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irst of a two-part article exploring the use of bamboo in construction)
Structural engineer Ahmad Mazlan Othman’s love affair with bamboo started in 2013 when he was visiting Vietnam.
The former president of the Malaysian Bamboo Society was exploring Ho Chi Minh City when he noticed something on the streets that was at once unusual, distinctive and deeply rooted in tradition.
A bicycle made from bamboo.
“There (were) many bamboo bicycles there,” he told Bernama via Google Meet.
Curious, he tried one. The rest, as the cliche goes, is history.
From there, he deepened his knowledge of bamboo. Dubbing it a “miracle plant,” he said it is not only a carbon sink but also the only material he can manage entirely on his own — planting, harvesting and treating it before incorporating it into his projects. Not like other construction materials, such as steel, concrete, cement and timber.
Beyond learning to build his own bamboo bicycle, he went on to create a range of structures in Malaysia, including surau, mosques, bridges and cafes. Even electric bamboo guitars.
He was determined to use bamboo in unconventional ways, not just for traditional purposes such as making lemang or meriambuluh (bamboo cannons), he said.
With four decades of being in the emission-heavy construction industry, centring bamboo in his structural engineering work was a no-brainer, he thought, especially as the world and Malaysia began focusing on mitigating the effects of climate change, green technology and sustainability around the same time.
More than a decade later – during which the earth recorded the three hottest years on record since pre-industrial times – his instincts were spot on. As the United Nations (UN) warns that the Asia-Pacific region, which includes Malaysia, is off track on their 2030 climate action goals, countries searching for ways to cut emissions are renewing their focus on bamboo and its biological advantages.
BAMBOO-READY
On Jan 22, 2026, the Institution of Structural Engineers released a manual for designing permanent structures made of bamboo. Urging architects to be “bamboo-ready,” the group is positioning bamboo as a sustainable, low-carbon, and structurally superior alternative to steel and concrete. The aim is to mainstream bamboo for modern, durable construction like schools and houses.
A month later, the UN released a report saying that while countries in the Asia-Pacific region have succeeded in improving living standards and reducing poverty, they will not be able to meet several Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, mostly those dealing with the environment, biodiversity and climate.
Structural engineer Ahmad Mazlan Othman.
Landscape architecture expert Assoc Prof Dr. Sapura Mohamed from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is unfazed by the renewed interest in bamboo. She told Bernama bamboo has many benefits for the environment and is considered a nature-based solutions (NbS) item. One of the main benefits is its ability to absorb and store carbon.
“Bamboo has a lot of leaves. One single leaf can be as large as my palm, for example, giving it a wide surface area. This allows each leaf to absorb a significant amount of carbon. So when there are many leaves, it means the plant can store and absorb a great deal of carbon,” she said via Google Meet.
Although trees also have leaves and can absorb carbon, she noted that bamboo’s key advantage is its rapid growth. It matures in about three to six years, whereas trees can take decades.
On top of that, bamboo is also good for stabilising soil and preventing soil erosion. Other benefits the manual lists include the rapid renewal of bamboo, and that bamboo continues to absorb carbon even after harvest.
In the meantime, bamboo can be used for furniture, interior fittings and structural applications. While it may not be as durable as concrete, properly treated bamboo can last 30 to 50 years.
Bali, Indonesia has a school made of bamboo, while coastal city Manta in Ecuador has several buildings, including a fire station, built with bamboo. That fire station and other bamboo buildings survived an earthquake in 2016.
In Malaysia, several structures showcase the versatility of bamboo. Apart from a bridge in Langkawi, Kedah, which Mazlan is building and remains under construction, is a bamboo mosque in Kelantan, as well as resorts, restaurants, recreational pavilions and chalets built using the material. And many parks boast bamboo structures and furniture.
The bamboo surau in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu was completed in 2024. File photo by Bernama.
One of them is the bamboo surau in the middle of the D. R. Seenivasagam Park. The small structure is open air, with no walls, and consisting of an arching roof and a floor on stilts. A bamboo swing stands nearby.
“(The buildings demonstrate) the material’s architectural feasibility, structural capability, and aesthetic value. These projects serve as practical proof-of-concept that bamboo can perform beyond traditional applications and function as a viable construction material in hospitality and community infrastructure,” said Norhazaedawati Baharuddin, senior researcher at the Fibre & Biocomposite Centre, Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB).
And bamboo benefits for the environment do not stop there. At the end of its life, bamboo waste can be used to produce activated carbon to remove heavy metals and dyes from wastewater, as well as composting material.
Bamboo expert Surina Aziz said processed bamboo waste or biochar, a carbon-rich, porous material created by heating biomass in a low-oxygen environment (pyrolysis) can also be used to enrich and rehabilitate soil.
“Biochar is like a treatment for the soil. When we add biochar to the soil, it attracts microorganisms such as worms and others, which then live in the soil. When there are more earthworms in the soil, it brings even greater benefits … making the soil more fertile,” she said.
She added that this would reduce the need for fertiliser, which damages the soil after long-term use.
GOVERNMENT PUSH
Malaysia is moving to harness bamboo, an abundant local resource. A few years back, the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) launched the Bamboo Industry Development Action Plan 2021–2030 to drive the sector’s growth.
Norhazaedawati told Bernama in a statement that the plan was formulated “to provide a comprehensive and structured framework for transforming Malaysia’s bamboo sector into a competitive, export-driven and value-added industry.”
Besides being used to make lemang, oil lamps or bamboo cannons, bamboo has great potential in modern construction such as for schools and surau. File photo by Bernama.
She said there are approximately 4,000 hectares of commercial bamboo plantations nationwide and 88 community farmers under the Community Farming Programme initiated by the MTIB. The programme provides free seedlings, fertiliser and training to the farmers.
Surina, formerly in charge of the MTIB programme, said bamboo farming was to create an alternative source to timber.
“Now timber is becoming harder to obtain, right? There are conservation issues and efforts to preserve forests. So we are proposing bamboo, which grows and matures quickly, as an alternative,” she said.
She added a lot of the bamboo planted within the programme should be ready for harvesting this year or next.
However, this is where the plans hit a snag. Despite efforts to promote bamboo cultivation, experts and construction industry players told Bernama that demand remains low due to regulatory limbo, as well as lack of awareness and standardisation.
This development frustrates Mazlan. After 13 years championing the use of bamboo in construction and other industries, he is still struggling to convince the construction industry and authorities to move beyond temporary structures. Most of the bamboo in Malaysia is used as furniture and furnishings, instead of infrastructure.
“We are a bit slow compared to our neighbours, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines,” he said.
