This document discusses bamboo as a material for housing and construction in India. It notes that India has a large bamboo resource but also needs to conserve forest timber. Bamboo addresses concerns of ecological, food, and livelihood security. The major bamboo growing regions in India are described. The document outlines various uses of bamboo in construction, including scaffolding, reinforcement, roofing, walling, doors and windows. It provides details on bamboo species, properties, grading, treatment, and structural design provisions. The document also describes BMTPC initiatives to demonstrate bamboo housing and develop new bamboo-based technologies.

1. Building Materials and Technology
Promotion Council
Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation
Government of India
Bamboo as a Material
for Housing and
Buildings
– Indian Experience

2. Traditional use of Wood and
Bamboo

3. Forest Cover in India
• 329 m hectares land area
• 63.34 m hectares notified as forest –
19.15%
• Dense forest - 11%
• Open forest - 8%
• Mangrove - 0.15%
Therefore, there is a need to save forest timber.

4. Bamboo Addresses THREE Major
National Concerns
ECOLOGICAL SECURITY: conservation of forests
through timber substitution, alternate materials to
non-biodegradable & high energy consuming
materials like metals and plastics
SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY: bamboo based agro -
forestry system, maintenance of soil fertility of
adjoining agricultural lands, and bamboo shoots
LIVELIHOOD SECURITY: generation of employment in
planting and primary processing for manufacturing
mat based composites and other market driven
bamboo products

5. MAJOR BAMBOO GROWING
REGIONS / STATES
AREA Gross
( % ) Share
North East 28.0 66
Madhya Pradesh 20.3 12
Maharashtra 9.9 5
Orissa 8.7 7
Andhra Pradesh 7.4 2
Karnataka 5.5 3
Other States 20.2 5
(Kerala, UP,
Jharkhand,
West Bengal)
India is home to almost 45 % of
world's bamboo forests
4.5 M tons annually produced
from 8.96 m ha.
LAND AREA 329 MHa
FOREST AREA 63.3 MHa
BAMBOO AREA 8.96MHa
67% clump forming
33% non clump forming
BAMBOO
RESOURCES IN
INDIA

6. Status of Bamboo Resources in North-
Eastern Region
State Bamboo Growing
Area (Sq.Km.)
Bamboo Stock
(Million tons)
Mizoram 9210 10.89
Assam 8213 13.41
Arunachal Pradesh 4590 9.84
Manipur 3692 11.47
Meghalaya 3102 4.41
Tripura 939 0.86
Nagaland 758 3.66
Total 30504 54.53

7. Distribution of Some Important
Bamboo Species in India
Species Availability
% Growing
Stock
States
D. strictus 45 Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Orissa
M. baccifera 20 Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Tipura
B. arundinacia 13 Nagaland, Karnataka, Orissa
D. hamiltonii 7 Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland
B. tulda 5 Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura
B. pallida 4 Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura
Rest 6

8. Major Uses of Bamboo
Use Percent Consumption
Paper Pulp 35.0
Housing 20.0
Non-Residential 5.0
Rural uses 20.0
Fuel 8.5
Packing, including baskets 5.0
Transport 1.5
Furniture 1.0
Other wood industries 1.0
Others, including ladders etc. 3.0

9. Characteristics affecting usefulness of
bamboo as construction material
- the strength of bamboo culms
- their straightness
- lightness combined with hardeners
- range and size of hollowers
with good physical and mechanical
properties, low shrinkage and average
density, it is well suited to replace wood
in several applications

11. Major Uses of Bamboo in Construction
• Scaffolding
• Reinforcement
• Roofing
• Walling
• Doors & Windows

12. Bamboo – Nature’s Gift
[A material for cost effective and
disaster resistant housing]
As a Raw Material
Properties:
1. High tensile strength
2. Very good weight to
strength ratio
3. Pressure tolerance
upto 3656 kg/cm2
4. Easy to handle with
simple tools
5. Renewable raw
material
Building Material
1. Environment
friendly
2. Energy
efficient
3. Cost effective
Weaknesses
1. Has short durability compared to wood
2. High moisture and starch content
3. Prone to fungi and beetle attach
4. Service life of untreated bamboo 4-6
years in exposed conditions
Treatment & Preservation
Preservation (Traditional methods):
Curing; Smoking; Soaking; Seasoning
Chemical Treatment:
Boric acid; Borax; Boron; (Dip diffusion or
modified Boucherie processes)
Mechanical
Process for
Cutting, slicing,
knot removing
and slivering
Mat
weaving
from
Slivers
Hot
Processing
and Binding
Composite Building
Materials
•BMBs, BMPB, BMCS
•Bamboo Lumber
•Sandwiched panel
•Bamboo based shutters
•Bamboo flooring Bamboo House
Bamboo – Raw Material to Finished
Product

