The Bamboo Option.(building materials)(Brief Article)

Jules Janssen will never forget the earthquake that rocked Costa Rica back in 1991. More than 40 people died and 2,000 buildings were flattened. For Janssen, the disaster had a silver lining. Two years earlier the Dutch civil engineer had advised on the construction of 700 low-cost bamboo homes, some right at the quake's epicenter. Concrete buildings had collapsed, but every one of his bamboo structures was still standing--proof that cheap, plentiful, fast-growing bamboo could help solve the housing needs of developing countries.

For 30 years Janssen has been preaching the merits of bamboo, pounding it and stressing it and characterizing its properties in his Eindhoven lab. His efforts culminate next year in a thick reference work that will set out standards for the construction of bamboo buildings as sturdy as concrete or steel. This worthy document probably won't attract much publicity. It may even gather dust for years. The developing world is not always eager to embrace this wonder material that grows in ...