Making Bamboo Mainstream
For over a decade, the Hilti Foundation investigates and promotes innovative bamboo construction technologies for affordable housing in Southeast Asia. Together with the BASE Bahay Foundation, located in Manila, and implementing partners, more than 1,500 houses have been built in the Philippines and Nepal. To drive significant change, we are now trying to organize large-scale partnerships to bring affordable housing in the Philippines and other countries of Southeast Asia to the next level. At the same time, we enable local bamboo industries to position bamboo as the preferred material for affordable housing.
Discover the transformative power of bamboo
In Nepal’s southern plains of Terai, bamboo has always been a popular building material for low-income families. However, bamboo structures are often unprofessionally constructed and therefore not durable enough to withstand the region’s frequent natural disasters. As a result, bamboo is often underrated as a reliable building material and hasn't yet formally established itself in the professional sector.
But this has begun to change since innovative bamboo construction technologies, such as “Cement Bamboo Frame Technology” (CBFT), have transformed bamboo from a low-tech raw material to a high-tech building resource for safe and sustainable construction. We at the Hilti Foundation are pioneering eco-friendly and disaster-resilient bamboo construction techniques by driving large-scale affordable housing projects, working on standards and regulations, conducting research and providing government-approved training through our Innovation Center in Manila.
“Bamboo has the potential to create an entire industry, from growing the raw material to treatment centers, construction companies and architects. Additionally, it can become the building material of choice in the Global South for all kinds of structures, from affordable housing to first class resorts,”
explains Johann Baar, director of Affordable Housing & Technology at the Hilti Foundation.
Unlocking the power of markets
Although bamboo is much more than just the “poor man’s timber,” its true potential can only be unlocked by engaging all market system actors. We are committed to unlocking this potential by engaging all actors in the market system. With our implementing partner Habitat for Humanity, and the excellent technical support of our innovation center, we aim to establish a local bamboo industry in Nepal. This will be achieved by developing and providing innovative construction technologies. Our initiative reaches further than just construction. We strive to instill confidence in bamboo as a reliable building material. Our efforts inspire and empower entrepreneurs to invest and expand bamboo-based enterprises. Additionally, we collaborate with local and national authorities to support this growth.
Creating impact with green building solutions
In collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Urban Development, we have developed Nepal’s first set of national bamboo construction guidelines. The crucial step of incorporating these guidelines into a national building code aims to normalize treated bamboo in affordable housing programs and establish it in profit-oriented markets.
Our initiative spearheaded the first multiparty platform, bringing together stakeholders such as NGOs, financial institutions, local communities, masons, bamboo companies and government agencies. This convergence aims to foster consensus on the significance of investing in the bamboo value chain. Several local government officials have already expressed an interest in implementing our technology in their affordable housing initiatives.
Building the local bamboo ecosystem
“Thanks to a thriving ecosystem of bamboo entrepreneurs, we are turning this niche product into a mainstream solution for green construction,” states Johann Baar. He emphasizes the importance of profitability across market segments to nurture a robust local bamboo industry. This strategy promises extensive job and business prospects throughout the value chain, from cultivation to construction. Baar envisions bamboo as a material for both high-end construction as well as for affordable housing initiatives that serve low-income families, ensuring safe and sustainable building practices for the most economically disadvantaged.
The local bamboo ecosystem in Nepal is gaining momentum, attracting more profit-driven social enterprises that supply essential materials and services. To date, two private treatment facilities have been established, and a nursery for quality bamboo seedlings has been created in collaboration with the country’s National Department of Forest. In addition, technical assistance was provided to three high-end bamboo product companies. The impact extends to architects and engineers who, inspired by our cutting-edge building technologies, are now advocating for bamboo as a resilient building material. Like Pramod Rai: “We truly believe in the potential of bamboo to become a mainstream construction material in Nepal and want to be among the pioneers,” confirms the co-founder of Kamero Consults, an engineering and construction enterprise.
Building Dreams, Growing Futures
By mainstreaming bamboo in construction, we're forging a strong value chain that uplifts local economies and provides secure homes for families in need. Housing is a starting point for a better life, which is why we want to make bamboo a standard building material, focusing on the needs of low-income families. Our commitment is to make construction better for people in underserved regions of the Global South, one bamboo structure at a time.
"Moving to our new bamboo house has given us a secure livelihood," says Reshmi Kanal, a beneficiary and proud homeowner in the Sampanna Community in Southern Nepal. She expresses relief at the durability of her family's new home, which promises security for decades to come. "This stability means I can now invest in my children's education instead of yearly repairs."
Bamboo – green innovation for affordable housing
For over 5,000 years, bamboo has been used as a readily available building material in many countries of the Global South. Pure bamboo structures, however, are not durable enough to withstand the frequent natural disasters in the region. But innovative bamboo construction technologies (such as “Cement Bamboo Frame Technology”) have transformed bamboo from a low-tech raw material to a high-tech building resource for safe and sustainable construction. Hilti's green, disaster-resilient and cost-effective technology is inspired by ancient Latin American building techniques and combines Asian bamboo construction traditions with the highest European timber construction standards. This fusion results in strong homes that are quickly built to withstand earthquakes, typhoons, fires and insects - a testimony to the enduring strength of our bamboo technology.
The global housing situation
By 2030, it is predicted that three billion people worldwide will be living in substandard housing. Affecting their education, health and livelihood, this is one of the reasons underprivileged families remain in the so-called poverty trap. The Hilti Foundation's initiative strives to break this cycle by promoting bamboo as a viable, eco-friendly and resilient option for affordable housing, in partnership with global allies to enhance affordable housing solutions for the economically disadvantaged.
BASE – Technology provider for affordable housing
Initiated in 2014, the Hilti Foundation’s BASE Bahay Foundation in the Philippines has become an eminent global hub for bamboo construction expertise. Showcasing bamboo's role as a material for the future, BASE propels major projects, spearheads research and offers government-accredited training, setting the standard for eco-friendly, disaster-resilient and affordable housing solutions. BASE's journey began with the aim to foster independent bamboo treatment centers to provide superior engineered bamboo. Now, this ambition has evolved into catalyzing a worldwide shift, rallying entrepreneurs, policymakers and scholars to recognize bamboo as the go-to material for affordable housing. In addition, BASE is dedicated to cultivating a comprehensive bamboo building sector that boosts local economies and empowers public, private and third sector partners to leverage this technology for mass, low-cost construction.
Habitat for Humanity Nepal
Founded in 1997, Habitat for Humanity Nepal has since assisted more than 70,000 households and built a network of valued local partners to implement its housing programs. Habitat takes a holistic approach to finding long-term housing solutions by forging stronger partnerships with government agencies, leveraging government resources, strengthening relationships with local partners and pursuing growth through housing microfinancing and market development initiatives. In Nepal, Habitat is the Hilti Foundation’s implementing partner, receiving technical and training support from the foundation’s innovation center, BASE, in Manila.