Bamboo appears to have remarkable qualities of seismic resistance. Now it's being used to try to protect people from earthquakes. Bamboo has been used as a building material for millennia in South America, Africa and Asia, and grows in abundance in many countries in these regions. But only recently has its seismic resilience started to be more widely recognised through a growing body of research and laboratory shock tests, which indicate that its remarkable natural properties could make it ideal for withstanding earthquakes. Today, construction projects across the world, from the Philippines to Pakistan to Ecuador, are seeking to utilise the natural material that engineers and architects compare favorably to steel. Bamboo culms (the upright, hollow stems) are lightweight, reducing the mass of a structure, and research shows that the ductility that allows them to withstand high winds also allows them to absorb seismic shock. Buildings should move in an earthquake, ans scientists just want to control how much they move. A post-earthquake survey of over 1,200 buildings in Ecuador found that overall, reinforced concrete buildings experienced greater levels of damage than timber and bamboo buildings. Architects will always say that natural bamboo is a gift of God. Because nature created these kinds of plants in a hollow way. We know that koala bears love to munch on them, but we now also know that they can save lives when an earthquake hits unexpectedly.
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