Skyscrapers made of bamboo concrete

Bamboo is a feat of nature. After all, this member of the grass family contains fibers that are as strong as steel. With a bit of help from the lab, it has the potential to become the building material of the future. In developing and emerging countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, cities are growing at breakneck speed. Every year, vast quantities of steel are required to satisfy the mounting demand for new buildings. As steel isn't produced domestically, however, it needs to be imported, which is neither particularly ecological nor economical. Consequently, Dirk Hebel's group from ETH Zurich teamed up with Empa researchers Mateusz Wielopolski and Sébastien Josset to search for an alternative - and struck gold: bamboo, a member of the grass family with the tensile strength of steel.