Bambú Social

About us

BAMBÚ SOCIAL is an educational and construction project with the main goal to share knowledge and expertise about the use of local resources for sustainable and affordable social housing.
Since August 2015 Bambú Social is not only a project, but also a non profit organisation, which focusses on the improvement of social housing by the use of the local and natural material bamboo.

Our goal is to improve the quality of life by the development and active distribution of sustainable housing with local materials.
One of the focal points of the project BAMBÚ SOCIAL consisted of developing a blueprint for affordable and sustainable social housing, which would empower disadvantaged parts of communities in the bamboo belt around the world, to be able to build their own house from the cheaply available local material bamboo. With the design of the house, a decentralised and simple water-collection and purification system is integrated, which means the family is independent from failing centralised water systems.

Our strategy
Share knowledge and skills:
• Together with the local university we set up a sustainable design and build course ‘Construcción Sostenible’, to ensure the passing on of the knowledge and expertise to the new generation.
• During the project we worked from building in the centre of El Rama in collaboration with the municipality of El Rama. This building acts as a centre for building capacities. Here we have given courses, hosted workshops, worked on the development of the pre-fab element, given advice about sustainable design, building and water purification. A design has been made for this building for an exposition hall for local culture and art.
• We work only with local craftsmen. By sharing and learning from each other we ensure the knowledge transfer to the people who will keep on building sustainable homes in Rama.
• We ensure the continuity of sustainable construction methods by developing pre-fab bamboo elements, that together with a business model will help local entrepreneurs to start their own sustainable construction company.
Use local resources:
• Local relevance means local resources; We use local materials as much as possible, which in Rama’s case means the locally grown bamboo. It grows way more quickly then conventional construction wood and can absorb big amounts of CO2 which it converts into oxygen.
• Local resources also mean local people, skills and knowledge. Next to working with local people, we have looked at the local building culture. The Rama Key Indians for instance have a long tradition of building in the region. Their building techniques possess a lot of wisdom for building in the local climate and environment.
Create local systems
• Developing and introducing a building method that uses bamboo. A method that can practiced completely locally, from production, treatment to making bamboo pre fab elements that can be used in local construction.
• We create decentralized, low tech, natural water purification and storage systems integrated into the housing that can provide clean drinking water for its inhabitants.
• By using dry toilets and natural waste water treatment, there is no need for a connection with a sewage grid. Excrement can be used as fertilizer after one year.
Make it environmentally prospering
• By using materials that are produced in such a way that they don’t put a strain on the local environment.
• Green roofs provide a place for plants. In turn the plants filter CO2 out of the air to create oxygen and green roofs can add to the bio diversity of the place. These green roofs have been experimented with. Further research is needed for an economical viable and practical solution in El Rama.
• By using compost toilets to re-fertilize for example fruit trees.
• Natural grey water purification ensures the water that leaves the house is cleaned.
Dare to play, dare to discover
• In a project like this a measure of flexibility is required. Despite the certainty of the found opportunities and our believe in these solutions, we bear in mind the risks and be open for chances and change.

Max Verhoeven is a Co-Founder of BAMBÚ SOCIAL

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.