Hundreds of professional builders, national government agencies, students, and bamboo enthusiasts converged at the Loft at Manansala in Rockwell Center, Makati City, on September 15 for Bamboost, the second annual Forum on Upscaling Green Construction hosted by Base Bahay Foundation (BASE), a non-profit organization and the global leader in bamboo-based research and technology and pioneer in Bamboo Construction.
Held in celebration of National Bamboo Month, the forum themed “Building with Bamboo: the Future of Sustainable Construction” assembled a respected lineup of international bamboo experts including Jonas Hauptman who co-leads the VT BioDesign Research Group and is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design at Virginia Tech, United States; Dr. Edwin Zea Escamilla, Chair for Sustainable Construction with ETH Zurich; Dr. Ilias Dimitrakopolous, Assistant Professor with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST); Liu Kewei, Global Bamboo Construction Programme Coordinator of International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR); and Dr. Lessandro Garciano, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at De La Salle University Manila; and Engr. Luis Lopez, BASE Head of Technology and Director of the Base Innovation Center.
As a program accredited by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC), professional architects and civil engineers will earn 4.0 and 2.5 CPD units respectively towards their continued professional learning and development. At the forum, participants will have access to the latest research and innovations in bamboo connection performance, life cycle assessment, and design.
An initiative of Liechtenstein-based Hilti Foundation, BASE continues to provide alternative building technologies to enable a network of partners to build quality socialized homes that are comfortable, affordable, disaster-resilient, ecologically friendly, and with social impact. To date, Base has built more than 1,500 homes using its proprietary Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology sheltering over 5,500 individuals in 19 communities across the Philippines and in Nepal.