Bamboo, ‘The Green Steel of the 21st Century’

This article points to the fact that Bamboo is being used in place of steel pipe scaffolding.

Why Bamboo did not take over the world as a substitute for wood timber?

It is because bamboo post processing is expensive. As long as one is using uncut bamboo it is excellent material with high tensile and structural strength. However, to make 'timber' out of bamboo, one needs to separate bamboo fiber, soak them in water and then press join using glue to get a wood timber equivalent.

I think the potential for lab-grown construction materials is underrated. Bamboo in its natural form is kind of a challenge. As achow’s comment points out, it’s hard to reconstitute into other forms that retain bamboo’s desirable properties. And it tends to rot easily unless encased in resin.

A more interesting prospect for me is fast-growing wood / plant materials in a medium where we get the desired shape and structure grown, rather that cut and glued.

Imagine giant barges at sea taking up nutrients from sea water, and growing thick straight grained timber. Or plywood, where each ply is only a few strands thick before changing orientation. Or chairs that lack joinery due to having been grown on a 3d scaffold.

Growing our building materials this way would be comparable to replacing meat with plants in terms of ecology. Forests would be valuable for their ecological services rather their timber. It’s a world I’d love to live in.

Bamboo scaffolding is common in India as well, the only caveat being termites. Old bamboo carries these creatures everywhere.