ECO FRIENDLY ? WHAT A CONCEPT !!

Bali Beer & Grill of Amed bamboo ,

Bali, one of the 17508 islands of Indonesia, which is positioned 8o south of the equator. Bali is in many ways different from the other parts of Indonesia, stating from their religion. On Bali most people are Hindu instead of Muslim. Therefore many different rules are applied, also when designing a house. The height of house can for example not exceed the height of the highest palm tree (≈ 20m). The climate is another mayor factor. The temperature on Bali on average is between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius and during the monsoon season there can be heavy rainfall (average 30 mm per time in February). Besides this, there is the always salty air and an enormous amount of ‘aggressive’ bugs.


Sustainability
In the time that the environment gets more and more polluted, one should start thinking in a sustainable way. A first start is the use of the fast growing material, Bamboo. When a culm of bamboo is harvested, the next one is already growing as well. It takes years for the network of roots to die.
When the structure of the house is finished, micro-climate ecosystems will be installed to generate power and hot water. This is not only good for the environment, but also for the bill payers once it is established
http://b21concepts.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html

Bamboo Bridge

A Bamboo Construction Building

Lately I’ve seen more bamboo home builders popping up. However, just because these homes are available doesn’t mean they’re right for you. There are pros and cons of bamboo houses. We’ll look at some pros first and later discuss some cons. Tomorrow I’ll post some bamboo home builders for you to browse as well.

The benefits of bamboo dwellings:

• Bamboo is better than other woods due to it’s extremely fast growth. According to The Natural House, some bamboo species have been noted as growing as much as three feet in one day. Wow right?
• Bamboo is lovely – depending on the cut, it’s a great wood visually.
• There are no knots in bamboo which makes it an easier wood to work with and you don’t need special tools to cut it.
• Bamboo is sheathed naturally in silica, which makes it durable.
• Bamboo looks delicate but it’s actually a strong wood. A bamboo home when built well can even stand up to natural disasters like tornado.
• Termite proof!
• Bamboo is an easy plant to grow – and it grows well in various climates.

Something cool about bamboo is that it has other benefits beyond building. This wood serves more purposes making it a smart choice for structures because there doesn’t have to be waste involved. Bamboo shoots are edible. Because these trees grow fast they’re a good choice for planting as home privacy screens or wind blockers. Some species can be used to help control soil erosion. Lastly, small pieces can be used to build just about anything – cutting boards, dishes, art, and more. The waste not aspects of this wood are pretty nice.