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GROWING
MARKET FOR VERSATILE BAMBOO
Bamboo,
a fast-growing, renewable resource, is attracting more interest in the
U.S. as a home accessories and construction material. Smith and Fong,
located near San Francisco, imports Plyboo, a plywood paneling and flooring
product manufactured in China from kiln-dried, laminated bamboo strips.
"Plyboo flooring is twice as stable and nearly as hard as standard
red oak flooring" and is comparably priced, says Dan Smith. Home
& Planet, a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania store offering environmentally
responsible home furnishings, carries bamboo sofa tables, end tables and
coffee tables. Millions of people in Asia and Latin America depend on
bamboo structures, but in the U.S. few designers are familiar with using
bamboo as a construction material. Although it's not approved by any U.S.
building codes, this may change. ICBO, an international standards-setting
organization, is writing a report detailing requirements for using bamboo
in construction. Further proof of bamboo's value as a construction material
may be found at the world fair opening in Hanover, Germany in June, where
a 9,000-square-foot pavilion is being built using bamboo trusses and framing.
Clip from:
In Business, Nov/Dec 99, p.15, by Bob Feinbaum.
For more information: http://www.plyboo.com
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