By Ajibade Omape
Project manager and Engineer at Dutum Company Limited, Michael Akinpelu, speaks with Ajibade Omape on using Bamboo sticks as reinforcements instead of regular Iron rods
Can you explain the concept of using bamboo sticks as reinforcement in construction and its potential benefits compared to traditional iron rods?
Okay, firstly, it’s a subject matter still under research. But it’s looking promising, it’s looking promising because basically, we use reinforcement for its tensile strength, there is something called tensile strength, that’s why we use reinforcement, so bamboo as well, has some tensile properties, although it’s still being researched, unlike regular reinforcement has become a known thing. For reinforcement now, the tensile properties are known because we tested and used it over time and it has been constant, so for bamboo, we don’t have continuous tensile data. We don’t have consistent data for its tensile ability. So basically, what iron rod is doing concretely is bringing some tensile properties into it, so bamboo too has tensile properties, I think we just need to be more deliberate in our research on bamboo so we can have consistent data on its tensile abilities. So for me, it’s something that looks promising.
What could motivate a builder to explore bamboo as an alternative material for reinforcement in engineering projects?
Yeah, firstly, what we look at is cost, over the weeks now, yeah, we’ve seen the cost of reinforcement go as low as 1.5, 1.6 million a ton, yeah, and so what we are talking about cost, bamboo is a more economical option, yes. But it is still subject to research, well, from the engineering perspective, two things matter to us when we are designing. The first is safety, the second is the economy. So it has to be one of those two if not both, whatever you are doing has to be safe and it has to be economical. So for bamboo, considering the potential of its tensile strength, it qualifies as being safe, and because of its affordability when compared to iron, it also qualifies as being economical.
Are there any specific properties or characteristics of bamboo that make it suitable for use in construction, particularly in Nigeria?
Yeah, so like I said, it’s still that tensile property which reinforcement has that bamboo has as well. So that makes it suitable. But iron on the other hand, iron cannot decay, and bamboo can decay, although there have been some arguments from some quarters that bamboo can be waxed, and that when it’s waxed, it will not decay, but like I said, it’s a subject here that is under research, we do have consistent facts and figures on it.
What alternatives should be considered when building materials such as iron rods are inferior or incomplete?
For now, bamboo is the only alternative that has come close to replacing, to replace iron. Yes, bamboo is the only one, although there are also other alternatives, they are still made from iron, it’s still basically iron, so bamboo is the one trying to replace iron, the other alternatives are made from iron, they are made of much less iron, and it can’t be used for heavy construction work, just for light construction works, for instance, we have the PRT wire mesh, which is used in some instances, it’s a cheaper alternative to iron, but it’s still a constituent of iron. Wow, that’s interesting.
How does the cost of using bamboo compare to traditional iron rods, and are there any significant savings or advantages associated with its use?
Yes, the price difference is a lot, although I’m not really up to date with market prices, but for a 16 mm iron, I’m sure a length should be around 10,000 Naira. That’s a length of 12 meters, the last time I got to know about the price of bamboo, a length of about three meters goes for about 300 Naira. Wow. So, all this for 12 meters is just 1,200 Naira, compared to 10,000 Naira, so, the price difference is a big factor. Wow, that is a major factor, because if you look at how things are being done in Nigeria, so many times when we have a shortage of one or two items, we find out that sometimes we just like to patch it and use our expertise to just fill in the gap.
Will you say that the increasing price of building materials prompted the engineer to make use of bamboo sticks for reinforcement?
As for the engineer, I don’t know what he was thinking, but I think it is something possible. Well, I think I saw that video. It looks more like someone was just trying to do something, more like, I feel like he was trying to do research or something.
What alternatives can builders consider when they face, the issue of inadequate building materials or not being able to get equipment because of the price?
Yes, the ideal alternative, which we have adopted is value engineering, so, basically, value engineering is having to redesign the entire project, trying to see how cost can be saved ethically. So, what we do with value engineering is to look at the possibilities of reducing the size of reinforcement, reducing the grade of concrete, and just trying to balance things out, so, basically, everyone should look towards value engineering what we do is to review the drawing and see where cost can decrease. It’s a structural affair, going over each detail of the drawing and seeing how we can save cost. I’m also of the opinion that issues of cost can only be tackled from the point of value engineering, any other thing aside will be an assumption that might lead to failure. So, value engineering is the ideal solution.
