BAMBOO IN ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY BUILDING: IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFICIENCY AND SECURITY

Abstract

The building industry is one of the leading contributors to global carbon emissions and resource depletion of carbon emissions and resource depletion and therefore the introduction of low-impact and a sustainable building material is required. Bamboo has been found to be an excellent alternative to traditional materials like concrete and steel because of its quick renewability, high strength to weight ratio as well as its high carbon sequestration capacity. This paper is a critical review of the application of bamboo in ecologically friendly building construction and specifically explores its meaning on energy conservation and structural security. The 52 peer-reviewed journal articles, industry reports, and case studies published between 2019 and 2025 were synthesized with the help of the systematic secondary research methodology and the PRISMA principles. Embodied energy, carbon footprint, mechanical performance, and seismic, fire, and biological resistance were assessed by using lifecycle assessment (LCA) methods and thematic analysis of bamboo. Their results show that bamboo-based buildings can have 30-50 percent of the embodied energy and much lower CO 2 emissions than traditional construction materials, as well as have a competitive tensile strength (100-400 Mpa) and an impressive seismic ductility. Bamboo that is treated in a proper way is more fire resistant and durable and service life of such bamboo is over 50 years. Moreover, the lightweight and flexible properties of bamboo make bamboo strong in respect to structures in disaster-prone areas and facilitate quick post-disaster recovery. Although these benefits exist, issues that pertain to standardization, cost of treatment and acceptability by the regulators still pose a challenge to its widespread use. The research finds that the adoption of bamboo in the modern construction industry, backed with standard codes and policy agendas, has the potential to significantly support sustainable, resilient and low-carbonized built environment, especially in the developing economies.