The earthquake that occurred on November 7 in Guatemala became the litmus test for 600 houses located in the village of El Triunfo in the town of San Marcos (Guatemela). The residences, built with bamboo , withstood the earthquake and became an option for the construction sector.
This material has also been used for the construction of 22 schools. According to David Valdez, a technician at the Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (Icta), a house that has an approximate area of 42 square meters and has two bedrooms and a bathroom, may cost close to US $ 3,500. Which is a much lower value than buildings that use other materials.
Guatemala has a total of 12,000 hectares planted with bamboo, in Retalhuleu, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango and Escuintla.
Among the properties of bamboo is its resistance to cyclones, floods, droughts and pests, to use it in construction it must be cut in summer so that it does not contain much water and apply a diesel treatment in the cuts that are made to protect it from the moth.
