Other than it being cheaper and more eco friendly than steel scaffolding, why is bamboo used to make scaffolding in hong kong and china?
It is relatively light and easy to handle and is found growing in many areas of China, so the cost is very low.
I simply once asked the guys on a construction site, and the answer was simple. They don’t trust anything else than bamboo and consider anything else unsafe. If it was not bamboo the workers would stop working.
Bamboo building were mainly used in HK and still being used. They are cheap, traditional, grow fast, easily decompose, lighter, easy to navigate, and faster. However they are not as strong as steel and have a higher chance of collapsing which is very rare.
The reason is simple.....Bamboo will bend in the event of a typhoon and is thus safer than steel scaffolding.
Other than the things you have already mentioned, I believe the fact that bamboo is a very light material and therefore easy to transport upon the tradesman's bicycle would be another valid point. I'll wager the fact your average Chinese person only weighs 20lbs may very well be the most relevant consideration. And finally, it would not surprise me if our commie friends are a tad relaxed when it comes to safety regulations so given the choice of getting crowned with a steel pipe or an over-sized flute, I believe the latter is preferable.
