Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/K023403/1
Title:	G8-2012 Structural Bamboo Products
Principal Investigator:	Ramage, Dr MH
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Architecture
Organisation:	University of Cambridge
Scheme:	Standard Research
Starts:	01 February 2013	Ends:	31 January 2016	Value (£):	422,752
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Civil Engineering Materials Structural Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
This project develops green construction materials and building codes for bamboo. China, India and Brazil have rapidly expanding economies with increasing demand for building materials. The production of conventional construction materials such as steel and concrete is energy intensive and unsustainable: concrete alone accounts for 5% of global CO2 emissions. Bamboo is a fast growing, renewable building material widely cultivated in these countries but not utilized to its full potential in modern construction. Its mechanical properties are similar to wood but it produces up to six times as much mass per hectare as conventional timber plantations. Structural bamboo products (SBP), similar to plywood, oriented strand board, or glue-laminated wood products, therefore have enormous potential to partially replace the use of more energy intensive materials in rapidly developing countries. Widespread use of SBP is hampered by limited knowledge of their manufacture, structural and thermal behavior, and lack of appropriate building codes. The goal of this project is to develop modern structural building materials from renewable bamboo in order to place growth in rapidly developing countries onto a more sustainable path. Low-carbon solutions can also help to meet developed countries' own obligations under schemes like the UK's Carbon Reduction Commitment.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk Summary Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.cam.ac.uk