Laminated bamboo Architecture: A crop based system for Australian housing
Laminated bamboo Architecture: A crop based system for Australian housing
Speaker:
Dr Federico Riches
Summary:
NSW faces unprecedented housing demand, yet its dominant construction material — lightweight timber — is becoming harder to source, more expensive, and environmentally contentious. With native forest logging under scrutiny, plantation timber quality limitations, and global supply chains disrupted, the industry needs new options. Laminated bamboo offers a scalable, fast‑growing, low‑carbon alternative that Australian builders can work with. Its structural performance, surface quality, and versatility enable exposed applications and reduce reliance on secondary materials. Drawing on international project experience, this talk explores how bamboo’s single‑supplier manufacturing model can streamline procurement, enable prefabrication, and support faster, more sustainable housing delivery.
This talk was delivered online on 7 May 2026. Talk duration is 48 minutes.
Speaker Bio:
Federico Riches is a designer who brings together diverse architectural disciplines to develop a design language that showcases engineered bamboo at its best. With a background in computational design and offsite modular construction, he focuses on low‑carbon natural materials that introduce warmth, texture, and integrity into his work. He sees a strong synergy between prefabricated offsite systems and engineered bamboo, whose versatility spans flooring, structure, and furniture. He believes that laminated bamboo can offer an alternative crop-based solution to Australia housing market.
CPD Details:
This talk is offered as a formal CPD activity for architects, mapped to performance criteria PC35 and PC39 in the Australian 2021 National Standard of Competencies for Architects.
A copy of the CPD questions can be accessed here. If you take notes in digital format during the video, you will be able to copy/paste your answers into the questionnaire at the end.
Upon completion of the video, a link to the CPD questionnaire will be unlocked. Submit your answers via that link to earn 1 formal CPD point and receive your certificate for record-keeping purposes. Note: The questionnaire link will only load if the video is viewed from this webpage. If you navigate to YouTube to view the video, you will not be able to access it.