A Non-Conventional Spatial Intervention: Bamboo in a Modern Architecture Campus

*Paula Cano Vergara and Caori Takeuchi* 

#### **Abstract**

 The increase of fast building development and the need of restructuring heritage complexes have unleashed as much in strong environmental consequences as set concepts of life expectancy and conservation policies, hence the need to prioritize and drive sustainable development such as constructions of bamboo in configured environments made of concrete and brick as in Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL), a heritage architecture campus which several studies and projects have started to focus on environmental issues and the lack of public space. The Wood and Bamboo Structures Research Group (SEMBU) from the UNAL, Bogota, campus has proposed a *Guadua* bamboo (*Guadua angustifolia*) bus stop with a green roof system, as a partial solution to these problems and a chance to research. The project is a visible structure, which is daily used by a large part of the university community, therefore, making it easier to publicize the effectiveness of the construction with non-conventional materials. This proposal will mark the beginning of a path toward sustainability in building a complex made of architectural language, through the assistance of the transfer of technology and sustainable development in the campus.

**Keywords:** Guadua bamboo structure, sustainable heritage, ephemeral architecture, fast construction and campus

#### **1. Introduction**

A spatial intervention is an interaction between nature, geography, and culture, which exhibits temporary and permanent dynamics. Both dynamics mark territorial identity. For instance, urban space and buildings emphasize customs and are the first step toward identifying basic needs related to living.

Our context, the UNAL, Bogota, campus, is an architectural heritage campus created by the architect Leopold Rother (1936). It was established as a modern architecture paradigm (**Figure 1a** and **b**), divorced from the Spanish colonial and republican design and construction common in Colombia at that time.

The campus is located on a 3025-acre area (355,000 sq. meters) (**Figure 2**) in the center of the city, and it is one of the main green areas in Bogota. It has 127 buildings, of which half present serious structural damage, and 17 are registered as historical buildings [1].

In order to keep the design language and urban configuration, present in our campus' context, spatial interventions are conceived in the following ways: First, there are long bureaucratic processes related to heritage and construction

#### **Figure 1.**

*Universidad Nacional de Colombia. (a) Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogota. 1939. Proa. 1980. (b) Engineer building. Arq. Bruno Violi. 1943–1945.* 

#### **Figure 2.**

management in an attempt to maintain the Rother project. Second, in response to the insufficiency of infrastructure, pop-up stands and other types of ephemeral and "nonofficial" spaces characterize the students' life dynamics; lastly, there are invisible places and meeting points such as bus stops. For example, architecture and art students must travel by bus to their classes, which are 1 mile and a half from the campus due to the demolition and delayed construction of their building. While waiting for the bus, they and their supplies and models are subject to inclement weather and other inconveniences.

The student research group SEMBU identified the problem of the university community well-being at bus stops, which included the lack of protection against weather and minimal seat and space availability for the handicapped. SEMBU made a Passenger Frequency Analysis and concluded that an intervention, regarding the campus in environment and building terms, was imperative. Also, environmental threats to the campus are a big concern. Almost all buildings in the campus are more than 50 years old, which translates into a lack of any sustainable system or a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS). Just a couple of new buildings have implemented sun panels or LED technology.

*Top view of Universidad Nacional Bogota, Instituto de Estudios Urbanos (IEU) on August 18, 2018.* 

#### *A Non-Conventional Spatial Intervention: Bamboo in a Modern Architecture Campus DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

 This circumstance provided an opportunity for SEMBU to construct an efficient solution with a local material that offers a simple and fast assemblage: A *Guadua*  bamboo (*Guadua angustifolia*) structure topped by a green roof and solar panel. The proposal, a bus stop pilot project, pursued an active spatial intervention, and it can be either a permanent or temporary project. This project was developed through a collaboration between architecture and engineer students. SEMBU's proposal focused mainly on the users rather than the architectural campus language, in which the design was contemplated in every structural aspect (foundation, mechanical properties, and junctions) with architectural elements. More than an academic exercise, the bus stop design and construction processes are a seed to promote sustainable and suitable architecture into a heritage context, to share this knowledge by a bamboo building manual and to get the acceptance by the university community of new types of buildings into an established green building complex.

SEMBU is aware that this bus stop and future ones will not represent the modern campus language, but they are sure that these kinds of non-conventional interventions with non-conventional materials are a great alternative for solving conventional problems. Projects like this are important because they promote research into structural bamboo studies and wooden/bamboo architecture interventions.

