‘The Green Steel of the 21st Century’

Cheap, strong and plentiful, bamboo has been used in Hong Kong for ages as an ultra-sustainable building material. Other countries are catching on.

‘The Green Steel of the 21st Century’

Cheap, strong and plentiful, bamboo has been used in Hong Kong for ages as an ultra-sustainable building material. Other countries are catching on.

Credit: Peter Yeung

Even as bamboo grows in popularity, wood is being used to build more sustainable skyscrapers.

Peter Yeung is a Contributing Editor at Reasons to be Cheerful. A Paris-based journalist, he also writes for publications including the Guardian, the LA Times and the BBC. He’s filed stories from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Related Stories

The Era of the Wood Skyscraper Is Arriving

5 min read

Sprouting in our concrete jungles, high-rises built of wood are pointing the way to a greener form of construction.

Beirut Is Greening the Aftermath of Disaster

6 min read

One year ago an explosion decimated Beirut. Today, the city is picking up the pieces — and using them to rebuild.

‘Green Infrastructure’ for Clean Water Proves Itself in Washington D.C.

7 min read

The U.S. capital is tackling a sewer overflow problem with a softer solution.

My bookmarks