Conference Proceedings

Abstract

The lack of technical information on the use of local building materials has driven the consumers to use industrializad construction materials. There is a lot of research on manufacturing concrete reinforced with agro-residues such as: coconut shell; sisal; sugar cane bagasse; bamboo; jute; wood; hemp; and bananama). But the fibre most used to reinforce cement has been the bamboo species. The giant reed (Arundo donax L.) is a plant with a hollow stem that resembles a bamboo. The purpose of this study was to use giant reeds to reinforce cement mortars in order to provide some technical data on the traditional building uses of this plant, and to manufacture a new product based on the ancient mediterranean building techniques.