Argie T. Tenorio, Adrian I. Yap
With growing interest in sustainable and eco-friendly construction materials, this study explores the use of an indigenous bamboo species in the Philippines – bamboo “Bambusa merrilliana” fiber, and its effects on concrete properties. The investigation focuses on concrete workability, compressive and splitting tensile strength, using standard testing methods based on national and international guidelines. The proportioning of concrete raw materials for each sample specimen followed a Class A (1:2:4) concrete mixture. Bamboo fiber was added in varying contents of 1, 1.25, and 1.5% by weight. Results show that incorporating bamboo fiber does not negatively affect workability, but measured compressive and tensile strengths were below the standard thresholds. While bamboo fiber did not improve the compressive or splitting tensile strength of concrete, the results provide important baseline data that contrast with several earlier studies reporting strength enhancement. These findings suggest that “Bambusa merrilliana” fiber is more suitable for non-load-bearing applications such as plastering, floor finishing, or crack control layers rather than for increasing structural strength. Accordingly, this work serves as a reference framework for future applications of bamboo fiber in sustainable construction. © 2026, Department of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.
Department of Architecture, College of Architecture and Design, Palawan State University, Palawan, Puerto Princesa City, 5300, Philippines; Architecture Department, School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines
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