There are numerous bamboo buildings from around the world that have withstood the test of time. This is because bamboo is one of the strongest plant-based building materials. Its naturally hollow structure allows it to have a strength factor two times stronger than solid wood. There are even bamboo species that are known to be stronger than steel. Bamboo is flexible as well, with numerous bamboo buildings around the world built to withstand winds that go faster than 170 mph.

Bamboo is also the largest member of the grass family that has countless uses. You can press, mold, flatten, slice, burn, or carve bamboo according to your liking. In Asian cuisine, the shoots of bamboo are used as a key ingredient for meals, allowing bamboo harvesters to make the most out of this amazing plant.

Countries with warmer climates like the Philippines are optimum environments for a majority of bamboo species. It is extremely fast-growing and can grow up to 3 inches per day in these conditions. For colder climates, particular regions with frost and snow, the Phyllostachys varieties are more ideal. This bamboo species can survive in temperatures as low as negative 5 degrees Fahrenheit, but do keep in mind that they tend to grow more slowly in these conditions.

As part of our bamboo series, here are popular bamboo buildings from around the world.

Top Bamboo Buildings from Around the World

Scroll down for the video

1. Bamboo Forest House in Taiwan by ROEWUarchitecture

Roewu architects from the United Kingdom completed the Bamboo Forest House back in 2008. It is designed to accommodate large groups and extended families, with a modern bamboo screen serving as an exterior.

2. Museo Nomada En El Zócalo by Simón Vélez

The structure was built in 2008 for the traveling photo exhibit of Gregory Colbert.

3. Bamboo Cathedrale in Pereira

The roof is supported by five bent Guadua poles, each of which run from the ground to the roof. The slenderness of the bamboo was done by stiffening braces that prevent buckling.

4. Bamboo Bridge in China by Simón Vélez

Definitely one of the most attention-grabbing bamboo buildings from around the world, this bamboo bridge is located at the Crosswaters Ecolodge in China. It is a project by Colombian architect Simon Velez, who uses Guadua in construction.

5. PGKL Architecture, Boarding School for the Deaf in Gradignan, France, by Pierre Goutti Karine Louilot Architectes

The boarding school for the deaf is a serene living place for young girls and boys suffering from this disability. The architects behind the building’s design aim to explore a special reflection of patterns and materials.

6. Ichibanya Restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia, by DSA Architects

The owner of the restaurant informed the architects his vision of creating an outdoor Japanese noodle restaurant. He requested that the design could be easily assembled and disassembled as he wished. Those requests were taken into consideration, so the design team decided to use bamboo as their main construction material due to its flexibility.

7. Bamboo Car Park, Leipzig Zoo, in Germany by Krahnstöver & Wolf Architects

The Leipzig Zoo hosts around 1.3 million visitors per year. In order to provide the zoo’s visitors with enough parking space, a competition was held for the design of the parking garage with an economical design concept. In the end, the designers who decided to go for bamboo to create this stunning facade emerged as the winner.

8. Carabanchel Social Housing in Madrid, Spain, by Foreign Office Architects

The site is a 100 x 45 parallelogram oriented north-south with an urban park located on the west. Each side of the building is provided with a 1.5 meter wide terrace along the full exterior. These terraces are enclosed with bamboo louvers mounted on folding frames that act as protection against sun exposure.

9. Bamboo House by Benjamin Garcia Saxe

Architect and designer Benjamin Garcia Saxe built this bamboo house for his mother in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

10. Bamboo House in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

The most eye-catching piece in this home are the horizontal bamboo slices.

10. Yoka Sara International’s Kayu Aga in Bali

The compound consists of a carport and three sleeping pavilions located in each of the four corners of the site. At the center is a two-story pavilion containing dining and living room facilities and an elevated studio. The staircase connecting the second and first floor rises from an elliptical pond.

11. Smart House, China

This eco-friendly bamboo house was designed by a team of student from Tongji University in Shanghai. The home operates with solar power in order to compete in the Europe Solar Decathlon Competition back in 2010.

12. Bamboo Structure Project, Iran, by Pouya Khazaeli Parsa

Amazingly, unlike most of the bamboo buildings from around the world that have gained fame, this structure was created by nonprofessionals—in a matter of two days. Each of the cropped rice streams were wrapped together at the top of the structure and covered by overlapping it with another layer.

For more bamboo structures and designs from all around the world, click here.

Watch the video below