Meet Our Alumni. Ray Villanueva ‘How Can Bamboo Play A Role In Helping Fight Covid-19?’

I started working with bamboo in 2012 when I had the opportunity to start a design build program at Foundation University in Dumaguete City, Philippines. In collaboration with Foundation University President Dean Sinco, we started Estudio Damgo, a capstone program wherein senior architecture students design, research, fundraise, and build a community structure during their last year of university. The first year we built a one-room daycare and kindergarten classroom in the mountains outside of the city. Now the program is in its 8th year with many different types of community and public structures built. The natural choice for construction is bamboo since it is abundant, affordable, and embedded in the local culture. During the program, we set up the collaboration with local artisans for training in how to use the material and this is how I fell in love with bamboo. I have also started another bamboo educational program, the Philippines Bamboo Workshop in 2015 at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Kawayan Collective is a treated bamboo supplier in Negros, Philippines. Our objective is to elevate bamboo as a sustainable, durable, beautiful building material for all Filipinos. Our logo is a butterfly because it is a symbol that means many things to us: transformation, propagation and rebirth. It is also a reference to the butterfly effect —that one small change in behavior can ripple to make a big impact.

Our primary customer and launch partner is Base Bahay Foundation. Base, with support from the Hilti Foundation, has done years of research in bamboo and is building social housing using cement bamboo frame technology accredited by the National Housing Authority of the Philippines. Base's goal is to build over 5,000 homes in the next 5 years. Our first year was focused on supplying these projects. Starting this year, we have opened our doors to other customers, products, and projects with the mission to make treated bamboo affordable and accessible to all.

Bamboo U took my understanding of bamboo to the next level. Seeing innovation and craft come together has proved that so much more is possible. I admire the confidence and courage to try things and how Green School, Green Village, Bambu Indah, and Bamboo U campus celebrates the bends, twists and irregularities of every piece of bamboo. The experience will continue to inspire me as we take Kawayan Collective forward. I also feel like I have joined a tribe of people who understand why bamboo is amazing - we have to tell the world that the bamboo revolution is here!

After processing through the stages of grief during the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has arrived at this prompt: How can bamboo help our community?

We were inspired by front-liners and everybody else pitching in to help. Whether by donating meals, making face shields, or spreading correct information, there is a lot of work to be done. When we saw these huge overflow isolation centers, we thought of all the imported and processed materials that were needed for these essential facilities. We immediately thought bamboo beds would be a much better choice because bamboo is much more sustainable and locally available. In addition, by implementing social distancing guidelines to produce the beds we can safely employ our community during this time of financial hardship.

Temporary isolation facilities for vulnerable populations who have no place to isolate have been set up in local high school gymnasiums. Thanks to unsolicited donations, and support from our local mayor and government agency partners, Kawayan Collective has been able to keep operating 3-days a week for the past 7 weeks to support our community's healthcare infrastructure.