This kind of student project is not only sustainable but also affordable considering all the infrastructure problems found in public universities. Problems can be solved without long processes with this ecological, cheap, strong, and local material: *Guadua* bamboo.

#### **2. A hybrid landscape**

The UNAL was established as a modern architecture paradigm in 1936; it shows one of the best Colombian modern architecture of the twentieth century. Buildings are located as pavilions, most of them far from each other, surrounded by green areas offering several landscapes and paths. With the objective of keeping this context, the urban planning and heritage office has set a master plan despite insufficient infrastructure and the state of the bureaucratic process. This situation has caused many unofficial interventions in the campus. Everyday new market stands, removable insecure structures, and so forth are being built beside sidewalks and squares, among other places without any urban regulation. Additionally, meeting points and open spaces create other types of non-configured architecture, for instance, bus stops. There is no structure nor a cover; there is no seating space for regular students or space availability for the handicapped. Students are subject to inclement weather conditions and other inconveniences.

#### **2.1 Architecture: a bus stop**

 Considering the infrastructure issue of the lack of complimentary spaces to academic ones, and environmental threats present in the UNAL campus, the research group decided to implement a project as a possible solution to them. After a series of analysis and tests, SEMBU designed and implemented a bus stop made of *Guadua*  bamboo. The concept is easy and comfortable; it focuses on efficiency and possibility of being disassembled (**Figure 3**), therefore making it easier for this project to be replicated in different urban spots. This model pursues the lowest visual impact on the architecture of the UNAL campus and represents a small but complete sample of green and elemental building. SEMBU worked on three aspects in this project: Architecture, material and structure, and sustainable drainage systems.

This pilot project was the first one designed and built completely from scratch by SEMBU; its members (students) brought theory to practice, presented a proposal

**Figure 3.**  *Isometric cutting plane and connection details. Own elaboration 2019.* 

based on regulation, and applied the tests never tried before. At the end, to guarantee the safest structure, and following Normas Sismo Resistente Colombiana (NSR-10) (Resistant Construction Building Colombian Regulation), the result was an oversized structure but not aggressive to campus language thanks to the proportions, the color of the Guadua, and the green roof; in fact, the structure becomes part of the green area.

 SEMBU's commitment is to optimize the structure and building process keeping in mind integration, visual connection, and the use in the most respectful way with campus environment.

#### **3. Material and structure**

#### **3.1 Material**

Bamboo is a material used since antique times in small and crafted constructions such as dwellings, bridges, and stands, among others, with fast and accurate results to inhabit [2]. Nowadays, there are several studies about Bamboo's physical

#### *A Non-Conventional Spatial Intervention: Bamboo in a Modern Architecture Campus DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

properties, and thanks to these, there are many applications in several big projects, offering a positive impact in users and the environment. Due to its mechanical properties, Guadua bamboo is called "green steel" [3, 4]. It has great resistance to tensile stress, bending, and compression. It is not a thermal conductor, it does not suffer a significant expansion, and it is flexible which allows the exploration of its use in different architectural designs. Additionally, it is an anisotropic material: its transverse dimension is heterogenic, and its properties can be affected by weather, light, and soil, among other external stimuli; therefore, before any intervention, it is important to make a sorting process of physical aspects and mechanical procedures, to aim to get the higher resistance to natural effects as degradation. Bamboo increases its useful life for at least 3 years more, depending on the treatment, with accurate maintenance; *Guadua* bamboo can keep its structural function for a longer time [5]. Advantages of Guadua bamboo projects can be stated as in the following:


#### **Figure 5.**

*Views from bamboo (own elaboration 2018): (a) hand bamboo-structures and (b) bus stop as civil infrastructure and meeting point.* 

**Figure 6.**  *Views from bamboo: (a) compounded connections and (b) joinery.* 

#### **3.2 Structure**

 This project faced three challenges: A significant load due to the green roof (1200 pounds m<sup>2</sup> ), a building method easy to replicate, and a clean design with less visual impact, which translated into an assembled structure with few elements, simple but rigid. Structure designers determined that compounded connections (**Figure 6a**) were better than joinery (**Figure 6b**). Joinery increases slits in streaks, reducing load properties up to 40% and exposing the structure to imminent failure [6]. Moreover, joinery technique needs more steps and a qualified assemblage to make it.