13. Indian Specifications for
Bamboo & Bamboo Products
IS 14588 : 1999 Specification for Bamboo Mat Veneer Composite
for General Purposes
IS 13958 : 1994 Specification for Bamboo Mat Board for General
Purposes
IS 1902 : 1993 Code of Practice for Preservation of Bamboo and
Cane for non-structural purposes
IS 10145 : 1982 Specification for Bamboo Supports for
Camouflaging Equipment
IS 9096 : 1979 Code of Practice for Preservation of Bamboo and
Cane for Structural purposes
IS 8242 :1976 Method of Tests for Split Bamboo
IS 8295 :1976 Specification for Bamboo Chicks ; Part 1 Fine,
Part 2 Coarse
IS 7344 : 1974 Specification for Bamboo Tent Pole
IS 6874 : 1973 Method of Tests for Round Bamboo
IS 15476 : 2004 Specification for Bamboo Mat Corrugated Sheets

14. Bamboo has lower natural durability against
attack of fungi and insects
- requires treatment to increase durability
- difficult to be treated by normal
preservative methods in dry
conditions.
- Best carried out in green
conditions.
IS9096:2006 : Code of Practice for preservation
of bamboo for structural purpose
Covers : Type of preservations,
Treatment procedure for structural purposes
like post, scaffolding, walls, trusses etc.

15. Preservatives Recommended
- Coal Tar Creosote
- Copper – chrome - arsenic
compositions
- Acid- cupric – chromate composition
- Copper – chrome- born composition
- Boni Acid – boxes
- Copper zinc – napthanate
Abietates

16. Process of Preservation
IS 401:2001 Code of Practice for Preservation of Timber
1. Surface application ( brushing, dipping)
2. Hot & Cold Method
3. Boucheire Process 5. Inter Nodal Injection
4. Diffusion Process

17. Structural Provision of Bamboo
Part 6 : Structural Design
Section 3: Timber and Bamboo: 3B.
Bamboo National Building Code.
Material Specification
- Physical and mechanical
properties of 20 species of bamboo
- 16 species found suitable for
structural purpose and densified
in Group A,B,C.

18. Limiting Strength Values (in Green
Conditions)
Modulus of
Rupture (R’)
Modulus of Elasticity
(E) in Bending
103 N/mm2
Group A R’ > 70 E > 9
Group B 70> R’>50 9 > E > 6
Group C 50> R’>30 6 > E > 3

19. Most Suited Species
Bamusa bamboos Dendrocalamus strength
Bright shiny, green when
fresh, yellow with age
Pale blue green when
fresh dull green to yellow
with age
Height 15-30m 8-16m
Diameter Upto 150mm 25-80 mm
Internodes 200-400mm 300-400 mm
Thickness Thick-walled Thick walled often solid
Other species: Bamboo Below; Bamboo; Dendrocalamus as per;
Dendrocalamus transitions

21. Typical Moisture Content Relation
Matured culms shall be seasoned to about 20%
moisture content before use.

22. Grading of structural bamboo
Sorting out bamboo on the basis of
characteristics importance for structural
utilization
• Diameter and length of culms
• Taper of culms
• Straightness of culms
• Inter-nodal length
• Wall thickness
• Density and strength
• Durability and seasoning.

23. Segregation of Bamboo
Structural Group A and Group B Species
Special Grade: 70mm < diameter < 100m
Grade I 50mm < diameter < 70m
Grade II 30mm < diameter < 50m
Grade III Diameter < 30m
Structural Group C
Special grade I 80mm < diameter < 100m
II 60mm < diameter < 80m
III Diameter < 60m
Taper : shall not be > 5.8 mm/m may be length in any grade.
Curvature : max. curvature shall not be >75mm in length of 6m of
any grades.
Wall thickness: Minimum wall thickness of 8mm for load bearing
members.
Defects: Dead and immature bamboo, bore/GHOON, holes, decay,
collapse, checks more then 3 mm in depth shall be avoided.

