REINTERPRETATION OF A COSTA RICAN PROJECT OF A BAMBOO SMALL HOUSE IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT

The construction world today is faced with mandatory and urgent choices that necessary lead to sustainability. In this perspective, it is important that the use of highly renewable natural materials such as bamboo become widespread. Bamboo is a plant that grows naturally and quickly throughout the subtropical regions of the world, but it is easily cultivable even in temperate areas such as Europe. The cultivation of bamboo is spreading mainly in southern Europe. In Italy today there are about 2000 hectares of bamboo that require the establishment of a real active supply chain. Cultivated bamboo, which grows in temperate zones, has culms with a smaller section than subtropical ones but retains good mechanical properties as shown by a recent experimental campaign conducted on various species of Italian bamboo. In the present work we have moved from the study of the material to its use in construction. A project of a small house originally carried out by Arch. Anna Zanetti with Guadua and Asper bamboo in Costa Rica, was revisited using Italian bamboo in the Italian context. This simple example shows how Italian bamboo can also be counted among the possible building materials in Italy and in Europe in general.