The symbiosis between nature and technology is the original characteristic of BooTech, a disruptive sustainable construction system in a time of environmental crisis. BooTech innovates through the dry-mounted application of bamboo, a natural product of nature, to achieve beautiful, cost-effective, low carbon architectural solutions of different geometrical forms and sizes. The elegant designed system can host bamboo poles of various available species that can vary from 50mm to 140mm diameter.
Cross-border/international
Italy
Italy
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: Other
{Empty}
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2006-04-05
As an individual
First name: Mauricio Last name: Cardenas Laverde Gender: Male Nationality: Italy If relevant, please select your other nationality: Colombia Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Bramante 42 Town: Milano Postal code: 20154 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 340 594 0135 E-mail:m.cardenas@studiocardenas.it Website:http://www.studiocardenas.it
BooTech a disrupting construction system in a time of environmental crisis. According to Encyclopedia Britannica construction in the 21st century consumes half the world's resources: 16% of the planet total freshwater; 30-40% of energy supplies; 50% by weight of all raw materials taken from the earth's surface. Of the waste in landfills, 40-50% is building materials and construction accounts for 20-30% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Bamboo is a natural resource that provides climate-smart mitigation and adaptation solutions. Its potential for green economy development, as European Green Deal, is enormous. Depending on the species can harvest in about 5 years, hardwoods like oak take at least 40 years. Is an extraordinary sequester of CO2 and releases 35% more O2 into the atmosphere than an equivalent stand of hardwood trees. If we use bamboo for long term structural projects like housing we are fixing that CO2 for decades to come. Bamboo is growing in Europe.
Introducing BooTech into the building chain will promote shaping a circular industry ecosystem, a value network that will challenge the existing construction industry supporting life-cycle thinking. BooTech is a conscious and strategic choice to radically reduce embodied carbon in buildings supporting the mitigation of climate change in line with the SDGs of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
BooTech is the symbiosis of bamboo with dry joint technology, an innovative construction system easy and affordable to produce and applicable without highly skilled labor. Unlike mainstream approach, which uses cement as a filler, BooTech is dry-mounted leaving bamboo poles intact making possible to replace individual poles in case of need. BooTech is versatile, can build various types of architectural geometries, typologies and sizes. BooTech is a vision of the built environment of the future in which the use of natural materials has a crucial positive impact in the construction while safeguarding the natural environment.
Aesthetics
Bamboo
Consciousness
Design
Environment
Currently, as the complexity of buildings increases and the environment weakens, the construction industry and architecture urgently need to find harmony between the natural and the artificial. BooTech construction system was designed to offer a practical, inclusive, sustainable, beautiful alternative to the way we have been thinking and making buildings for the last century.
Asserting that the most viable means to radically reduce embodied carbon in buildings is to use plant and earth based materials the key objectives in terms of sustainability of BooTech are:
- to promote the development of bamboo construction in Europe for inclusive and green development;
- to demonstrate bamboo innovative architectural applications;
- to rethink the material basis of architecture in a time of environmental crisis;
- to support the shaping of a circular industrial ecosystem;
- to apply passive design strategies to achieve high standard comfort with minimum energy consumption;
- to apply modularity and industrialization with the scope of creating an innovative industrialized bamboo construction system;
- to demonstrate the simplicity of the system by using non-specialized local workers.
The key objectives in terms of sustainability were met in a different way on each of the 3 projects built until today implementing the BooTech construction system. The projects are in different locations, have different geometrical forms and functions. The BooTech system demonstrated to be versatile as it was possible to build two one floor high pavilions, one a modular orthogonal and the other a geodesic dome, and a three floor house. All using non-specialized labor: the Microclimatic Pavilion and BooTech EcoDome were in part assembled by architecture students and young architects under my supervision following the approach of “learning by doing”. The Energy Efficient Bamboo House instead was built by local workers who had never used bamboo for construction before.
The beauty and harmonious proportions of Nature inspired the greatest European master works of Architecture, Art, Poetry, Literature, Music, Mathematics. Following our cultural tradition BooTech was designed taking into account the Golden Proportion, from the scale of industrial design to the scale of architecture.
The objectives of our proposal, in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people, were the following:
- to inspire from European art and culture;
- to inspire from the beauty of nature to develop a new contemporary construction system using European bamboo;
- to promote the use of European design, in Europe and from Europe, with an innovative, but respectful to tradition aesthetical language;
- to connect to the place and to the people through the use of a natural material such as bamboo following the Golden Proportion principles;
- to create a dialogue between the built environment and the local ecosystems through beauty and sustainability;
- to enhance the quality of experience for people through design, comfort, positive emotions and cultural benefits.
The key objectives in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people were met in different ways for each of the 3 projects built until today implementing BooTech construction system. The experience of people visiting the Microclimatic Pavilion, BooTech EcoDome or Energy Efficient Bamboo House, is at first astonishment to see what is possible to build with natural bamboo in a contemporary innovative way, contrary mainstream ethnic or handicraft. Curiosity invites people to explore the architecture, perceiving proportions perfectly balanced, from the detail to the ensemble. Thanks to the application of the Golden Ratio BooTech system constructions are perceived by the human eye as harmonious and pleasing. BooTech is exemplary in this context connecting beauty and sustainability, nature and technology, offering people a quality of experience and style beyond functionality.
