Treated bamboo and dry-stacked foundations in Cox’s Bazar camps
How plant-based structural engineering replaces fragile shelters, lowering landslide vulnerability.
The steep clay slopes across Ukhia sub-district exhibit severe slope movement under torrential rains exceeding 60 millimetres per hour. Deploying conventional reinforced concrete for school structures would amplify gravitational loads, raising slope failure risks.
The chosen engineering design prioritizes Bambusa balcooa culms, shade-seasoned for three weeks and pressure-treated with borax and boric acid solutions to eradicate wood-boring pests.
Structural column-to-truss connections feature stainless steel through-bolts with oversized washers that spread shear stresses without crushing longitudinal culm fibres.
This construction sequence cut erection schedules to ten operational days per classroom while employing community carpenters trained directly on site.