An Experimental Study of Mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect by Novel Applications of Bamboo as a Constructional Material

Abstract

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) points out, the science is clear and the debate is over: climate change is happening and there is a need to act now. World wide research is being done for developing green and ecofriendly constructional materials. The present paper puts forward the thermal and structural experimental results of using bamboo as a construction material and as a solar energy collector. The thermal behaviour of bamboo was quantified experimentally by observing the temperature inside the cubicals made of ‘half split bamboo’, ‘half split bamboo-concrete composite’ and was compared with the cubical made of bricks with cement concrete roof while its structural behaviour was quantified by making bamboo bows (bamboo parabolic arches), which are the proposed beam elements, and tested for the load bearing capacity and deflections through experimentations. Half split bamboo panels were fabricated to harvest solar energy using air and water as the heat transfer agent. The design philosophy of bamboo structures is developed on the lines of concrete and steel and attempt is made for the possible replacement of steel with bamboo. The experimental results present a strong possibility of using bamboo as a green constructional material which can not only reduce the ‘indoor temperature’ thereby reducing the building energy requirement and combating the urban heat island effect but also will reduce the GHG emissions which can help in fighting global warming and climate change. Its paves the way for its high value application in construction which can make bamboo cultivation an economically viable way of greening the vast wastelands and thereby improving the environment.