Bamboo Housing: Building with Composites for Dignity and Longevity

This mixed methods thesis provides a cumulative study of bamboo as a natural material and building product through the lenses of architectural and product design, engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, material science, environmental science, history, and culture. All case study work is based in the context of coastal Ecuador. The main goal of the thesis is to explore an identified need for a bamboo relief housing system that has the attributes of longevity and quality, but is also rapidly deployable via pre-fabrication. This exploration is performed with the methodology of an in-country applied product and process design, physical prototyping of elements and joints, mechanical performance testing, a case study house design, and a comparative cost analysis with an alternative bamboo relief home. Results of these methods include a successful on-site fabrication process for cross-laminated floor panels installed into culm-frame structure, adequate floor system bending data for design incorporation, and a cost-effective design proposal compared to bamboo disaster-relief precedence. This thesis has the potential to be built upon to the result of real-world environmental, economic, and social impact.