Composite Bamboo Shear Walls for affordable housing worldwide – Case study of El Salvador

Robust, replicable family housing for vulnerable areas.

This 39 m² home pilots an innovative housing system using Composite Bamboo Shear Walls (CBSW) – a model for durable, low-cost, one-storey residences for vulnerable families in seismic and hurricane-prone regions. The initiative addresses unsafe informal housing by offering a resilient, affordable, community-constructed alternative, benefiting low-income households across tropical and subtropical regions.

CBSWs combine timber or bamboo frames with cane/bamboo lattices, wrapped in mesh and plastered in cement render. Locally harvested cane and FSC-certified timber create low-carbon walls with half the embodied carbon of masonry. Laboratory-tested and codified internationally, the system is robust, replicable, and designed for a 50-year lifespan. By saving approximately six tonnes of CO₂ per house while generating farmer income, CBSWs offers a transformative, scalable housing solution.

 

 

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