A Bamboo Space Frame for a Low-Carbon Sustainable Community Market Hub

Abstract

In response to concerns about climate change, many accept that buildings need to reduce their substantial CO2 emissions during construction and operation. Steel and concrete, which are major construction ma-terials in recent years, require decarbonization with innovative, sustainable building materials as alter-natives to traditional construction methods, particularly for large buildings with space-frame designs. Bamboo, as a locally sourced, sustainable building material, offers a resilient opportunity for sustainable architecture with high CO2 sequestration capacity.

This thesis examines the structural potential and environmental benefits of designing and constructing with bamboo for a space-framed design. In a case study of a community market hub in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, the rapid growth of bamboo at the site is integral to mitigating environmental impacts and reducing embodied carbon in the building materials.

The scope of this thesis is divided into three steps. First, mapping the site location for the community market hub to understand the climatic conditions, then using the data to inform the building orientation and its energy performance (using a design model), drawing on the literature. Second, the use of Rhino-Grasshopper software for building model design and Sun, Earth, and Tools to demonstrate the sun path in the market hub design. One building type was selected for sun path analysis conducted at four times a day, and the results apply to the six prototype buildings with similar orientations on the site. Lastly, A proposed bamboo-based space frame was developed using five and three-inch Bambusa vulgaris (com-mon bamboo), the species present in the research area, and a single building structure was replicated across six prototypes to enhance market usability. A schematic design of the structural system for the market hub demonstrates three load paths: lateral, gravity, and uplift forces, which are important for preventing building structural failure due to its complexity. For the load path, several designs were com-pared before selecting the best solution for the market hub, which uses a steel base plate, steel clamps, cast ball joints, gravel, bolts, and nuts for the connection.