As the built environment turns toward renewable materials, few voices are leading with as much clarity and scientific rigour as Professor Mahmud Ashraf of Deakin University. A long-time advocate of bio-based alternatives, his research into engineered bamboo is helping shift its reputation from niche to necessary.

Associate Professor Mahmud Ashraf with laminated wood research.

How It Started: A Shared Vision for Better Building

Our connection with Professor Ashraf began during the early planning of our new bamboo-structured warehouse. While many engineering professionals remained hesitant or timber-led, Professor Ashraf saw potential.

“He didn’t just see it as ‘alternative’ he recognised the performance potential from day one,” Jennifer Snyders, CEO, House of Bamboo®

His offer to independently test our laminated bamboo beams wasn’t just generous it was catalytic. It brought credibility, structure, and an openness to collaboration that set a new benchmark for the project.

From Lab to Load-Bearing: Making Innovation Real

At Deakin, Professor Ashraf leads a specialised research team focused on bio-based construction materials, including bamboo, hempcrete, and advanced timber composites. But his work stands apart because of its applicability. He doesn’t just theorise he tests, validates, and translates data into industry language.

His research into laminated bamboo where slats are compressed under pressure to form strong, uniform panels is critical to its structural credibility. He’s helping the industry see bamboo not as a novelty, but a genuine solution in the materials mix.

The Structural Truth of Engineered Bamboo

Ashraf’s work dissects the real-life performance of engineered bamboo its load-bearing capacity, its tensile strength, its reliability across climates. Unlike timber, bamboo offers a regenerative cycle that’s far shorter, and structurally, it rivals its hardwood peers when engineered correctly.

“It’s not about replacing timber it’s about expanding what’s possible in regenerative design,” Professor Mahmud Ashraf

What’s Missing: A Framework for the Future

In a recent industry presentation hosted by House of Bamboo®, Ashraf made a clear and urgent call: for bamboo to thrive in Australia’s built environment, we need more than interest.

We need:

• Testing standards tailored to local climates
• National engineering codes for bamboo-based structures
• Stronger partnerships between industry and academia
• Education beyond ‘eco’ focused on performance, certification, and safety

A Collaborative Force in a Changing Industry

In a materials sector that can be slow to evolve, Professor Ashraf’s role is more than academic  he’s an active participant in rethinking what we build with, how we certify it, and how we communicate its value. His ability to unite engineering data with market needs and do so with curiosity, clarity, and credibility makes him a valued partner in our mission at House of Bamboo®.

“He’s helped put bamboo in the same conversation as timber not as an alternative, but as an equal.” House of Bamboo®