Like a little brother to the jeepney, the tricycle (a motorcycle attached with a sidecar on a third wheel) is another Philippine icon that is seen cruising the streets. They are everywhere, especially on smaller roads for short distances, and often on roads where jeepneys or buses are not supposed to operate. Tricycles are used as a kind of taxi for those who cannot afford their own motorcycle, scooter or car. With tricycles, there's no limit to the weight or number of persons that it can hold. We've seen tricycles holding as much as 8 passengers at a time, not including the driver. Beware of encountering one of these at night as they lack sufficient back, side and break lighting, not to mention the one front headlight that often shines from inside the glass. It's interesting to travel around the Philippines, from island to island, and the see their varying shapes, styles and decor as each one is customized to the driver's liking. I found the Dumaguete body and windshield style of tricycle quite attractive.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Repurposed Design
This tricycle driver decided to utilize his rainbow suspenders for more than just sweet style. The added light weight back support goes a long way on the bumpy island roads of Dumaguete.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
Our Buglas Bamboo tour de force ended with a visit to their furniture showroom. Locals of the bamboo industry were present to speak to the group which eventually lead to our summing up of our influential 2-day stay in Dumaguete. The afternoon meeting concluded with team Nagaland singing a lovely song in appreciation of Frans and crew. Before taking off for our hotel, Frans was kind enough to take the time to speak with us for a special interview. You can view the insightful interviews with Frans here.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
After visiting Buglas Bamboo's factory we visited their pre-processing factory located only 15 minutes away. All the bamboo that is harvested for building is brought here for proper treatment and drying to resist bamboo-damaging fungi and insects.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
Borax bath anyone? This vertical acidic bath process helps preserve the bamboo by making it resistant to fungi. The diluted borax water mixture is reused many times over. We are still researching its application and environmental impact as it has a history of benefits as well as toxicity implications to humans in concentrated doses. Natural anti-fungi properties exist in various vegetation here in the Philippines such as in coconut oil as well as lemon grass though it is not commercially used. These non-toxic alternatives could make for an excellent solution as well as fuel sustainable local industry. We will be conducting testing to see if this can be a viable solution.
Even though borax is commonly used throughout the year, the process only needs to be used on bamboo harvested during the wetter months. During a certain time of year (we were told the months here ending in - er) all harvested bamboo is naturally fungi resistant. Another alternative to borax could be the integration of larger and more abundant bamboo plantation resources. This could make it possible to entirely eliminate this processing stage and facility. All the more reason the world needs more bamboo plantations.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
The harvesting and processing of bamboo creates stable and steady work for both men and women. Buglas Institute's continued support of the community makes his company a shining example and model for developing economies around the world. The industrial quest for more advance and expensive machinery is not always what is needed especially in these economy building societies. Here in the Philippines it is clear how industries creating viable jobs can create the most positive change.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
Group photo taken at Buglas Bamboo Insitute's factory. This afternoon marked a significant point in our research and made our decision to join the tour unmistakable. Our confidence is greater than ever and now we have a clearer vision of how this will affect the design of our bamboo home for the Winaca Village.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
Preparation process in the making of flat bamboo sheets for flooring and walls.
1.) split bamboo in two halves, 2.) continue to split the bamboo culm from within taking care in not chopping all the way through, 3.) once bamboo is more or less flat, remove inner nodes, 4.) plane until both surfaces are smooth and to desired thickness, 5.) glue laminate, fill panels and let dry in preparation for final planing, 6.) repeat.
Video can be seen here.
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
Other than power tools, these are the most common tools used by workers at Buglas Bamboo. This shows to tell how simple bamboo can be to work with, but as we have observed, demanding of craftsmanship, skill and experience. The larger blade is used to split and flatten bamboo, cutting inner nodes, and making rough cuts. The smaller blade is used for finer carving and working out details and fittings.
Bamboo 101
Bamboo, or the family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae (for you biology particulars out there) is a wood perennial evergreen, and is a true grass. There are over a 1,250 species most growing within 40 degrees of either side of the equator. Here in the PI, there are 62 species, 21 of which are endemic or native. The applications are diverse, ranging from fabric, paper, food, charcoal, and exemplary design materials. We are now in an exciting time of increasing technological advances where we will probably see sustainable bamboo replace slow-growing solid wood as the new residential building material. An interesting fact is that a 60 foot tree cut for market takes 60 years to replace. A 60 foot bamboo cut for market takes 59 days to replace. These facts come courtesy of the informative website for the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR). Link located on side bar.
// Cons
Susceptible to fungi and insects
Misconceptions as poor man's lumber
Still figuring it out...
// Pros
Appealing aesthetic
Tensile strength
Extraordinary hardness
Renewable + sustainable
Abundance and rate of regeneration
Quick to reach harvest maturity: +3 yrs.
Easy propagation
Not clearcut during harvest unlike wood
Plantations remain green + O2 producing
Diverse range of possible applications
Bamboo Immersion Trip - Day 2
Our day started off with a comprehensive tour of Buglas Bamboo Institute's factory located on the outskirts of Dumaguete. There, several projects were in the making, including a bamboo home that was being built for disassembly to be shipped out to a client in Belgium. Several furniture pieces were also being worked on, as well as bamboo slats and sheets for flooring and wall applications. Observing the workers in this open-air, well-equipped warehouse gave us a first-hand look at how bamboo is worked and used as a building material.
Video can be seen here.