___________________________________________________________________ name / year & sec / USTCA BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 1

H 13.0 – INDIGENOUS MATERIALS INDIGENOUS: Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment; natural or in-born.
Indigenous materials are generally considered to be materials which are produced in the same bioregion or regional ecosystem where they will be used, although some practitioners consider materials to be indigenous only if they are available on the same site where they will be used.
Bamboo, Clay, Coconut, Cogon Grass, Lime, Rattan

Bamboo is from the grass family and is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, however it is susceptible to fungi and insect attacks.
Bamboos are among the plants most widely used by humans. In the tropics they are used for constructing houses, rafts, bridges, and scaffolding.
Split and flattened culms can be used as flooring and interwoven to make baskets, mats, hats, fish traps, and other articles; culms of large species may be used as containers for liquids.
Laminated Bamboo Lumber is made of high quality bamboo. It is laminated with
LFM Resin with high bonding strength and non-toxic to human.It is used for bamboo furniture and art and craft products.
Coconut palms require warm conditions for successful growth, and are intolerant of cold weather. Optimum growth is with a mean annual temperature of 27°C, and growth is reduced below 21°C.
Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of finegrained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of water content, and which can be hardened when dried and/or fired.

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Clay, being almost impermeable to water, is also used where natural seals are needed, such as in the cores of dams, or to seal landfills against toxic seepage
('lining' the landfill, though often in combination with geotextiles).
Lime is a caustic solid substance, white when pure, obtained by calcining limestone and other forms of calcium carbonate. Lime plaster is a mixture of calcium hydroxide and sand calcine - to heat a solid to a high temperature, converting it to a powdery residue by drying, decomposing, or oxidizing it, or to undergo this process
Lime allows buildings to breathe
Lime binders are promoted by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings for repairs because they allow buildings to breathe. It stabilizes the internal relative humidity of the materials by absorbing and releasing moisture. Prevents internal decay by evaporation.
Lime binders can be durable and have stood the test of time
When used carefully, lime is exceptionally durable. Caesar's Tower at Warwick
Castle has stood the test of time for over
600 years, and many cathedrals have stood longer.
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___________________________________________________________________ name / year & sec / USTCA BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 1

H 13.0 – INDIGENOUS MATERIALS An outstanding example is the Pantheon
Temple in Rome which has a lime concrete dome spanning over 43 meters
(142 feet). This has survived for nearly
2,000 years.
Anahaw (Footstool Palm), being the national plant of the Philippines, anahaw plant has different economic uses.
Anahaw fan-shaped leaves are used for building house roofs, wall covers and fans.
In urban areas, anahaw leaves are

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processed and used in both interior and exterior designs.
Cogon grass is any of several tall grasses (genus Imperata, especially I. cylindrica) of southeastern Asia used especially for thatching, fodder, and erosion control.
Rattan is a climbing vine commonly found in thickets at low and medium altitudes.
Rattans are currently popular with furniture makers and interior designers.

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