Last Updated on January 21, 2020, 2:43 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The National Housing Trust (NHT) of Jamaica has donated $540million to the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) for the development of bamboo houses in the island nation.
Following donation, the BSJ will soon commence the development of affordable houses utilising bamboo.
Director of Special Projects, BSJ, Gladstone Rose, said that the project will commence in February this year, with demonstration units being placed at various NHT sites, for the construction sector to have the first-hand view of houses.
During a bamboo seminar, organised at the agency’s Winchester Road offices, in St. Andrew, Rose said that they expect that this is going to reduce the cost of housing in Jamaica. He said that they hope that enough people will invest in this project and residents would buy the bamboo houses because they are more affordable and will be built to standards and they would be quality houses.
“We are encouraging the building sector to utilise the bamboo technology. We have to build to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes, this is what bamboo will help us to do,” he added.
He further noted that new employment opportunities are on the cards as bamboo products are produced. “The BSJ is providing training in various areas including furniture manufacturing. Interested people can contact the BSJ and get themselves registered for various skills development,” he noted.
Through a collaborative arrangement involving the BSJ, University of the West Indies, University of Technology (UTech) and private-sector groups, research was conducted for the incorporation of bamboo in construction, to build attractive low and middle income houses, and the tourist cabins.
Recent development in the bamboo industry include the advancement of a curriculum for the National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQJ) in bamboo technology, which was facilitated by a group of people who were trained in Asian super power China.
The curriculum is now available at the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), for use in tertiary institutions.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
