The Promise, Problem and Possibility of Timber Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Fiber

Despite improving operational efficiency of buildings, annual emissions from construction remain stubbornly high. The substitution of fast-growing biogenic materials for high-carbon footprint extractive materials is increasingly discussed as a mitigation tool. Here we identify the relative interest in timber bamboo as such a tool through literature and biobliometric analysis. We review the carbon capturing and structural properties of timber bamboo that underly bamboo’s growing research interest, which, however, has yet to translate to any material degree of adoption in mainstream construction. Given the near absence of subsidies, regulatory mandates and “green premiums”, timber bamboo must become fully cost competitive with existing materials to achieve adoption and provide its carbon mitigation promise. The main problems preventing timber bamboo’s cost competitiveness are analyzed with possible solutions proposed. Finally, the beneficial climate prospects of adopting timber bamboo buildings in substitution for 25% of new cement buildings is projected at over 10 billions tonnes of reduced carbon emissions from 2035 to 2050 and nearly 45 billion tonnes of reduced carbon emissions from 2035 to 2100.