Goldthread: Hong Kong is a jungle of concrete and steel. But look closely, and you’ll see an organic material that weaves itself through the cracks, up the walls, completely engulfing entire structures.
That material is bamboo, and Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where it is still widely used as a building material, primarily for scaffolding and seasonal Cantonese opera theaters.
5 comments:
This is a really interesting article, as I did not know that bamboo was used for scaffolding in construction and in operas in Hong Kong. I understand why bamboo is used due to its cultural significance in Hong Kong and in China. After reading this article, I also now understand why it is used in construction. Bamboo is lighter than steel and more reusable. Bamboo is pretty much a weed so it grows constantly and quickly, allowing construction companies a never-ending supply for scaffolding. In opera, the appearance of the bamboo and the knots that tie the shoots together are more important than in construction. For construction, they have to be able to hold people. In opera, they have to look amazing. It's such a unique craft that I didn't know existed. I wonder how the craftsmen who continue this art are doing now with the pandemic shutting down theaters. I hope that their craft continues for many more years as it is a very unique skill set and so beautiful to see.
When I was in 4th grade, there was a hotel being built across the street from my house and I could see them making progress every day out of my bedroom windows. I don't know if they do now, given its safety worries, but at the time they still used bamboo scaffolding in Vietnam and I would sit for hours watching these men walk with cat-like balance and create this incredible structure. They all walked around on it like tiny ants climbing up and down from different levels, without any, or at least much, safety equipment. The hotel ended up being 20+ floors tall and I remember asking my uncle who is an engineer and lived with us how the heck the scaffolding didn't fall down. There's something so incredible about seeing something that looks so fresh and plantlike become such a stable structure. I'm not going to lie, as someone who has had bamboo growing practically in their backyard, I'm really skeptical about the 3 feet of growth a day part, but it is an incredibly easy to source and fast-growing material and from a build/strike time perspective, makes complete sense to use. As long as the people using it have the skills to use it correctly. (aka safely)
While this article is specific to Hong Kong, it has always amazed my how a lot of Asia has tried to stick to its roots by doing things of cultural significance to them to this day. The concept of using bamboo for construction and scaffolding is just another example of this. When I was in Japan in 2018, I found a lot of examples of this right in front of me. From building construction to how restaurants are laid out and presented, the culture is much stronger than that in the United States. One of the coolest experiences I had in Japan was when I was it Kyoto. In Kyoto, there is an area this is split into "districts" based on what they sell. For one of our afternoons, my friends and I walked this entire area, from the food district, to the arcade district, to the food service district, finally, we found the tool district. the culture was so present in the tools they sell, and I was even able to take home a traditional, bamboo handle Japanese Pull-Saw with me.
Bamboo is such a cool material. I had no idea it was lighter than aluminum and could be more versatile. I also had no idea that it can grow up to three feet a day (which is insane.) The article points out that there are a lot of problems with the bamboo industry. The material can be quite bendy and it’s extremely anisotropic. We still use wood in our building here which is also anisotropic, but it’s solid. Some of the structures in the photos are absolutely phenomenal because of the intricacies. I’m surprised the material has lasted as long in mainstream use because it’s not straight. I would be scared to trust something that is bendy and not perfectly straight. The lashing of the bamboo requires a ton of skill and each piece is not consistent with the next one. The pieces of bamboo also have a service life and requirements about it’s treatment that complicate it. I wonder how long this industry will continue to last.
This is a really neat article. I have always been fascinated by the use of bamboo in many eastern societies for construction, but did not know that they used it for scaffolding too. Because bamboo is basically a weed (it grows rather quickly and in a variety of environments), it seems ideal as a source of material; it is easier, quicker, and (sometimes) more sustainable to grow and harvest than traditional trees for lumber and definitely more eco-conscious than the production of metals. I agree with Owen that the inconsistency and the bendiness of the material would be worrying for me, personally, to walk on but we are also used to working on metal or solid wood surfaces and could, I am sure, adjust to bamboo if we worked on it long enough.
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