ARTÍCULO DE CONFERENCIA
Review on the traditional uses and potential of totora ( Schoenoplectus californicus ) as construction material
Fecha
2017Registro en:
000-000-000-0
1757-899X, 1757-8981
doi:10.1088/1757-899X/245/2/022068
10.1088/1757-899X/245/2/022068
Autor
García Navarro, Justo María
Hidalgo Cordero, Juan Fernando
Institución
Resumen
The recent advances in the wood construction field have demonstrated the feasibility
and advantages of using wood-based materials in tall buildings structures and other
constructive uses, which could lead to a net reduction in CO₂eq emissions of the construction
sector by replacing high-energy consuming materials like concrete or steel, with wood and
biomass-based materials. Among these biomass-based materials are the Non-Timber Forest
Products (NTFP)which are plantsthat canprovide important contributionsto the construction
sector and help to reduce the net CO₂eq emissions of the building industry. One of these plants
is the totora (Schoenoplectus Californicus) that has been long used by several communities for
making handicrafts and as construction material. Recent studies on this plant have analyzed its
properties and its feasibility to be used for producing materials of interest to the contemporary
building industry. The totora is a bulrush that grows in lakes and marshes in America from
California to Chile and some of the Pacific islands. It grows from the sea level to 4500maasl, it
can grow in fresh water and estuaries, and it is resistant to water level changes and drought.
This bulrush has been used by many cultures as medicine, food, forage, material for building
houses, boats and different handicrafts. The most important examples of the use of totora in the
world are the floating islands of the Uros in Lake Titicaca. The Uros people have developed
traditional techniques for building their homes, boats, and even the artificial islands where they
live on with methods based almost exclusively on the totora. This way of living and production
system has been maintained for more than 500 years. This review is about the main
constructive techniques that have been used for traditional construction in totora and some of
therecent researches that have been made on this subject.Experiments in architecture and
industrial design objects made with totora have shown its versatility, durability and high
aesthetic value which is exploited in object design and architectural finishes. Additionally,
recent studies on the insulating capacity of totora samples have determined an average
conductivity of 0,06W/mK, which is comparable to some of the common insulating materials
in the current market. The review of the historical uses and recent studies on this material
indicate its potential in the contemporary construction field along with other environmental
benefits.One of the key features is the totora productivity that can be as much as 56 tons of dry
matter per hectare per year, which is near 5 times the average production of a conifer
plantation. Therefore, to foster the research about its feasible applications in the contemporary
construction field could lead to the reduction of the pressure on wood forests and plantations
by developing a new material source for the construction industry.