Bamboo for construction

Rizomeph,  a sustainable materials company based  in Cagayan de Oro, converts bamboo fiber into structural materials for constructing houses and buildings, wrote Edg Adrian Eva of Business World “The bamboo grass, with the application of science and technology, is being turned into beams, columns, and panels,” Christopher Ua-o, head of manufacturing at Rizome PH, told reporters during a recent factory visit.

“Basically, you create a building with a wood finish that looks beautiful, but you didn’t cut down any trees,” he added.

Ua-o also said that the bamboo materials developed by Rizome PH have passed durability and suitability tests conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute and Washington State University.

“Our tagline is strong like steel, tough like concrete, beautiful as wood,” he said.

Rizome PH’s bamboo building materials include slats, veneers, panels, laminated veneer lumber, and strand lumber, designed to meet the structural and aesthetic requirements of house and building projects.

Ua-o said that bamboo is a sustainable material because it is a fast-growing grass that can be harvested within a year and regrows after being cut, helping to preserve forest trees. In contrast, trees take 10 to 20 years to mature.

The company aims to revive the timber industry without cutting any trees by using bamboo, a sustainable grass, he noted.

Using bamboo in construction helps store carbon, and as bamboo regrows, it absorbs more carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, he added.

The Climate Change Commission said bamboo captures over five tons of carbon dioxide per hectare annually, storing more carbon than most tree species and making it an effective tool in combating climate change.

Ua-o said that Rizome PH, having built a one-story structure so far, also targets to construct high-rise buildings using bamboo products to demonstrate the material’s strength and sustainability.