24. Trusses

25. Joints

31. BMTPC’ Initiative
For
Application of Bamboo in
Housing

32. Focus Areas of Work
Environmental
Protection
through
technology
intervention Energy
Efficiency in
Materials
production
Cost
Reduction &
Employment
Generation
Disaster
Mitigation &
Vulnerability/
Risk
Reduction

33. HAS IMMENSE POTENTIAL AS ROOFING
MATERIAL
ECO-FRIENDLY
HIGHLY RESILIENT
LOW WEIGHT
LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
AESTHETIC APPEARANCE
Bamboo Mat
Corrugated Sheets

34. BMTPC and IPIRTI
have jointly developed
a technology for
manufacturing
Bamboo Mat
Corrugated Sheets
(BMCSs) particularly
for North-Eastern
region.
This technology has
been transferred to M/s
Timpack Pvt. Ltd. who
have set up a
commercial plant at
Byrnihat, Meghalaya
with a production
capacity of 3000-4000
sheets per month.
Bamboo Mat
Corrugated
Sheets

35. Size : 1.05m X 1.8 m X 3.5 mm
Weight : 6.5 – 7.90 kg/sheet
(app. half that of ACCS)
Load Bearing Capacity : 4.8 N/mm width
Deflection at Breaking Point : 85 mm
Thermal Conductivity : 0.1928 k cal/m OC
(app. half that of ACCS)
Fire Resistance : Conforms to flammability test
Energy Requirement : Highly Energy Efficient
Some Important Properties of BMCS

36. LOAD BEARING STRENGTH OF BMCS
ACCS
CGIS BMCS
ALUMINIUM

37. Women Working in
Corrugated Sheet Factory
in Byrnihat, Meghalaya

41. BMCS
at
TERRACE
CAFÉ
DFID
NEW DELHI
October, 2000

42. Traffic Pedestal
(prototype)
Two installed at
Mathura Road
New Delhi (Nov. 2000)

45. ‘Bamboo - A material for cost
effective and disaster resistant
housing used for construction of
demonstration buildings and
structures’
Use of Bamboo in Housing
& Building Construction

46. Demonstration House
(plinth area 290 sq. ft.)
at IPIRTI, Bangalore
March 2001

47. Two bedroom bamboo house constructed at IPIRTI, Bangalore
Design: Mrs. Neelam Manjunath, Mansaram Architects, Bangalore
Construction Agency: KARNIK, Bangalore
Total Built Up Area : 897 Sq. Ft.
Construction Cost : Rs. 2,75,000 (Rs. 307 per sq. ft.)

48. Construction of demonstration structures using
bamboo materials in Mizoram and Tripura
Salient Features of the Structures
• Bamboo posts
• Bamboo grid ferrocement walls
• Bamboo trusses and purlins
• Bamboo Mat Corrugated Sheet Roofing

49. Construction of Demonstration Buildings using
Bamboo Based Technologies in Mizoram
Type I house at Sairang, Aizawl. Type II house at Sairang, Aizawl.
Library Building, Kolasib. Type I house at District Park, Kolasib.

50. Construction of Demonstration Buildings using
Bamboo Based Technologies in Mizoram
OPD Building at Zemabawk, Aizawl.
Type II house at Lunglei.
Picnic Hut at Tiangnuam, Aizawl Type II house at Luangmual, Aizawl

51. Construction of Demonstration Buildings using
Bamboo Based Technologies in Tripura

52. Construction of Demonstration Structure using Bamboo
based Technologies in Shillong

53. Construction of Demonstration School Building using
Bamboo based Technologies at Mizoram

54. Construction of Demonstration School Building using
Bamboo based Technologies in Tripura

55. Establishment of Bamboo Mat
Production Centres (BMPCs)
Objectives
1. To set up Bamboo Mat Production
Centres for uninterrupted supply of mats
to manufacturing units of bamboo based
building components for increasing the
productivity and improving quality.
2. To provide training in Mat production.
BMTPC in cooperation with CBTC and State
Govts. is establishing 8 BMPCs in the States
of Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura & Assam

56. State Location of Mat Centres
Mizoram 1. New Airport Road, Sairang, Aizawl (Phase-I)
2. Bualpui, Kolasib (Phase-I)
Meghalaya 1. Sokhar Nongtluh village, Umden (Phase-I)
2. Nongchram (Phase-II)
Tripura 1. Kowaifung,Tripura (Phase-I)
2. To be identified (Phase-II)
Assam 1. Golaghat (Phase-II)
2. Silchar (Phase-II)
Benefits
• Feeder units for the bamboo industry
• Employment generation - 150 women/men per day per
Centre
• Increased productivity and improved quality
Bamboo Mat Production Centres (BMPCs) … contd.