Another thing, people need to be smarter with the kind of contracts and agreements we sign in construction, so, I look forward to people doing bulk purchases, and tying down materials, so, signing smart agreements with suppliers and manufacturers of construction materials, agreements that will protect them from price fluctuations.
So, what I’m saying is this now, for instance, a bag of cement is 3,000 Naira, just to put a figure to it. So, I’m telling the supplier, you supply me this for the next six months, but I’ll pay you 50 Naira on each bag, just to compensate you, so, basically, the supplier knows we are signing an agreement to supply me at a fixed price over some time, that’s a smart one, another thing we can do is warehousing. Companies can have large warehouses where they can buy non-perishable materials and store them in large quantities.
So, I did the project in 2021, so then, we saw cement move from, was it 3,150 to 5,000? Well, before that, what we did was, we have stock up, this was a filling station project, so, what we did was, we stocked up cement in all the branches in that region, so, by the time we had the price increment, we were not affected because we already had our cement in store, same thing with the reinforcements. We already had it in store, so, bulk purchases are naturally cheaper, and so, it’s a route that can be taken. So, you buy your materials in bulk and you store them, although, it will cost you definitely, but then, it protects you from the unknown.
In terms of structural integrity and durability, how does bamboo reinforcement compare to iron rods, especially considering Nigeria’s climate and environmental factors?
So, yeah, in terms of structural integrity, as I said, there’s something I want you to understand, we don’t have consistent data on bamboo yet, all we have is based on assumptions or what do you call them, hypotheses, okay, so, at the best, what we have is various hypotheses; although one or two people have used it and they’ve published papers on it, we don’t have consistent data on bamboo. But, in terms of structural integrity, bamboo has tensile properties, which makes it stand a chance of replacing iron, as everything stands now, it has not replaced iron, we are not sure it can replace iron, but it stands a very good chance because of the tensile properties it has; that’s one, then in terms of durability, we all know iron to be very durable, but, as I said earlier, bamboo has every potential to decay, but on the other hand, we’ve had people who have claimed that they have waxed bamboo to make it more durable, so, waxing of bamboo can also increase its durability.
But looking at Nigeria’s climate and some of our weather conditions or environmental factors, like, for instance, people in some areas claim that most of their items that have iron as part of them tend to get rusty faster because of the salt in the area and the water in the environment, well, to the best of my knowledge, based on the data I’ve seen so far on bamboo, once bamboo is waxed, I don’t think there will be a problem. As you know, it will be buried in the concrete, so once it is waxed and does not decay, I don’t see anything making it corrode, and also, like the reinforcement in those areas, once it has been buried in the concrete too and it is not exposed, salt water cannot get to it, otherwise it will make it corrode. Yes, you know what; waxing protects the bamboo, so, once it is well waxed, the layers of wax can naturally protect it from all of that.
Also, there’s a risk because if you look at iron, the surface is not smooth, yes, so, the purpose of that is for it to be able to bond into the concrete, so, the same way, if the wax is too much, it can affect the bonding properties of the bamboo and the concrete.
Looking at the frequent increase in the price of items, both in the market and, you know, outside the country, how has, you know, the increase in the price of building materials affected the durability and quality of structures?
For this, it has affected the quality because we’ve seen people trying to save cost. And in the course of trying to save cost, many people have gone the unethical route, trying to save cost, so it has affected the quality because we’ve seen a lot of funny construction ongoing, a lot of funny construction ongoing, all because they are trying to save cost. So, yes, it has affected the quality People are trying to save cost. People are trying to finish a project that was not enough because that’s all they have budgeted initially, people are not willing to do what they have budgeted, so, they are trying to find a way around it, So, yes, that’s something I’ve seen a lot. Same bonding. That’s something I’ve seen a lot.
What disadvantages would you associate with using bamboo as reinforcement?
