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Bamboo Related Research by Dr Pablo van der Lugt

The purpose of this website is to make the bamboo related research executed by Pablo van der Lugt (PhD, MSc) available to the general public.

Keywords: bamboo, sustainability, LCA, design, product development, commercialization

Contents:

Pablo van der Lugt

Publications & downloads

Presentations / contact

Links

 

Pablo van der Lugt

Pablo van der Lugt (Rotterdam, 1976) gained his interest for bamboo as a building and designers material during an internship at the National Bamboo Project in Costa Rica in 2001. He received his MSc degree at the Faculty of Architecture of Delft University of Technology where he graduated with honors for his MSc thesis about the economical and ecological (LCA) feasibility of the bamboo stem as a building material alternative in Western Europe (see publications nrs 7, 9 & 10).

Intrigued by the subject and the potential of industrially processed bamboo as a fast growing hardwood substitute he decided to further investigate the causes of the small market share of bamboo products in the West through his PhD research at the Design for Sustainability program at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of Delft University of Technology.

Besides analyzing the problem through value chain analyses during field studies at the production side in bamboo producing countries in Latin America and Asia as well as at the consumption side in Western Europe (see publications nrs. 5 & 8), part of his PhD focused on solving part of the problem through design workshops actively involving professional Dutch designers in the project named "Dutch Design meets Bamboo". The project, initiated and coordinated by van der Lugt and organized in collaboration with various organizations and companies, finished with a travelling exhibition, and received a lot of media attention and positive feedback because of the replicable hands-on approach. The prototypes developed during the project - of which several have been introduced on the consumers market - can be found in van der Lugt's book "Dutch Design meets Bamboo" (see publication nr. 4).

Besides analyzing the effectiveness of the design intervention, a large part of the PhD thesis (see publication nr 2) by van der Lugt focuses on assessing the actual environmental sustainability of the use of industrial bamboo materials in Western Europe based on LCA methodology and annual yield calculations. He found that various bamboo materials score worse in so called "eco-costs" than wood alternatives grown in Europe, and only score better than tropical hardwood derived from natural forests.

However, in terms of annual yield (m3 material / ha / year) giant bamboo species such as Guadua outperform even the fastest growing softwood species such as Eucalyptus (for details see publication nr 2). Furthermore, because of the large versatility of bamboo as a resource, the same bamboo species can often be used in many different applications, ranging from low end (e.g. pulp for paper, scaffolding, textile fiber, biofuel) to high end (e.g. veneer, flooring, design furniture), which is an added advantage compared to most wood species.

Nevertheless, from an environmental point of view it is recommended to mainly use bamboo materials in the countries in which they are produced, especially since in most bamboo growing countries there will be an increasing need for sustainable resources due to population and welfare growth (e.g. India and China). On commission of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) van der Lugt wrote INBAR Technical Report no. 30 (see publication nr 1) in which the environmental sustainability assessments were updated with the newest figures from leading LCA-databases.

Van der Lugt has published his research in various scientific journals, technical reports as well as in popular magazines (see publications), and has given several lectures worldwide at international conferences about his research findings (see presentations).

At the moment van der Lugt is working as Sustainable Product Manager at Titan Wood, the producers of acetylated softwood named "Accoya®" (see www.accoya.info), which has turned out to be one of the most environmentally sustainable alternatives to tropical hardwood in outdoor applications (see section 2.6 in publication nr 1).

For the Curriculum Vitae of Pablo van der Lugt see www.linkedin.com/in/pablovanderlugt



Publications & downloads
#  Bibliographical information
1

van der Lugt, P., Vogtländer, J.G., Brezet, J.C. 2009 (draft version). Bamboo, a Sustainable Solution for Western Europe - Design Cases, LCAs and Land Use . INBAR Technical Report 30. INBAR, Beijing, China. 2,8 MB
 

