Bamboo hybrids can bolster UK timber supplies

A relatively common material is not being embraced fully for building supplies. Interest in bamboo is growing, through research and media campaigning about the material’s environmental benefits, properties and its ability to replace wood, steel and carbon-fibre. But bamboo is not commonly used in high-performance applications or permanent structures, and its potential in construction remains untapped. Academic and industrial research carried out in the UK aimed to address the challenges associated with using bamboo in durable, safe and cost-efficient structures. Further combining the grass with UK-grown wood could maximise use of this material and make economic sense for the domestic forest secto

Industrial or traditional bamboo construction? Comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of bamboo-based buildings

© 2018 by the authors. The past five decades have witnessed an unprecedented growth in population. This has led to an ever-growing housing demand. It has been proposed that the use of bio-based materials, and specifically bamboo, can help alleviate the housing demand in a sustainable manner. The present paper aims to assess the environmental impact caused by using four different construction materials (bamboo, brick, concrete hollow block, and engineered bamboo) in buildings. A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to measure the environmental impact of the different construction materials in the construction of single and multi-storey buildings. The LCA considered the extraction, production, transport, and use of the construction materials. The IPCC2013 evaluation method from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC2013 was used for the calculations of CO2 emissions. The assessment was geographically located in Colombia, South America, and estimates the transport distances of the construction materials. The results show that transportation and reinforcing materials significantly contribute to the environmental impact, whereas the engineered bamboo construction system has the lowest environmental impact. The adoption of bamboo-based construction systems has a significant potential to support the regenerative development of regions where they could be used and might lead to long-lasting improvements to economies, environments, and livelihoods

Limeboo: Lime as a Replacement for Cement in Wall-Framing Systems with Bamboo-Guadua (Bahareque Encementado)

Traditional construction systems with the bamboo species Guadua angustifolia Kunth (Guadua) are standardized under the Colombian code for seismic-resistant buildings '1'. These systems are regarded as highly environmentally friendly due to their intensive use of Guadua in the supporting structure and walls. In particular, the plastered cane building system or 'bahareque encementado', which provides a low-cost and low-technology alternative for two-storey dwellings, commonly uses round Guadua for the frame and riven Guadua boards (esterilla) for covering the frame. However, this wall-framing system relies heavily on cement renders for providing combined structural action to resist lateral loads, protecting the material against weathering and ensuring a flat surface for construction finishes. Thick cement renders contribute greatly to the wall mass and together with the foundations result on the highest negative environmental impact in traditional wallframing construction with Guadua. Therefore, the reduction of the use of cement or its complete replacement for alternative binders in the wall-framing 'bahareque' system is a key point for environmental improvement. Widely available materials such as lime, which have less energy intensive production-processes present an alternative to cement. Moreover, lime offers improved breathability within the building and behaves more elastically than cement. This paper explores the potential use of lime as a replacement for cement mortars in 'bahareque' systems and analyses Guadua's anatomical and chemical features when mixed with lime. The paper describes a 'cold process' in which no high temperatures are involved for the improvement of the bonding between lime and bamboo

Bamboo construction inspired by vernacular techniques for reducing carbon footprint: A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Whilst upcoming innovations on digital technology and renewable energy can have a significant impact on the reduction of operational carbon emissions in the construction industry, readily available fast-growing building materials like bamboo are already proving reductions in the embodied carbon of dwellings above 60% when compared to traditional brickwork in Colombia. This paper presents a like-by-like comparison of the environmental impact of a conventional clay brick house (CBH) and a bamboo house for social housing in Colombia, which was built using adapted vernacular technologies. The bamboo house uses bamboo species Guadua angustifolia Kunth as the main structural support for the light cement bamboo frame (LCBF) system, a.k.a. ‘cemented bahareque’, whilst the CBH combines clay bricks and steel for the load-bearing walls. Traditionally built Guadua angustifolia Kunth bahareque (GaKB) houses are a key part of the vernacular architecture in the ‘coffee cultural landscape of Colombia’ (CCLC) recognised by UNESCO. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to calculate the carbon footprint of the houses following four phases: (1) definition of objective and scope; (2) inventory analysis; (3) impact assessment; and (4) interpretation of results. The results show that the carbon footprint of the GaKB house accounts for about 40% of the CBH, i.e., the GaKB generates a carbon footprint of 107.17 CO2-eq/m2 whilst the CBH results in a carbon footprint of 298.44 kg CO2-eq/m2. Furthermore, from a carbon balance calculation, the carbon footprint of the GaKB house is further reduced to about 36% of the CSB house. LCA results for the built GaKB house demonstrate that vernacular housing projects that preserve cultural heritage can also be resilient and climate-neutral. This paper sets a precedent for the establishment of targeted government policies and industry practices that preserve the cultural heritage and vernacular technologies in the CCLC region and in other emergent economies worldwide whilst promoting future-proof and net-zero carbon construction

