Study of the Mechanical Properties of Giant Reed as a Green Building Material

Ferrandez-Garcia) Abstract— In the building sector advances are being made using natural green materials for the manufacture of building elements that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Traditionally, in this sector, local materials with low energy cost and low environmental impact were used. In the Mediterranean Countries giant reed was used as a building material until the 1960´s, being replaced afterwards by other modern materials like concrete. Nowadays, in rural areas, inhabited dwellings made with giant reed can still be found. The reeds are used for ceiling, flooring, slabs, false ceilings and walls. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of the giant reed to provide technical data to support the utilization of this green material for sustainable building. The results showed that the giant reed behaves mechanically like a softwood structural timber, having at the same time lower thermal conductivity than wood. Thus it can be used as a sustainable building material. tion. The slabs of these buildings consisted in mats of culms laying on top of timber beams. To form these mats, the culms were placed in parallel and then tied two at a time facing the the thinner end of one culm with the thicker end of the other. The culms were then tied together with a rope made of esparto grass. After this, a layer of plaster mortar was used to cover the slabs and the walls of the buildings. Fig 1. shows a piece of mat formed with reeds.