BooTech construction system was designed taking into account an inclusive design approach from different points of view. BooTech is an easy-to-use and affordable construction kit giving the opportunity to be produced worldwide, to be implemented by non-specialized workers without distinction of culture or gender. BooTech becomes an opportunity to imagine a better and sustainable place for all. It also promotes a more inclusive economy, where sustainable spaces are beautiful, healthy and affordable.
The objectives of our project, in terms of inclusion were the following:
- to be an affordable product;
- to be accessible to all genders and cultural backgrounds;
- to aim to remove the barriers that create undue effort and separation;
- to enable everyone to participate equally;
- to enable interaction with the built environment;
- to apply high design standards to meet the access requirements of all users.
BooTech is exemplary in terms of inclusion because being simple to build with, offers the opportunity to be implemented by non-specialized workers, male and female, as happened for the assemblage of the Microclimatic Pavilion and BooTech EcoDome. During the construction of these projects a dialogue across discplines, genders and ages was encouraged.
The first benefiting from BooTech were the students and young architects involved in the assemblage of the first example of the construction system, the Microclimatic Pavilion. Following the principles of learning-by-doing they experienced, under Arch. Cardenas Laverde’s supervision, the different phases, starting for preparing the bamboo poles, the “clover” joints, and finally putting together the bamboo grid. Following the opening of the Pavilion citizens from not only Milan but from various places in Italy, Europe and abroad visited the Pavilion, in the context of the Salone del Mobile, becoming aware of the negative impact of construction on the environment and the need to improve the way to make buildings in order to achieve climate goals. Was a first experience on how through BooTech we can take actions in sustainable community development. With BooTech EcoDome the experience was similar as young architects experienced the making of a sustainable dry-mounted geodesic structure.
A lesson learned was that to create sustainability in a community, architects we need to integrate the concept of sustainable community development in our actions both as citizens and professionals.
The experience with the Energy Efficient Bamboo House was different because was abroad, in the context of a different culture. The project was ambitious, the first three floor high dry-mounted bamboo structure assembled by non-specialized local workers. In this case first citizens to benefit from BooTech were the local workers, it was a learning-by-doing experience since it was a first time to build using bamboo and the BooTech system. After completion, the citizens benefiting were the people living at Baoxi town where the Biennale took place, following the visitors to the Biennale. In this case BooTech was also a medium to deliver a strong message of awareness of the negative impact of construction on the environment and how BooTech can be a strategic solution to reduce such impact.
BooTech Construction System was conceived as a kit with which several projects have been designed and some of these have been built. This to say that for each project different stakeholders, understood as individuals and organizations who are actively involved in the project, were engaged.
The first implementation of the BooTech Construction System, the Microclimatic Pavilion, the main stakeholder was DAGAD Association, a promotion center for young architects located at the Fabbrica del Vapore, a creative center owned by the city of Milan. DAGAD’s president Arch.Righetti was engaged directly as the client, taking into account that the Pavilion was the exhibition space for developing the cultural activities of the association. Other stakeholders were the sponsors, most from the local construction industry, as the Pavilion used and displayed their product or materials. In a way, the City of Milan was also a stakeholder because the area where the Microclimatic Pavilion was build is their property.
For BooTech EcoDome the main stakeholders were Interni, the organization of the event, and the Statale University, in the context of Salone del Mobile main international design event held in Milan. Also a local construction company was a stakeholder, being BooTech EcoDome a privately sponsored project, as the Microclimatic Pavilion. The Energy Efficient Bamboo House stakeholders is the Bamboo Architecture Biennale, context in which BooTech system was implemented. As well as the town of Baoxi area where the Biennale is located.
For all three applications of BooTech the added value of the engagement of the stakeholders was believing in the potentiality of a disruptive construction system and their support both during the design and implementation of the projects.
During the design process of BooTech an interdisciplinary approach was compulsory and it reflects various disciplines and knowledge fields such as botanics, engineering, agriculture, industrial design and manufacturing. The architect acted as an orchestra director, implementing the information received from the experts to create an aesthetical composition.
There are two different moments of the creative process when other disciplines were involved, the first when BooTech construction kit was designed back in 2005. And the second moment when BooTech was implemented; first in 2006 for the Microclimatic Pavilion, following in 2009 BooTech EcoDome and more recently in 2017 Energy Efficient Bamboo House. These are different types of architectures, functions and in different locations, so for each one was necessary to organize a specific team of consultants.
Architect Mauricio Cardenas Laverde coordinated the interaction between different fields in order to keep the team tuned and stay in tune with the team, like an instrumental ensemble that weaves together a multitude of “sounds”, from botanics to engineering to design to manufacturing, that come together to form the layered aesthetical complexity like a symphonic piece.
BooTech construction system is a seed for shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking in the context of the construction industry. At the moment BooTech system is not a product available in the market but has all the potentiality to be so.
