Ask Mr. Know-It-All: Why do they still use bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong?

 

The advantages of bamboo don’t lie in sheer strength, Bamboozled. It doesn’t have to be that strong: it just has to get you up there. Bamboo scaffolding is an art, requiring a craftsman’s sensitivity to natural materials—100 meters in the air. 

 

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet: in some instances it hits 91 centimeters per day. It has a sky-high strength-to-weight ratio. Its internal cell-like structure allows it to withstand compression with ease—and when you’re building upwards, that’s pretty important.

 

There are two kinds of bamboo used in most Hong Kong scaffolding: they are called 篙竹 and 毛竹, Kao Jue and Mao Jue—meaning “pole bamboo” and “hair bamboo.” Mao Jue is thicker and stronger: 75mm in diameter, with walls at least 10mm thick. It’s used as the load-bearing support. Kao Jue is thinner: 40mm wide. It’s used for platforms, bracing and horizontal support. All bamboo is at least 3 years old, and air-dried for at least three months. In the past, strips of bamboo soaked in water were used to tie everything together, but making them was a time-consuming process. These days, workers use those ubiquitous black nylon strips instead.