Study of the Use of Bamboo as a Sustainable Building Material in Rural Housing in Anambra State

Bamboo is an abundant, rapidly renewable, and structurally capable plant material that offers significant potential as a sustainable building material for rural housing in South East Nigeria, yet its structural use in Anambra State remains empirically undocumented. This study examined the current use of bamboo in rural housing construction in Orumba North, Awka North, and Ogbaru Local Government Areas of Anambra State. A mixed-methods approach combined field surveys of 50 rural homesteads using bamboo structural elements with laboratory testing of locally harvested bamboo samples for compressive strength, tensile strength, and moisture content. Community members and building artisans (n = 80) were interviewed on bamboo building knowledge and attitudes. Results showed that bamboo was used structurally in 34 of 50 surveyed homesteads, primarily for wall framing (68%), roofing purlins (54%), and scaffolding (42%). Laboratory tests showed compressive strength of 48.2 MPa and tensile strength of 176 MPa for Bambusa vulgaris samples, confirming structural adequacy. However, 82% of community respondents reported concerns about bamboo's durability and insect susceptibility, with most preferring concrete block construction for permanence. Preservation treatment was unknown to 91% of artisan respondents. The study concludes that bamboo has strong structural potential but faces social acceptance barriers and technical knowledge gaps. Preservation training and demonstration housing projects using treated bamboo are recommended to promote its wider adoption.

Keywords: bamboo, sustainable building material, rural housing, Anambra State, structural properties