The benefits of bamboo in interior design

Bamboo is one of JOA’s favorite materials. Here are some reasons why.

 

Exceptional strength and durability.

Bamboo’s stability and durability make it an excellent alternative to the more traditional oak and beech species frequently found in Europe. With a density equivalent to oak, bamboo offers much better results in terms of impact resistance. Its multi-ply structure allows for an outstanding stability even with seasonal changes in temperature and humidity. You can therefore imagine it without fear in kitchens or bathrooms.

At JOA, we are adept at pushing the material to its limits. For a bookcase, for example, we will use very thin 16mm shelves. Where 20 or 30mm would be needed in solid oak to have the same stability or 40mm in MDF to have the same resistance.

Imagine the savings in material!

 

 

Bamboo, an aesthetic made for JOA.

We also work with other species in the form of multi-ply panels. Oak, walnut, ash, always in solid wood, always of very good quality, these panels have the advantage of being able to offer interesting stylistic variations. The multi-layer construction is essential for JOA to ensure the necessary strength and stability while maintaining a high degree of finesse. The edge of these panels is however more “rough” than bamboo which has a very nice inlay effect. We play with the look of these edges as a signature of our projects.

 

 

At JOA, we play a lot with curves. Bamboo is ideal for these configurations. Its lined effect will emphasize the curve, where the flame of an oak can blur the message.

The curves, diagonals and milling in the mass that we regularly use to soften and optimize the circulation, allow graphic games. The veining of the different layers appears at will, to embellish your creations with as many precise details, marks of all the know-how deployed for your JOA creation.

 

 

A natural, timeless aesthetic.

Far from playing with the codes of fashion, JOA positions itself on durable creations for which you will never tire. As we love natural, raw tones, we do not use stains on wood, allowing its beauty to express itself.

Besides the aesthetic aspect, it is also a technical choice. Because of its density, bamboo is a difficult material to treat. It took JOA and our partner Bambootouch months and many tests to find the right formula. This ensures a long service life without the need for our customers to constantly maintain the surfaces.

However, nothing prevents us from being creative! In this case, we prefer to color the steel parts of our creations. White, anthracite, blue, the relatively neutral color of bamboo allows it to blend with a wide range of colors, from the most sober to the most eccentric.

 

 

Using bamboo, an environmental gesture.

Technically, this material is particularly suitable for the construction of fixtures and staircases. As shown by various studies * :

• 2.5 times more resistant than oak to impacts
• it resists better to tensile and compressive stresses
• it resists better to temperature and hygrometry variations, for a lower density…

In short, it allows us to better combine visual lightness and durable resistance, all values that are the reasons for JOA’s existence.

Ecologically the bamboo of our partner Bambootouch also has many virtues (**):

 

• Its ability to capture CO² is 30% higher than that of a hardwood
• Its speed of growth is exceptional and allows to work after only 5 to 7 years, against at least 25 years for a species with rapid growth as the chestnut.
• Bamboo is a grass, therefore, when harvesting, we do not kill the plant. It grows back on its own and you do not participate in deforestation. It also avoids soil erosion by offering a particularly effective protection against floods, strong winds and light rays.
• Our partner Bambootouch ensures an excellent follow-up of the forest management of its supplies in China. Thus, only mature canes are harvested while maintaining a constant forest density. No insecticides, no fungicides, no clear-cutting or clearing, which ensures the protection of the fauna and flora of the undergrowth.
• Bamboo is an endemic species in China, where Bambootouch works. This resource has been managed in a sustainable way for centuries, unlike species imported for exploitation.

 

A reduced impact on the world.

The production of bamboo panels in a few figures :

• 2.5 times less energy consuming to produce than oak (0.63KW/h of electricity + 1.7 liter of water per kilo of panel produced).
• The entire cane is used (recovery of all the cutting residues as manufacturing energy).
• Treatment by immersion in hydrogen peroxide baths. No residue (well if … water and oxygen … )
• The glue used (2 to 3% of the panel) releases 87 times less formaldehyde than the European E1 standard (the strictest). All manufacturing waste: glue, oil, etc… are fully recycled.
• The maritime transport of construction panels is, contrary to popular belief, less productive of greenhouse gases than road transport, rail transport and, of course, air transport for the same quantity… and bamboo even allows us to use less material for comparable technical capacities.

 

 

This is far from being a detail, both for us and for you.

This idea has been at the heart of JOA since day one. JOA is a utopia; it’s about making the world a better place on our scale. We create comfort and beauty for you, so that you can make a positive impact on the people around you every day.

Our little stone. We try every day to do good by limiting our impact on this great organism with which we must live in harmony. Our legacy for future generations by following this link.

 

Sources

(*)https://www.bambouscience.fr/2011/06/24/caracteristiques-mecaniques-du-bambou/

(**) https://www.bambootouch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/brochure-environnementale-2.pdf