The use of a bamboo reinforced concrete foundation for a simple environmentally friendly house in Indonesia

In typical rural house construction, reinforced concrete foundation plates are not commonly used due to economic factors and the high cost of steel, which often results in compromised safety. Bamboo offers an affordable, renewable, CO₂-absorbent material with high tensile strength. This research supported low-income communities by exploring the application of bamboo-reinforced concrete (PB) foundation plates. Technical feasibility, such as load capacity, crack pattern, and failure, were examined and compared with steel-reinforced concrete (PS) plates. Four foundation specimens with dimensions of 70 × 70 × 15 cm³ consisting of three PB foundation plates and one PS foundation were analyzed. The bamboo reinforcement had dimensions of 15 mm × 15 mm, and the steel reinforcement had a diameter of 10 mm. Different spacing variations were tested, including bamboo reinforcement spacings of 100 mm, 125 mm, and 150 mm, with a steel reinforcement spacing of 130 mm. During testing, a concentrated load was applied at the four corners of each foundation. The results showed that the PB foundation plate with a reinforcement spacing of 100 mm exhibited a 3.16% higher load capacity compared to PS foundation plate with a 10 mm reinforcement spaced at 130 mm. The stress zones, crack patterns, and failure modes of the PB foundation plates exhibited similarities to the PS foundation serving as the control. Based on these findings, PB foundation plates are a feasible option for a simple rural house foundation.