Under Construction

Walking through Hong Kong, you can’t help but notice the bamboo scaffolding covered with green netting all over town. While bamboo scaffolding has largely been banished from most high-rise construction sites in other Asian countries, the practice continues throughout Hong Kong.

The sight of the skyscraper tall bamboo scaffolding is pretty amazing and to my unfamiliar eye it looks very unsafe and flimsy. Particularly when you see that the bottom of the bamboo skeleton is resting on the diagonally cut ends of the bamboo and that the bamboo components are hold together by a thin piece of plastic.

But no matter how unsettling it may look, it is argued that bamboo is in fact very strong and surprisingly functional. Defenders of bamboo scaffolding argue that it is strong, extremely lightweight, flexible, cost-effective and eco-friendly as bamboo is the fastest growing type of wood. Bamboo also has an advantage over other types of scaffolding in typhoon prone areas such as Hong Kong as bamboo bends in high winds, while steel scaffolding breaks.

Despite these arguments in favour of bamboo scaffolding, bamboo scaffolding has been banned from many other countries mainly for safety and environmental reasons. It remains to be seen whether it will also be banned from Hong Kong or if the sight of buildings clad in green netting and bamboo scaffolding will remain part of the Hong Kong skyline.

Bye for now!