ODG designed bamboo concept houses in response to the Sri Lanka Housing Minister’s request for alternative building methods that are sustainable, inexpensive, manufacturable, and native to Sri Lanka.
The ODG team developed different residential designs for buildings located in high, medium, and low risk locations. The team proposed a bamboo frame and a bamboo strip infill method, built on brick piers and finished with plaster for the Mid-Risk Zone. Bamboo, a rapidly renewable material native to Sri Lanka, is a familiar product that can be easily reintroduced into the forests and to Sri Lanka building construction methods.
Currently, International Building Codes are being developed for bamboo, and with proper planning and placement, these structures could be built rapidly and affordably. With proper siting, they could withstand low to mild damage from natural disasters. Architectural work for this project was completed in 2005.