Wind of the East. The contribution of bamboo reinforced concrete for sustainable innovation

In the last decades the sustainable evolution of the construction sector has oriented scientific research on structural concrete towards the identification of alternative reinforcement solutions, which involve replacing steel for reinforcing bars with newly conceived materials or natural materials, used according to an innovative use. Among these, bamboo aroused a lot of interest for its physical characteristics and its mechanical performances. The application of bamboo as a reinforcing material in structural concrete is a good alternative to using an industrial product such as steel, especially in developing countries, as it is renewable and sustainable both from an economic point of view and social. The purpose of this paper is to outline the state of the art of the scienti-fic research on bamboo reinforced concrete and to illustrate the performance characteristics of this composite material, highlighting the possible future development lines.