Design and construction of a large-scale multifunctional building with engineered bamboo

This paper reports the innovative design, construction, and component testing of a two-story, 15-m-tall and 2030 m 2 multifunctional community service building constructed primarily using glued-laminated bamboo (glubam). The building incorporates a glubam frame combined with a steel bracing system to resist both gravity and lateral loads to ensure its safety. The first-floor slab utilizes cross laminated bamboo timber (CLBT) panels, while the roof is constructed with twisting laminated bamboo timber (TLBT) plates. The design criteria are developed and verified through material and component testing to ensure the capacity and stability of both components and the overall structure safety, referencing current timber structure design specifications. A key design feature includes the large, open entrance hall with a skip-floor configuration, which requires the implementation of 16.2 m large-span beams. Primary structural components are introduced, including the beam-column joints designed as pinned connections using welded steel plate connectors and bolted fasteners. Given the building's location in a typhoon-prone and seismically active area, static and dynamic analyses were performed to assess the structure's performance under wind and seismic forces, confirming compliance with current design specifications. Fire resistance calculations indicate that the structure can maintain sufficient strength despite reduced cross-sectional area. In-situ full-scale tests were conducted to determine the modulus of elasticity of the glubam components. The prefabrication and on-site installation processes are also outlined, highlighting procedural requirements. Embodied energy and embodied emissions evaluations highlight glubam’s potential as a sustainable structural material in net-zero carbon construction. • The design of a large scale engineered bamboo building is presented, utilizing glued-laminated bamboo, cross laminated bamboo and timber. • Structural performance is verified through material and component testing, along with FE analysis referencing existing timber design specifications and literature. • Manufacturing and construction processes adapted from those for mass timber with innovative modifications, demonstrate the material's versatility. • Engineered bamboo demonstrates significant reductions in embodied energy and embodied emissions compared with conventional materials.