Three-city bamboo events to ask why the material’s benefits are being ignored in Australia

A three-city series of events this month will examine the carbon sequestration and strength benefits of engineered bamboo — as well as its underutilisation in Australia — among other topics. 

According to a statement on Tuesday from the Bamboo Society of Australia – which is hosting the Next Frontier Summit at Sunshine Coast, Sydney, and Melbourne venues on June 18 – 20 – the event will explore the potential of “one of the world’s most sustainable building and reforestation materials.”

The event will feature over 20 speakers from architectural, policy, farming, investment and other backgrounds to look at the local potential of engineered bamboo, which is currently “in use across Asia and Europe in structural beams, panels, and even multi-storey buildings”

The society’s President, Jennifer Snyders, said that, “Bamboo is no longer a novelty — it’s a serious answer to three national challenges: carbon, supply, and climate resilience.”

The summit’s headliner is structural engineer Neil Thomas, structural engineer and founder of Atelier One. Thomas’s firm is behind the award-winning Arc building at the Green School in Bali.

“Bamboo is the most exciting natural material I’ve worked with in over 30 years,” said Thomas. 

“Its strength, flexibility and renewability make it ideal for Australia’s next generation of buildings.”

The Bamboo Society added that discussions from the event will inform development of Australia’s 10-Year Bamboo Roadmap, to launch on World Bamboo Day (September 18.)

More information is available here. 

Picture: supplied