Bamboo construction uses groundwater for natural cooling

A bamboo house, designed to lower carbon footprint, is making a statement in China.

China has a rapidly growing economy and is one of the largest populations in the world so being sustainable and working towards lowering their carbon footprint is vital and this innovation is an example of how the nation is pushing the boundaries in eco-friendly architecture.

Bamboo is widely available in Baoxi, so it is no surprise a sustainable house, made from bamboo has been created. The Bamboo plant absorbs the most carbon dioxide during its life cycle, it is ready to be used for construction in about three years and grows much faster than any other species of trees.

The Bamboo House designed by Studio Cardenas, cleverly uses a combination of groundwater and a geothermal heat pump for indoor heating and cooling. This method leverages off the earth’s naturally stabilised temperatures, which allows it to be at least 25 percent more energy efficient than conventional systems. The geothermal heat pump and groundwater system is also reported to use around 15 percent less energy than traditional chiller plants. As well as the material’s natural characteristics, the construction has been designed to be dry-mounted in order to avoid weakening the bamboo through perforation and it also allows for easy replacement of bamboo poles. The aluminium connections are light and easy to assemble. Structures are fast to build, making it an easy and sustainable method in the development of the housing industry. The house was designed and constructed as part of the International Bamboo Biennale.

With sustainability firmly on the map, more and more nations are coming up with creative ways of saving energy, using renewable resources and making things in an eco-friendly way. In Spain for example, Mahou San Miguel invented an in-house car sharing app to allow colleagues to car pool to and from work. It lowers the company’s carbon emissions and also raises awareness of sustainability. This is the start of a sustainable future, but could we see more sustainable developments opting for more readily available local materials?