 Structural numerical analysis was made on SAP 2000 (**Figure 7**), simulating *Guadua* as circular pipes of 3/8 or 1/2 inches diameter and 3/8 inches thickness with some divisions along its length to simulate nodes and internodes and showing the most stressed element, lateral beams. Mechanical values were taken from *Normas Sismo Resistente Colombiana* (NSR10) chapter G, toward the allowed stress design (G.12.8.9, NSR10).

Estimated values for analysis are in the following:


*A Non-Conventional Spatial Intervention: Bamboo in a Modern Architecture Campus DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

**Figure 7.**  *SAP model showing the most stressed element, lateral beams (marked in red).* 


*(G.12.8.9, NSR10) vs. SAP model structural efforts applied to the most critical element, lateral beams ‖ = Parallel compression to longitudinal axis* 

#### **Table 1.**

*Allowed stress of Guadua, applied to bus stop structure model.* 


 Due to size and location, wind load was not considered; however two struts were installed to increase rigidity.

SEMBU considered to apply allowed stresses from **Table 1** for structural propose, because SAP model results were lower than the minimum required in **Table 1**. That allowed them the optimization of the structure by using thinner elements and less compounded connections.

#### **4. Green roof**

This system promotes a sustainable environment; it is an effective strategy for beautifying the extant environment and balancing hydrologic cycle disturbance impact caused by housing development around the campus, waterproof areas, and the excessive use of the concrete. It retains water helping to balance point temperature.

To apply the sustainable urban drainage systems, it was necessary to study the weather and surrounding flora to achieve the best match with the context and ensure its durability. With the help of Semillero de Investigación en Hidrología Urbana (SIHU) (Urban Hydrology research group), a research group from UNAL, Bogota, campus, an extensive green roof (**Figure 8**) was chosen as the best option because it has low-maintenance requirements and does not usually require artificial irrigation. Based on thin soil or substrate layers, planting styles are naturalistic

**Figure 8.**  *Multilayer system of extensive green roof.* 

 with the object of establishing a self-sustaining plant community, such as sedums or hardy wild flower mixtures [7]. Also, the best option as green layer was *Sedums reflexum Angelina,* due to its resistance to temperature and humidity changes in short winters and dry periods and its ability to survive in arid-dry substrates [8]. To block torsion, green roof load varies and balances the structure. The soil load is 0.0019-inch-thick in the back and 0.0007-inch-thick in the front.

Green roof basic aspects in a *Guadua* bamboo structure can be classified as in the following:


#### **5. Conclusion**

City, heritage, and ephemeral architecture coexist in a hybrid landscape following social dynamics which are evident through its historical appropriation. Thus,

#### *A Non-Conventional Spatial Intervention: Bamboo in a Modern Architecture Campus DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

some aspects are more accepted and closer to inhabitants than others regardless of these situations being or not socially and environmentally sustainable, for instance, in Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the imaginary is more highly linked to modern architecture rather than other aspects as a green campus or daily active student dynamics. On the other hand, UNAL shows an additional conflict, a lack of infrastructure that, despite triggering many academic issues as the demolition of architecture and design building and moving their students out of campus, has boosted research and applications of alternatives that can help to mitigate the lack of complimentary spaces to academic activities, put hands on climate changes, and promote awareness about the environment and good habits to keep it.

 It is important that these projects be understood by users, in this case, the university community, not as a problem but as a challenge and opportunity to work collectively. Projects such as this bus stop come from basic living needs, as shelter and protection, and come against many efforts that have tried to get rid of these small interventions in spite of them coming from student dynamics and are habitability solutions. In parallel they suggest non-conventional building methods, new space-user relations, and better urban regulations.

Research of such non-conventional materials projects is still a challenge. It gives the opportunity and the tools to young professionals to reach a significant impact, to get a healthy, green, and friendly campus. It is our chance to propose projects in which the main values are sustainability and respect for the environment and heritage. It is important to observe and work on immediate context using local materials and systems that give people inclusive urban spaces, better weather conditions, and technical facilities.

#### **Acknowledgements**

We thank all members from SEMBU and Semillero de Investigación en Hidrología Urbana (SIHU) who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research, design, and build of UNAL bus stop. We thank Juan Felipe Agudelo for comments that greatly improved the manuscript.

