WITH A MERE BUDGET OF P1.1 million, Carmelita Bersalona built a 200-square meter duplex in her hometown, Bangued, Abra, in three months. A proponent of sustainable living, she says Abra is one of the country?s main sources of bamboo.

The home is a showcase of what she imparts as the Livelihood and Economic Development Program coordinator and production system specialist of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, whose headquarters is in Beijing. She travels around the world, lecturing on the merits of bamboo and rattan as reliable construction materials, and how they offer sustainable ways to help people out of poverty.

?I like to live what I preach,? says Bersalona. ?Bamboo is good for environment protection because it abates soil erosion, conserves water and grows faster. It?s so renewable that when you cut a clump properly, there is no need to replant because new shoots come out. You can harvest in seven years, unlike trees that, when they are cut, are gone and it takes 40 years to cultivate them. For sustainable development, growers can sell the poles. The surplus can be made into handicrafts and industrial products.?
One reason she was able to keep the cost down was that she herself supervised the construction. All the workers were part of In-Hand (Industrialized Handicraft), a network which provides skills to poorer communities.

?The bamboo is a backyard material. To get the most out of it, it must be harvested at the right time so it will last,? says Bersalona. ?You?ve got to know which part of the bamboo is suitable for which component of the house.?

Strong as steel

Because of its tensile strength, bamboo?when laminated?can be as strong as steel, and is used to build roads and bridges. More resistant to changes in moisture and temperature, it is ideal for wall panels, flooring and roofing sheets. To prevent infestation, bamboo is immersed in water for 15 weeks to remove the starch, which is normally eaten by insects. In the West, bamboo is treated with borax and boric acid, whose byproducts add nutrients to the soil.

Bersalona trains people to be creative and efficient in utilizing the bamboo. The lower part is made into floor boards; the middle can be crushed and used for panels; the other parts made into handicrafts. Wastes from bamboo are recycled into charcoal and fiber.

The concept of her bamboo house is to show the innovative ways of using bamboo. ?It is like a bahay kubo [nipa hut] with simple, modern comforts,? says Bersalona.

The two-story house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two kitchens and an open plan for the living and dining areas. Bersalona lives on the top floor, her brother?s family on the first floor. The house is encased in cement, steel and bamboo.

The distinctive traits of her dwelling are the ceiling, covered by bamboo puser (Cyrtochloa puser), a thick bamboo fence; stairs made from bamboo slats and edged with hand rails of Buddha belly bamboo.

For door panels, she installed ?plyboo? or architectural plywood made from bamboo. These panels retain the three-dimension character of the bamboo, revealing the strips and subtle nodes. The walls use rift grain wood, constructed of bamboo strips, laminated together and sanded in a natural tone.

Modern treatments

The shelves are built from runo, or reeds from the Cordilleras, while the counters are sturdy woven bamboo mats made in Abra. Her drawers are actually bamboo baskets.

There are elements from the bahay kubo such as the bamboo slat flooring (for ventilation), sliding capiz windows, the open kitchen with its ?banggerahan? or the open rack for drying the dishes, and huge overhangs on the lanai.

Even the furniture is bamboo, with modern treatments. The dining chair is resin-laminated bamboo, while the dining table has layers of flattened bamboo adhering horizontally and vertically. Most of the chairs are laminated woven bamboo. Floor lamps are recycled from discarded bamboo.

The open areas of the house are covered with runo curtains rolled up in the summer. During typhoon season, the house is covered in plastic. When it gets wet, the floors don?t warp because they are protected by a sealant.

?The house is easy to maintain. I can clean it myself in less than 30 minutes,? says Bersalona.

All the furniture and soft furnishings are made in Abra, while the accessories are mementos from her trips.