Keywords: Bamboo, environmental sustainability, LCA, annual yield, land use, ecological footprint, carbon sequestration, Western Europe
In this report a thorough analysis is executed about the actual environmental sustainability of various bamboo materials based on environmental impact (LCA) and annual yield (m3/ha/yr), based on use in Western Europe. In the report the LCA calculations executed in the PhD thesis (publication 2) are updated with the latest figures from leading LCA databases.
2

van der Lugt, P. 2008. Design Interventions for Stimulating Bamboo Commercialization - Dutch Design meets Bamboo as a Replicable Model. PhD dissertation. Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands.
Downloadable from http://www.library.tudelft.nl/ws/search/publications/search/metadata/index.htm?docname=381757 Hardcopies available via http://www.vssd.nl/hlf/m015.htm and most (online) bookstores (ISBN 978-90-5155-047-4)
 

Keywords: Bamboo, value chain analysis, LCA, product development, commercialization, design interventions, action research, policy recommendations, Western Europe
This elaborate PhD thesis (395p) provides a wealth of background information about the causes of the low market share of bamboo products, including strategies and design interventions to increase bamboo commercialization in Western Europe, and several recommendations with respect to bamboo product design and policy issues.
3

van der Lugt, P. and Lobovikov, M. 2008. Markets for bamboo products in the West.
Bois et forets des Tropiques 295(1): 81-90. 300 KB
 

Keywords: Bamboo, wood, market research, trade statistics, consumption, European Union, United States of America
In this article an overview about the actual and potential market for bamboo products is provided, based on actual trade and consumption figures for bamboo and wood (as potential substitute market).
4

van der Lugt, P. 2007. Dutch Design meets Bamboo. [Z]OO Producties, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Hardcopies available via www.zooproducties.nl and most (online) bookstores (ISBN: 978-90-74009-49-2)
 

Keywords: Bamboo, design workshops, product design
In this full colour contemporary bilingual (Dutch / English) 160 page book, targeted towards the general public, the 23 product prototypes developed during the design workshops in the project "Dutch Design meets Bamboo are presented and commented upon. Furthermore, a short introduction is provided about bamboo and the causes of the small market share of bamboo products in Western Europe.
5

van der Lugt, P. and Otten, G. 2007.Bamboo Product Commercialization for the West - A State of the Art Analysis of Bottlenecks and Opportunities. INBAR Technical Report 29. INBAR, Beijing, China. 3,8 MB
 

Keywords: Bamboo, value chain analysis, products, NTFP, commercialization, qualitative research, European Union, Netherlands
In this report an elaborate SWOT analysis is executed along the bamboo production chain explaining the causes of the small market share of bamboo products in the European Union, but also providing opportunities for market growth.
6

Bamboo Reader (various authors, compiled by Pablo van der Lugt, 2006). Available via the public library of Delft University of Technology (www.library.tudelft.nl)
 

Contents:
Part A: General Introduction about bamboo
Part B: Anatomy, Preservation & Mechanical Properties
Part C: Processing Technologies
C1: Bamboo in natural form; stem & strips
C2: Industrial and new technologies
Part D: Building with Bamboo
Part E: Bamboo Marketing & Markets
This reader contains a compilation of the most important publications and book excerpts about various bamboo topics relevant for engineers, architects and designers.
7

van der Lugt, P., van den Dobbelsteen, A.A.J.F. and Janssen, J.J.A. 2006. An environmental, economic and practical assessment of bamboo as a building material for supporting structures. Construction and Building Materials 20(2006): 648-656. 419 KB
 

Keywords: Bamboo stem, LCA, costs, case studies, factors of success and failure, building material, Western Europe
In this article, based on the MSc thesis of van der Lugt (publication nr. 10), the use of the bamboo stem in a walking bridge in the Netherlands is assessed and compared with relevant material alternatives based on economical, environmental and practical parameters. Note that the LCA results in this article-and in the other publications below - sould be ignored due to incomplete input data used. For more accurate LCA results please refer to publication no 1.
8

van der Lugt, P. 2005. The Bamboo Sector in Colombia & Ecuador; A State of the Art Analysis of Opportunities and Constraints. Journal of Bamboo and Rattan 4(4): 421-440. 1,2 MB
 

Keywords: Bamboo, production chain, bamboo sector, export potential, business development, SWOT analysis Colombia, Ecuador
Based on a SWOT analysis of the production chain, this article presents the main bottlenecks and opportunities for the bamboo sector in Ecuador in Colombia.
9

van der Lugt, P., van den Dobbelsteen, A. and Abrahams, R. 2003. Bamboo as a building material alternative for Western Europe? A study of the environmental performance, costs and bottlenecks of the use of bamboo (products) in Western Europe. Journal of Bamboo and Rattan 2(3): 205-223. 586 KB
 