This research was supported and funded by Arme, SIBguadua, ASIAC, J.A.M, Yusumi Ingeniería, and the Department of Civil and Agriculture Engineering of Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Any errors are our own and should not tarnish the reputations of these esteemed persons.

#### **Conflict of interest**

All authors have participated in (a) conception and design or analysis and interpretation of the data, (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and (c) approval of the final version. This manuscript has not been submitted to, nor is under review at, another journal or other publishing venue. The authors have no affiliation with any organization with a direct or indirect financial interest in the subject matter discussed in the manuscript.

#### **Author details**

Paula Cano Vergara1 \* and Caori Takeuchi<sup>2</sup>

1 Wood and Bamboo Structures Research Group (SEMBU), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia

2 Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia

\*Address all correspondence to: pncanov@unal.edu.co

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*A Non-Conventional Spatial Intervention: Bamboo in a Modern Architecture Campus DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

#### **References**

[1] Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Situación física de algunos edificios de la Ciudad Universitaria [Internet]. Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia; p. 121. [Internet]. 2012. Available from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct= j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved =2ahUKEwit5ILOh9bhAhViplkKHT9D D4MQFjAAegQIAxAC&url=http%3A% 2F%2Fwww.unal.edu.co%2FPostmaster %2F2012%2FPlanta%2520fisica%2520s ede%2520Bogota.pdf&usg=AOvVaw07 9b1zdeFtvmHvfzcvtpxd

[2] Harries K, Sharma B. Nonconventional and Vernacular Construction Materials. 2016. p. 37-61

 [3] Javadian A, Smith I, Saeidi N, Hebel D. Mechanical properties of bamboo through measurement of culm physical properties for composite fabrication of structural concrete reinforcement. Frontiers in Materials. 2019;**6**

[4] Takeuchi C. Comportamiento estructural de la guadua angustifolia. Uniones en guadua. Ingeniería e Investigación. Bogota: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Bogota; 2019. pp. 3-7

[5] Trujillo D. La madera como material constructivo. Presentation presented at Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional; 2018

[6] Ayala E, Castillo C. Comportamiento estructural. Vivienda de dos pisos elaborada con pórticos rigidizados con paneles prefabricsdos en guadua. Presentation presented at SibGuadia; 2017

[7] Butler D, Davies J. Urban Drainage. 3rd ed. Hoboken: CRC Press; 2010

[8] Fandiño L. Evaluación de una cubierta verde Como sistema de drenaje urbano sostenible [MSc thesis]. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; 2019

**525**

**Chapter 43**

*Ali Acet*

**Abstract**

Province

Gaziantep City branding

**1. Introduction**

Effects of Local Dynamics on City

Cities, with globalization, broke their local crust and attempted to prove themselves on international ground and to exist. In order to remain in a strong competition environment, they need sustainable branding policies with various strategies. The main objectives in the process of competition with other cities are to become a center of attraction in tourism and culture with the help of city branding, to increase its growth and development, to be revived economically, and to market the city in general. To achieve these goals, cities need to create an identity and image of the city by using their own values in the process of branding. In the process of creating city identity and city image, local dynamics have a critical role. When the local dynamics covering the history, culture, and economic activities of the city are used with the right strategies, it is expected to make significant contributions to the city branding. In this study, the branding process of Gaziantep Province was examined, and the examples of how the local dynamics are used in this process are shown with sample applications.

**Keywords:** city branding, city identity and city image, local dynamics,

adapts its existing structure with its new initiatives and movements.

a global scale and at the national and local scale.

City branding, in its simplest definition, is the application of product branding strategies on cities. However, the city branding process is a more comprehensive and complex process than the process of marketing a product. Before looking at the process of city branding, it is necessary to look at the concept of globalization, which contributes to this process. Globalization describes a process that precedes both in local and universal directions, pointing to an extremely dynamic and changing concept rather than a static structure. Globalization continues to influence the different areas of the world with each passing day, and in this way, it continuously

On the basis of the globalization process and the concept of inter-city competition, the desire is to increase its power in the global environment by attracting national and international capital and investors. City branding aims not only to provide a competitive advantage among the cities but also to provide advanced investment, to develop tourism, and to achieve social development. Also, any national and international capital that leads to the city is not only in the economic sense of the city; social, cultural, political, managerial in many dimensions both on

Branding: The Case of Gaziantep

#### **Chapter 43**