INDICADORES DE DEPRESIÓN Y FACTORES DE APOYO SOCIAL PERCIBIDO EN UNIVERSITARIOS

Abstract: The graduation process in universities involves the realization of social professional attention that implies that the student is exposed to adverse factors, which can affect the mental health and lead to the emergence of depression; one way in which the occurrence of such a disorder can be decreased is through the perception of social support. The objective was to know if perceived social support predicts indicators of depression. A non-experimental, cross-sectional quantitative approach with predictive correlational scope was used. The sampling was non-probabilistic for convenience, obtaining 421 students from the Public University of Guatemala, with the linear regression analysis method the following equation was obtained: depression indicators = 17,794 (intercept) - 0.292 (perceived social support from third parties) - 0.440 (perceived social support from relatives), obtaining a significant model F (2, 491) = 57.70, p = < .001. It can be concluded that the appearance of indicators of depression is related to the detriment in social support factors; however, the role of social support in depression should continue to be studied, given the new scenarios that have arisen in the face of distance and hybrid modalities.Resumen: El proceso de graduación en las universidades conlleva la realización de un servicio social de atención profesional que implica que el estudiante esté expuesto a factores adversos, pudiendo afectar la salud mental y propiciar la aparición de depresión; una forma en la que se puede disminuir la aparición de tal trastorno es por medio de la percepción del apoyo social. El objetivo fue conocer si el apoyo social percibido predice indicadores de depresión. Se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo no experimental, transversal con alcance correlacional predictivo. El muestreo fue no probabilístico por conveniencia, obteniendo 421 estudiantes de la Universidad Pública de Guatemala, con el método de análisis de regresión lineal se obtuvo la siguiente ecuación: indicadores de depresión = 17.794 (intercepto) - 0.292 (apoyo social percibido de terceros) - 0.440 (apoyo social percibido de familiares), obteniendo un modelo significativo F (2, 491) = 57.70, p = < .001. Se puede concluir que la aparición de indicadores de depresión está relacionada al detrimento en los factores de apoyo social; sin embargo, se debe continuar estudiando el papel del apoyo social en la depresión, ante los nuevos panoramas que se han presentado ante las modalidades a distancia e híbridas

Evaluación del crecimiento y desarrollo de dos variedades de lechuga provenientes de semilla nacional e importada

En el segundo semestre del año 1991, se realizó un trabajo de campo en el Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (ICA, Tibaitatá), para estudiar el efecto del origen de las semillas en el crecimiento vegetativo y el rendimiento de dos variedades de lechuga: Great Lakes 118 y Climax, utilizando semillas importadas y producidas en condiciones de invernadero en la Sabana de Bogotá. Para el estudio, se utilizó un diseño de bloques al azar, cuatro tratamientos (dos variedades y dos procedencias de las semillas) y tres replicaciones; las variables evaluadas fueron: número de hojas, área foliar, y pesos verde y seco. El área foliar midió 12.751 cm2 para la variedad Climax con semilla importada; 10.813 cm2 para la misma variedad con semilla nacional; 12.335 cm2 para la variedad Great Lakes con semilla importada y 9.790 cm2 para la misma variedad con semilla nacional. Los rendimientos en peso fresco fueron de 968,75 gr para la variedad Climax con semilla importada; 619,64 gr para la misma variedad con semilla nacional; 742,20 gr para la variedad Great Lakes con semilla importada y 568,30 gr. para la misma variedad con semilla nacional.This study was conducted during the second growing cycle of 1991 at Tibaitatá Research Center, to examine the influence of seed source on vegetative growth and yield of two lettuce varieties, Great Lakes and Climax. Seed was either imported or locally produced under greenhouse conditions. The study was carried out using RCB design, four treatments (two varieties x two seeds sources) and three replications. Variables assessed were number of leaves, leaf area and fresh and dry weight. Leafarea was 12,751 crnsfor cv, Climaxwith imported seed; 10,813 cm2 for the same cv. using locally produced seed; 12,335 cm2 for cv. Great Lakes with imported seed and 9,790 cm2 for the same cv. woith local seed.Fresh weight yields were 968.75 gr for cv. Climaxwith imported seed; 619.4 grforthe same cv. using locally produced seed; 742.2 gr for cv. Great Lakes with imported seed; and 568.3 gr. for the same cv. using locallyproduced seed