He ekes a living out of bamboos

To build a house completely with bamboo is not a thought that comes to anyone and everyone. But a few people who think out of the box stand apart from the rest and earn appreciation. The idea of building houses with bamboo occurred to architect NS Navaneetha Krishnan who now caters to offbeat clients. He was in Vijayawada recently and explained his art.

Hyderabad-based Navaneetha Krishnan of Loga Shree Creations is a bamboo artist who has been working in the field for past 15 years in the country. He does everything with bamboo right from flooring to roof, rooms to sit outs, partitions and pagodas, tree machans, roof tops, tree top houses, cottages, furniture with bamboo, portraits and lots more.

Bamboo has been merely used as a raw material for making baskets, a few art pieces or has been used as a by-product. Though we find some resorts, parks and tree top cottages made of bamboo, using the wood for both interior and exterior constructions has become an attractive fare.

“Bamboo is a cheap and relatively the best option for construction of houses, corporate offices, sit outs and parks. It needs very less maintenance. They are eco-friendly and cost effective,” says Krishnan.

Krishnan has constructed structures for film director Puri Jagannadh and actor Ravi Teja besides worked on projects with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA). The Bonsai wonder in NTR Gardens, Bamboo Hut at Necklace Road, Bamboo Park in Jubilee Hills and Malakpet, have been designed and set up by Krishnan.

“These products can be made within days and can be removed easily. The best feature of these constructions is that they can be relocated as and when we want, lasting for a period of 50 years,” he adds.

The construction of bamboo houses on roof tops, settings for restaurants, resorts and parks are the major works Krishnan deals with across the country besides manufacturing the bamboo products like roofs, ceilings, floors, furniture, kitchen cabin and lots more.

Bamboo can be used to make dining tables, dressing table, kitchen cabins, three plus two sofa, chasing lounge, garden furniture, sit out planks, flower vases, wall hangings, windows, flower vases, magazine holders, and bed lamps and so on.

“A 12x12 construction will cost as much as Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. A two-bedroom flat can be built with a budget of Rs 1.5 lakh to more than Rs 10 lakh. According to the requirement and specifications, the design, set up and cost will vary. A customer can save nearly 40 per cent on materials and labour instead of using plywood, veneer or decolam,” explains Krishnan.

Using bamboo in roofs and ceilings will adjust the room temperature accordingly. During winters, the bamboo interiors remain warm and vice versa during summer season. It helps saving power.

“Bamboo takes only four years to mature while non timber wood takes 25 years and timber wood 50 to 75 years to mature. Government is strongly recommending farmers to take up bamboo cultivation as a mainstream commercial crop for its uses and easy maintenance. A single plant will grow into clumps and prevent soil erosion thus promoting bio diversity,” says bogey.

The bamboo is treated chemically, boiled in hot water and later dipped in cold water for making it strong internally. Then it is given enamel paint or polished externally. This polishing can be done once in three years for better service.

“Bamboos are water proof, termite resistant, fire resistant, resistant to dilute acid and alkali, anti fungal, has very low thermal conductive, high tensile, compressive and flexural strength, very high glue shear strength, long life and low maintenance,” explains Krishnan.

“To make bamboo houses even stronger, designers are now adopting cladding process where in cement blocks are sandwiched between two bamboo sheets. Government institutions like International Network for Bamboo and Rattan and National Mission for Bamboo Application are promoting bamboo-made projects,” said Krishnan.