The Potential of Bamboo and Mass Timber for the Construction Industry: An Interview with Pablo van der Lugt

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Pablo van der Lugt is an architect, author and speaker. His research focuses on the potential of materials such as bamboo and mass timber for the construction sector, and their positive impacts on the world. “Throughout my professional career both in university (including my PhD research on the carbon footprint of engineered bamboo and wood) and industry the past 15 years I have found there are many misconceptions about these materials which hamper their large scale adoption. For this reason I ‘translated’ my research findings into two contemporary books for designers and architects about the potential of bamboo: Booming Bamboo, and engineered timber: Tomorrow’s Timber. They aim to dispel these myths and show the incredible potential of the latest generation of biobased building materials in the required transition to a carbon neutral, healthy and circular built environment.” We recently had the opportunity to talk with him about these topics. Read more below.

Eduardo Souza (ArchDaily): Tell us a little about the untapped potential of bamboo. How do you see its contribution to a more sustainable future?

Pablo van der Lugt: Bamboo is an incredibly interesting resource; it grows faster than any other plant / tree (at almost 1 meter / day it holds the Guinness book of record of fastest growing plant) and has a multitude of uses (David Farrely in the Book of Bamboo reports over 1500 uses) including the recent development of bamboo paper, textile and most importantly for designers and architects, engineered bamboo building products suitable for many interior (flooring, walls, ceilings, furniture) and exterior (decking, cladding, outdoor furniture, joinery) applications.