The first disadvantage is that we don’t have a consistent vehicle of bamboo, that’s the first disadvantage, then, secondly, bamboo is biodegradable. It can decay, and then thirdly, the surface of bamboo does not have enough roughness for it to bond with concrete, so those are the few disadvantages I can associate with the use of bamboo for reinforcement.
What challenges would you say constructors and engineers are facing at this time and how can artists be encouraged?
Yes, well apart from the cost, we are also having a decline in the quality of artisans, most of our artisans are now Yahoo boys; they have abandoned the site, so when we need good artisans, we have to go and bring artisans from Cotonou, artisans from Togo, and some northern artisans. So basically on this side, good artisans are a challenge, I don’t want to generalize, but I think most engineers would agree that we’ve had a decline in the quality of artisans.
Back then, artisans needed to have acquired the trade test certificates, but now, it’s very rare to see an artisan that has that certificate, so that’s a major challenge facing us, and the truth is that the artisans do the job, and the moment you don’t have a good artisan, the stress is always out of the world, so if you would ask me, I think it has to do with their remuneration, when these artisans go outside the country to work, they get paid good money hourly, but here in Nigeria, we pay them a week’s salary at the end of the day so it is not as lucrative. The truth is I think it is in the culture of artisans from that region, and by this, I mean their act of work, they are more devoted because they see a future in it and they are contemptuous, but the average Nigerian is on the fast land and does not want to subject himself to such a slow growth in his career, and I do not blame them because the construction industry has to be the most unstable in terms of employment, because when a project ends, the workers get laid off so I can understand that construction might not give them that job security.
Do you know of any ongoing or completed projects where bamboo reinforcement has been successfully implemented, and what were the outcomes?
Well, like I said, the option of bamboo is still being researched, we don’t have consistent facts and figures yet, and I have not used it. But it’s something you’ve seen in the industry, yes, it’s something I’ve seen, but I would not want to comment on it because we don’t have consistent data on it, so, so far, all I’ve been seeing is mass speculation, I don’t think there has been a single industry that has been deliberate enough to do a detailed analysis on it.
What regulatory or policy changes, if any, would you recommend to further encourage the adoption of bamboo reinforcement in Nigerian construction practices?
Yes, what I would have expected would have been that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Federal Ministry of Housing, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers, Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers and other related agencies to have investigated it, they should have done their tests, and they should have come up with their data. So, COREN should be doing things like that because whether we like it or not, we are trying to have a problem of the rising cost of construction upon all of us.
So, the earlier we begin to find a solution, the better for everyone because it’s very common now in Lagos, apologies to Lagos developers, we are seeing a lot of substandard stuff because people are trying to cut corners, so, I feel if COREN takes it upon themselves to make necessary investigations, we might find alternative solutions, and I believe this would further encourage the use or the adoption of bamboo reinforcements, the only thing I have against bamboo, which I have said several times, is that we don’t have consistent data, COREN is an authority in construction, So, if COREN can do a research and adopt a position on it, everyone will follow suit.
As a professional, do you think the price of building materials would affect the quality of buildings in the future?
Well, over the years, growing up, when we meet senior engineers, they’ve talked about the quality of jobs being done over the years compared to what we are doing now. Also, there has been quality of construction. For instance, now, what we have, back then, for reinforcements, the length is constant, 12 meters; but now, what we have is 11.7, 11.8, 11.6. Now, the average is 16mm in the market, when you check the diameter, it’s actually up to 16mm. It applies to our wood and all of that. The quality has drastically reduced, for instance, when I’m buying 2×4 wood, by default, it is no longer measuring 2×4. If I need 2×4, I have to tell them it has to be complete, and I have to pay more. So many people are comfortable using 2×4 that is not 2×4, because of cost, and those of us that want actual 2×4, we have to pay extra. So same with marine boards, for a standard marine board now, it’s about 50,000, people would rather use the ones for 16,000, because of cost. So those are the issues that are facing us.
What do you envision for the future of bamboo as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative in the engineering and construction industries in Nigeria?
Well, bamboo has the potential, so it’s up to us to harness the potential and make it into something meaningful, so it’s actually up to us. Bamboo has the potential, we just need to harness the potential to give us what we want, how best can we harness the potential of bamboo, it is through more research, let’s have deliberate research.
Thai interview was originally published in Punch