A critical review of bamboo construction materials for sustainability

Bamboo construction materials are increasingly recognized in the construction industry as a promising path toward sustainable development, generating substantial interdisciplinary interest. However, previous research has often supported or criticized its sustainability in specific aspects through fragmented analysis. Comprehensive assessments that reveal the full scope of bamboo’s sustainability remain scarce. To address this gap, this research aims to: (1) conduct an in-depth and systematic review of research on bamboo construction materials and sustainability; (2) elucidate the contributions of bamboo construction materials to sustainable development; and (3) identify research gaps and propose future research directions. This study employs a systematic literature review methodology, examining 742 relevant articles published between 2000 and 2023. Specifically, this research evaluates the sustainability performance of bamboo construction materials from three thematic perspectives: social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability. It summarizes the current state of research and identifies research gaps. Ultimately, four future research directions are proposed, including the relationship between bamboo materials and health and well-being, genomic sequencing and editing technologies, policies and regulations, and life cycle assessment. Unlike previous studies, this research uniquely depicts a comprehensive landscape of sustainability research on bamboo construction materials. The results of this research contribute to revealing the relationship between bamboo construction materials and sustainability, examining knowledge gaps in the field, avoiding repetitive imitative research, and promoting the sustainable development of bamboo construction materials.