Authors

Abstract

The Philippines faces a significant shortage of affordable housing, and with the growing
urgency brought by climate change, there is a pressing need for more sustainable and affordable
building solutions. One promising option is cement bamboo frame buildings, which blend traditional
bamboo building methods with modern materials. This approach is already being implemented
in social housing projects in the Philippines. Dynamic lifecycle assessment (DLCA) calculations
show that these bamboo buildings can effectively reduce overall CO2 emissions. Before a building’s
end of life, biogenic effects offset approximately 43% of its total production emissions, while the
temporary carbon storage afforded by these biogenic materials further reduces total emissions by
14%. In comparison to concrete brick buildings, bamboo constructions reduce emissions by 70%.
Transforming an unmanaged bamboo plantation into a managed plantation can potentially triple
the capacity for long-term CO2 storage in biogenic materials and further reduce net emissions by
replacing concrete with bamboo as the main construction material. Thus, bamboo construction offers
a potent, economically viable carbon-offsetting strategy for social housing projects.