Grown, Not Mined: Hybrid Bamboo Construction as a Low-Carbon Alternative to Concrete and Steel in a Tropical Restaurant

Abstract

The construction sector is a major source of global carbon emissions, driven largely by cement, whose manufacture accounts for roughly 7–8% of worldwide CO₂. Heavy reliance on energy-intensive, non-renewable concrete and steel intensifies this burden, prompting a search for renewable structural alternatives such as bamboo: fast-growing, renewable, and an active carbon sink. This study evaluates how bamboo performs as an alternative structural material in an in-service commercial building, and how its known limitations are managed. Using a qualitative single-case design at Kampung Kecil Cinere Restaurant, Depok, data were gathered through field observation of 38 dining units (saung), visual documentation of structural details, a management interview, and a literature-based comparison with concrete and steel. The building relies on two local species used by function: black bamboo (Gigantochloa atroviolacea, "Wulung") as load-bearing columns, and rope bamboo (Gigantochloa apus, "Apus") for curved members, joined by traditional ijuk and rattan lashings. Durability, bamboo's main weakness in a hot-humid climate, is managed through a hybrid strategy: ceramic clad concrete plinths isolate columns from moisture, and a metal roof replaced the original thatch while a woven bamboo ceiling preserves the interior. The study's contribution is to reframe bamboo's feasibility as a matter of configuration: species selection, hybrid detailing, and moisture management; rather than of the raw material, offering transferable guidance for low carbon tropical commercial architecture; it did not include load testing or quantitative life cycle carbon assessment.