Karnataka's Jungle Lodges and Resorts headquarters in Bengaluru to be made of bamboo

An artistic impression of the JLR House made of engineered bamboo near Ulsoor Lake in Bengaluru.

Karnataka government entity Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd is planning to build its headquarters, JLR House, almost entirely using bamboo near Ulsoor Lake in Bengaluru.

JLR officials told Moneycontrol that they are planning a head office with a building size of 40,500 square feet. Prashant Shankhinamath, managing director of JLR, told Moneycontrol: "This concept is more eco-friendly. Engineered bamboo is a composite made from bamboo wood. It's much stronger than traditional bamboo and is comparable to steel. The project, which is estimated to cost Rs 18 crore, will be completed in a year."

"The basement, measuring 9,000 square feet, will be constructed using reinforced cement concrete (RCC), while the 31,500 square feet multi-storey superstructure will be made entirely from engineered bamboo wood lumber," said another official.

The project site (15,558.96 square feet plot size) overlooks Ulsoor Lake, adjacent to the Madras Sappers entry gate in Bengaluru.

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“The structure will feature ground plus two additional floors, with a terrace constructed using a light roof. This will be the first structure in Karnataka built entirely from engineered bamboo wood of this magnitude," the official added.

This will not be the only structure in the city to use this material extensively. The interiors of Bengaluru airport's terminal 2, which spans 255,645 square metres, have been designed using bamboo. T2's design incorporates engineered bamboo in the ceilings, pillars, railings, staircases, gardens, and various other structures.

"While Bengaluru airport T2 is actually clad in steel with engineered bamboo, we will use steel only for the joiners," said Shankhinamath, adding that it is the first of its kind in India to use engineered bamboo for an entire multi-storey building.

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The superstructure will utilise a pre-engineered, prefabricated, high-precision construction system, which is primarily prepared in the factory for onsite assembly. “The quick, dry-construction approach, mechanised and prefabricated, is expected to complete more than 70 percent of the superstructure as factory processing," the second official said.

Technology

JLR recently floated a tender for the construction of JLR House. The tender documents stated that engineered bamboo wood is a strong, durable and eco-friendly construction material made from grass, rather than from felled trees. This lumber is produced through a strand-woven process, where bamboo fibres are twisted into ropes, moulded, bonded with phenol and compressed under heat and pressure. With a density of 1,000 kg/m³ and a load-bearing capacity of 1,000 kgF, it is also termite-proof, water-resistant and a fire retardant. All materials will be certified by the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council or an equivalent authority.

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The lumber is cut to various sizes based on structural design and interlocked to form columns, beams, purlins and rafters. The weaving process enhances rigidity, creating a tight structural framework with metal joineries and bolts. The walls and floors will consist of 8-feet by 4-feet engineered bamboo wood planks, with a sandwiched floor providing sound insulation and added strength.

This unique construction system is designed according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) code 15912 (Structural Design Using Bamboo—Code of Practice). “The Institution of Wood Science and Technology (IWST, under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) has agreed to conduct a complete lifecycle analysis of the built structure,” the official said.

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“This is a dry-construction process that is pre-engineered, prefabricated in the factory, prepolished, and requires only the assembly of the kit of parts on site. This approach saves more than 50 percent of the time compared to conventional construction, uses no water, and requires very little labour while being highly precise and efficient,” he added.

“These buildings have a long lifespan and need only an external-grade oil coating every seven to eight years for maintenance. The contractor must comply with all processes required to establish an LCA (life cycle analysis) certificate from IWST and obtain process certification for construction from BIS,” the official said.

JLR, a wildlife and eco-tourism unit under the Karnataka tourism department, operates 19 resorts and one hotel in ecologically sensitive areas, along with four resorts managed through contracts.

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