We can see the first results in the Microclimatic Pavilion, the first implementation of BooTech construction system. During construction, it was possible to verify it is feasible to assemble the bamboo structure by non-specialized labor, as it was pursuit by young architects and architecture students, under architect Cardenas Laverde supervision.
After the Salone del Mobile finished Microclimatic Pavilion was used for DAGAD Associations cultural activities as well as by the other companies hosted at the Fabbrica del Vapore Creative Hub mainly for exhibitions. The word spread and the pavilion was also used by the public schools in the neighborhood. The Pavilion was design as an urban heat island which made it a very appealing space to be during the hottest days of the summer. The manufacturers who sponsored with their construction materials the Pavilion benefitted not only from showcasing their products but from experiencing the potentialities and benefits of using a natural resource as construction material.
We are facing today a unique set of challenges in response to current economic and environmental conditions and there is a lack of innovation in the construction industry. Based on a 2016 World Economic Forum report, the construction sector is the largest global consumer of raw materials in the world, responsible for approximately 30% of the world’s total carbon emissions. The construction industry is also one of the oldest and largest in the world, playing a key role in the development and economic growth of all industrialized nations, yet we are using the same basic building techniques we have for over a century.
Architect Cardenas Laverde’s concern about the negative impact of the construction industry on the environment and lack of alternative building techniques has led him to develop BooTech, a disruptive construction system that could stimulate change in the mindset of the industry. There is a growing urgency for sustainable development and the sector can benefit from implementing new technologies.
BooTech unlike mainstream approach in the context of bamboo construction, which uses cement as a filler, is dry-mounted not to weakening bamboo through perforation nor using cement as a filler leaving bamboo poles intact making possible to replace individual poles in case of need. Also unlike mainstream bamboo construction BooTech doesn’t need for specialized handcraftsmanship, furthermore it is modular. Applying a precise geometry from the European tradition, the Golden proportion – Aurea, to achieve standardization of the pieces, best quality control and a harmonic visual impact. It is a one of a kind industrialized bamboo construction system for the European context and abroad.
Is necessary to rethink the material basis of construction in a time of environmental crisis considering that the most damage to the environment occurs during the construction phase. Therefore, the choice of materials and of the processes of construction is fundamental taking into consideration that the most viable means to radically reduce embodied carbon in buildings is to use plant and earth based materials.
Architect Cardenas Laverde’s concern about the impact of the construction industry on the environment has led him to develop the Conscious Design method during his Ph.D at Politecnico di Milano, becoming the philosophy of his professional practice. Conscious Design is a long-term, sustainable and circular approach to design for which a new material palette is required. The construction industry, one of the oldest and largest in the world, are using the same basic building techniques and materials for over a century.
Since bamboo is not yet considered a construction material, back in 2006 was even less considered so, it was necessary to try uncommon methodologies to verify the feasibility of using bamboo as a construction material in the European context. The main method was learning-by-doing, starting by testing prototypes to actually building an entire pavilion, as was the case of the Microclimatic Pavilion following by BooTech EcoDome.
Data was collected with the consultants such as structural engineers and botanists. This information was strategical for the design and construction of the Energy Efficient Bamboo House, a three-floor high bamboo dry-mounted structure. Probably the first of its kind.
Just recently bamboo is regulated by the Italian standard UNI 11842:2021 and the international standard ISO 22156:2021. Years ago not having a standard reference for the physical and mechanical properties of bamboo, prototyping and testing was a crucial method for the project but also to assure BooTech was safe and respected the local building codes.
Since climate change is a global problem BooTech system is a replicable solution applicable worldwide. In fact the design developed in Milan Italy, Europe, for the Energy Efficient Bamboo House was built in Baoxi China in 2017. This experience confirms that BooTech is easily replicable, and that the assemblage technique is easily transferred to non-specialized labor. There are possible variations of the system depending on the geometry, size and function of the architecture to build. For example for the Microclimatic Pavilion it was necessary from the structural point of view to use one row of bamboo poles. Whilst for the Energy Efficient Bamboo House it was necessary to use two rows. This is an interesting feature of BooTech, the possibility to add rows of bamboo poles both horizontally and vertically. “Clover” joints were studied in order to host different sizes and species of bamboo from 5cm diameter to 15cm diameter, which supports the idea of replicability to different geographical zones. BooTech EcoDome is built using bamboo slats, meaning longitudinal cuts from a natural bamboo pole, so a smaller “clover” joint was necessary.
The main global challenge for which BooTech provides local solutions is climate change, one of the major problems on our planet. BooTech addresses this global challenge by introducing a ground breaking sustainable construction system that uses a plant, bamboo, as the construction material basis.
Since most of the damage to the environment occurs during the construction phase, the choice of materials and of the processes of construction is fundamental. The most viable means to radically reduce embodied carbon in buildings is through a vegetarian construction, meaning the use of plant based materials. Furthermore BooTech can be applied by non-specialized labor which means by local man power, reducing the CO2 footprint as a result of limiting long distance transportation and travelling.
A cut in greenhouse gas emissions and increased awareness of the necessity of turning green are among the local solutions that can make a significant difference. In addition, proposing strategies to cut carbon emissions and opting for replanting are effective ways to advance climate change.
