SESSION II
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE
April 15, 2025 – 6:00 pm / 6:20 pm
BOOTECH, AN ARCHITECTURAL TOOL FOR AFTER
ABSTRACT:
As climate change accelerates, the construction industry must adopt sustainable materials and methods. Bamboo, with its rapid renewability and high strength-to-weight ratio, is a viable alternative to conventional materials. Architect Mauricio Cardenas Laverde’s BooTech system pioneers a low-carbon raw bamboo construction method that integrates material optimization, structural efficiency, and sustainability principles, positioning bamboo as a credible alternative for modern construction. This system enables bamboo-based architecture in both urban and rural contexts, reducing carbon footprints while maintaining aesthetic and functional flexibility.
BooTech transforms the built environment by demonstrating that the most effective way to reduce embodied carbon in buildings is through natural materials like bamboo. Unlike mainstream bamboo construction, BooTech requires no cement or specialized labor, making it accessible and scalable. The system’s dry-mounted connections enhance ease of assembly and adaptability, while its design accommodates bamboo poles of various species, ranging from 50mm to 140mm in diameter.
Bamboo also has strong potential in Lebanon and the Arab world as a sustainable, low-carbon alternative to conventional building materials. With growing interest in green architecture, bamboo can be integrated into eco-friendly housing, urban infrastructure, and tourism projects.
Notable built projects using the BooTech system include the Microclimatic Pavilion and BooTech EcoDome in Italy, the Energy Efficient Bamboo House and INBAR Bamboo Eye Pavilion in China, with ongoing projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Italy, and China. These examples showcase BooTech’s adaptability and potential for global sustainable construction.
MAURICIO CARDENAS LAVERDE – BIOGRAPHY
Mauricio, leader in sustainable bamboo architecture, developed the Conscious Design method during his Ph.D. at Politecnico di Milano, shaping his professional philosophy. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in raw bamboo construction and was recognized by the Italian Council of Ministers’ Agency for Innovation for pioneering bamboo connections BooTech. His projects, including the INBAR Bamboo Eye Pavilion, are built worldwide.
From 2012 to 2023, he taught Conscious Design at Politecnico di Milano, Tongji University, and Lantao Academy. Since 2024 he is Associate Professor at Shenzhen University. A member of INBAR’s Bamboo Construction Task Force since 2017.
Mauricio curated Under The Bamboo Tree (2019–2020) at Labirinto della Masone and received the 2019 Best International Sustainable Architecture Practice award from UK BUILD Magazine. In 2020, Corriere della Sera featured him as “The Bamboo Architect,” and he represented Italy as Ambassador in Italian Design Day (IDD2020). In 2021, he organized the Italian Bamboo Culture event in Milan for AIB, supported by Italy’s Minister of Ecological Transition.
His work appears in the documentaries Bamboo: The Tradition of the Future (2021) and The Bamboo Dialogues (2023). In 2022 Mauricio is one of the 38 Italian protagonists among anthropologists, architects, artists, scientists, cooks, in the video “VISIONS Italian Ecoway of Lyfe”. In 2024, UIA included four of his projects in its 2030 Agenda Guidebook. His BooTech System is part of the itinerary exhibition «Tools For After», project by IIC Director Angelo Gioé and architect Mauricio Corrado, presented at the Italian Cultural Institutes of Melbourne, Beirut and Sofia. Currently, he is designing bamboo buildings in Italy, China, Mexico, Guatemala.