57. S.
No.
Particulars S.
No.
Particulars
1. Bamboo Cross cutting
machine
8. Bamboo Stick Making
Machine
2. Bamboo Radial Splitter
(chain type)
9. Bamboo Stick Sizing Machine
3. Bamboo Inside Knot
Remover cum slicing
Machine
10. Bamboo Stick Polishing
Machine
4. Bamboo Outside Knot
Removing Machine
11. Bamboo Two side Planner
with Knot Remover
5. Bamboo Slivering Machine 12. Cutter Sharpening Machine
6. Bamboo Manual Splitter 13. Tool Kit including Measuring
instruments, etc.
7. Bamboo Slivering Machine
(Manual) with stand
Machines being Installed at BMPCs

58. Bamboo Mat Production Centre at Kowaifung,
Tripura

59. Bamboo Mat Production Centre at Sairang,
Mizoram

60. Bamboo Mat Production Centre at Bualpui,
Mizoram

61. Bamboo Mat Production Centre at Vill.Sohkar
Nongtluh, Meghalaya

62. Management of BMPCs
• A tripartite MoU between BMTPC, CBTC and local
partners identified by the respective State Govts.
• The local partners providing infrastructure
facilities such as land development, boundary
wall/fencing, storage space for raw material and
finishes goods, water & electric connections and
working capital for running the Centre at their own
cost.
• All the machinery, equipment and shed is being
provided by BMTPC.
• The training of the managers/supervisors/workers
of the respective BMPCs are being provided by
CBTC.

63. Production Capacity of BMPCs
• The production capacity of each BMPC will be 200
mats per day.
• It is estimated that the Centres will be able to
produce the mat at a very reasonable price.
• This will provide employment generation of nearly
150 women/men per day i.e. 45,000 women/men
days per year per Centre.
• Besides the above, the Centres can also generate
income by supplying bamboo sticks made out of
bamboo waste, to the artisans for making
handicraft items.

64. New
Technology
Development

65. Pre-fab Double walled Composite House
Developed a technology for
Pre-fab Double Walled
Composite House with
IPIRTI, Bangalore.
Material used are Bamboo
Mat Board for walling, BMCS
for Roofing with steel
framed structure .
Salient features are ease in
transportation, speedy
erection at a reasonable
cost.
Most suitable for emergency
structures during post
disaster events.

66. Two Storey Bamboo Housing System
Developed the technology
with IPIRTI, Bangalore using
bamboo based components.
Material used are Bamboo
coloums, Bamboo grid
walls, BMCS for Roofing,
bamboo composite beams
with steel and bamboo and
bamboo composite slab.
Development of this
technology will enable
construction of two storey
houses in the bamboo
growing regions.

67. Bamboo Mat Ridge Cap for Roofing
Developed the technology
with IPIRTI, Bangalore for
replacement of the present
practice of using flat boards
to avoid perforations.
Salient features are:
Dimensionally stable
Ready & easy to fix
Non permeable
Suitable for wide range of
roof angles.
Compatible with BMCS.

68. Other projects completed in NE Region
 Construction of 2 Cafeteria Buildings in
Kisama, Nagaland.
 Construction of 2 demonstration structures
using bamboo based technologies in Shillong,
Meghalaya
 Organisation of number of training
programmes on bamboo based technologies.
 Preparation of detailed feasibility reports for
production ofbamboo based components like
BMCS, BMB etc.

69. Ongoing Activities in NE Region
 Setting up of Bamboo Mat Production Centre in
Mopaya village, Deomali, Arunachal Pradesh
 Setting up of Bamboo Mother Park in collaboration
with CBTC at Byrnihat, Meghalaya
 Setting up of Bamboo Mat Production centre at
Nongchram , Garo Hills, Meghalaya
 Construction of demonstration structures using
bamboo based technologies
 Setting up of Technology Demonstration cum
Production Centre at Tripura
 Development of technology for Flattened Bamboo
Lumbers for structural applications.

70. Ongoing Activities in other Regions

71. Ongoing Activities in other Regions

72. Challenges ahead
• Increasing durability
• Developing efficient
jointing system
• Developing prefab
system
• Developing composite
system to deal with
natural hazards
• Growing bamboo of
structural grade
• Setting up of more
production centers
• Studying other
bamboo which are
available but not used
in construction
• Capacity building of
artisans

73. Thank you for
your kind attention
Creating Enabling Environment for Affordable
Housing for All
www.bmtpc.org