »

everyone wrote: post #23

Every bamboo pole is different.. For this reason bamboo could never fit into modern engineering practices. Engineers use things like I-beams because, (in theory) each one is the same and they have been tested (probably millions of times) Their structural characteristics are known. So an engineer can sign off on a building and the team can get architectural indemnity insurance. Bamboo, and also things like using the e…

I saw articles about cutting bamboo poles into blades~ (for lack of a better term) to be joined later to form regular blocks. Less simple but easier at scale.

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#68

Post by seanmcdirmid »

IdontRememberIt wrote: post #17

Having been in SE Asia and Bali many times and seen how they spray chemicals against insects... I wonder how they handle that in the middle of the forest... I would never go there without an independant assessment... I love the design but I prefer something closed and airconditionned (mosquitos). Mosquitos are a major issue (even in cities): https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/pest-control/mosquito-co...

Mosquitos in Bali seem to be more of a problem inland (eg Ubud for tourists) than on the coast where most of the resorts are.

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#69

Post by SlowRobotAhead »

xae342 wrote: post #39
SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In regards to very tall bamboo scaffolding... A related side topic here might include near famous Indonesian disregard for safety - or at least willingness to overlook it. One of the reasons I was told that by Indonesian workers in Malaysia, whom there are many of. They’re willing to work cheaper and do more dangerous jobs. KL in particular has a ton of skyscraper work being done by Indonesians and I saw first hand t…

I’ve been told by Indonesians their style is to dive head first into the water, then check for rocks. Yes safety is a big issue there and causes a huge amount of needless suffering.

If there is one thing spending time in SE Asia has taught me is that the value of human life is just different in some places.

Good or bad, from scooters to skyscrapers. It’s just different.

Re: Bali’s 'magic' bamboo homes [video]

#70

Post by xae342 »

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #69
xae342 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been told by Indonesians their style is to dive head first into the water, then check for rocks. Yes safety is a big issue there and causes a huge amount of needless suffering.

If there is one thing spending time in SE Asia has taught me is that the value of human life is just different in some places. Good or bad, from scooters to skyscrapers. It’s just different.

Yes life is cheap there, people get sick, injured and die for preventable reasons all the time. Life expectancy is 10 - 15 years less than in developed countries as a result. The west I think mixes up politics with their world view which makes them think everything is equal somehow, it’s then surprising when they see such foolishness that leads to such suffering first hand.
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