CONTENTS A. Abstract i B. Acknowledgements iii C. CONTENTS v D. List of Tables .vii E. List of Figures ix 1. Research Brief 1 1.1 Introduction 1.1 Hypothesis 1.2 Aim 1.3 Objectives 1.4 Methodology 2. Sustainability and Seismic Safety 5 2.1 Sustainability 2.1.1 Resource scenario from building industry perspective 2.1.2 Energy scenario from building industry perspective 2.1.3 Environmental scenario from building industry perspective 2.2 Seismic Safety 2.1.1 Seismic Zoning of India 2.1.2 Current Scenario and Imminent Threat 3. Bamboo Construction .9 3.1 Bamboo: The Plant 3.2 Bamboo Distribution in India and available species 3.3 Structural Properties of Bamboo 3.4 Sustainable Properties of Bamboo 3.5 Construction Technologies and Details 4. Challenges of bamboo construction 26 4.1 Engineering Challenges 4.2 Social Challenges 5. The case of Assam 28 5.1 Overview of the State of Assam 5.2 Guwahati: Overall Background 5.3 Bamboo Industry in Assam 5.4 Traditional Bamboo Construction Practices 5.5 Current Construction Practices in Guwahati 5.6 Seismic Situation of Guwahati 6. Case Study 34 7. Design 39 7.1 Design Objectives 7.2 Design Topic and Justification 7.3 Design Area Brief 7.4 Design Process 7.5 Design Iterations 7.6 Design Generation 7.7 Final Design and Drawings 8. References xi