Keywords: Bamboo stem, bamboo panels, LCA, costs, case studies, factors of success and failure, building material, Western Europe
This article, based on the MSc thesis of van der Lugt (publication nr. 10) is similar to publication nr. 7 but includes bamboo panels and more background data on LCA. Note that also the LCA results in this article should be ignored due to incomplete input data used. For more accurate LCA results please refer to publication no 1.
10

van der Lugt, P. 2003. Bamboe als een duurzaam bouwmateriaal in West-Europa? - Een studie van de duurzaamheid, kosten en bottlenecks van het gebruik van bamboe(producten) in West-Europa (in Dutch).MSc thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.
Main report 2,8 MB
Appendices 2,0 MB
 

Keywords: Bamboo stem, bamboo panels, LCA, costs, case study, factors of success and failure, building material, Western Europe
In this MSc thesis in Dutch the economical, ecological and practical feasibility of the use of the bamboo stem as building material in Western Europe is assessed. For a summary of the outcomes see publications nrs 7 and 9 (in English).


Presentations / contact

Pablo van der Lugt is an experienced lecturer (in English, Dutch and Spanish) who has given dozens of public presentations about bamboo commercialization at international conferences, symposia and trade fairs. Furthermore, van der Lugt has been interviewed by several magazines, newspapers, and radio & TV stations about his research. See the list below for details about past public presentations and interviews (publications in printed media for which he was interviewed are not included in this list).

Pablo van der Lugt can be hired to provide a custom made public presentation about bamboo for your organization or event. For details, please contact him at pablovanderlugt@hotmail.com

2008

2007

2006
  • ICCO symposium, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
  • Opening Dutch design meets bamboo, Design Academy, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
  • Third Latin American Bamboo Symposium, Guayaquil, Ecuador
  • Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

2005
  • BOP (Base of Pyramid) symposium of Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • Bambusbau-Symposium, Schloss Dyck, Jüchen, Germany
  • Dutch Design in Development symposium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2004
  • i+i center, The Hague, The Netherlands
  • International Guadua Symposium, Pereira, Colombia
  • Science day of Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • World Bamboo Congress 2004, Delhi, India

2003
  • 4th National Bamboo Cultural Festival, Xianning, China



Links

www.inbar.int - Site of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan; with a wealth of information about bamboo (especially check out the "information & learning section)

www.library.tudelft.nl - Site of the library of Delft University of Technology through which dozens of high quality bamboo books are made available, amongst which publication nrs. 2, 4 & 6 as well as some of the most recommended bamboo books around: Bamboo the Gift of the Gods by Oscar Hidalgo (ISBN 958-33-4298-X), Designing and Building with Bamboo by Jules Janssen (ISBN 81-86247-46-7) and Grow Your Own House (ISBN 3931936252)

www.bamboocentral.org - Site of the Environmental Bamboo Organization

www.prosieben.de/wissen/multimedia/videos/videoplayer/59990/ - Site with a commercial video showing how industrial bamboo materials are being produced (from harvest to final implementation)

www.moso.nl - Site of Moso International BV, producer of many industrial bamboo materials, with many examples of innovative product applications

www.versteegde.nl - Site of Antoon Versteegde, Dutch artist who works a lot with bamboo and has developed many sculptures and temporary constructions in bamboo

www.homepage.mac.com/ranjanmp - Site of Professor M.P. Ranjan of the National Institute of Design in India, with a lot of useful downloads about bamboo product design

http://bambus.rwth-aachen.de/ - Site of the University of Aachen, Germany, with good information about building with bamboo

www.bamboe-ic.nl - Site of the Bamboo Information Center which houses a bamboo garden in Schellinkhout, the Netherlands

www.io.tudelft.nl/dfs - Site of the Design for Sustainability Program (DfS) at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. DfS develops many research projects around sustainable product design and innovation in public private partnerships

www.ecocostsvalue.com - Site in which the eco-costs methodology is explained (a LCA based methodology to measure the environmental impact of a product or process through a single indicator).