During 6 days Bamboo and Guadua lovers came from Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to the school “Colegio de las Aguas Montebello” in Cali, Colombia, to share knowledge of the work and research for alternative use of this material.
VIVA GUADUA
The “Escuela Para la Vida” (School for Life) convened the international visitors, this school is a non-profit foundation that organizes the biennial International Bamboo Festival VIVA GUADUA. The third version took place from 11 to 16 August 2015, with an academic and cultural programming around the “Gold of the Andes”.
VIVA GUADUA is intended as a platform for communication between people and organizations in the public and private sector to propose cleaner methods of construction, to improve public policy for the use of bamboo and boost community processes for sustainable development under the premise of this year “Sustainable Habitat”.
The balance of this third version was very positive because we were able to form two working groups, integrated by Latin American professionals, led by Peruvian architect Tania Cerrón who contributed from their experience “Laufen Manifesto”, an international proposal that reflects on the culture first human design and provides guidance for the development of projects around concepts like beauty, land, education, local and community levels.
A sustainable world
The second, consists in the Guadua Sector Roundtable convened by SENA nationwide and aims to influence public policies that encourage the use of bamboo in all regions for crafts, tourism, construction and industrialization and thus the Productive Chain of Guadua can be strengthened as a source of employment and income generation in the country.
Likewise, there were three workshops in which the participants according to their areas of work had the opportunity to learn. The architectural design models made under the guidance of architect Andres Ramirez Bäppler for School of Life in these projects that were the reflection of the attendees that they could develop in the future.
The builders developed bases of bamboo structure for multiple bathrooms of “Colegio de las Aguas” with the direction of the architect Juan Carlos Sanz and those who enjoy handcrafts learned to make different products with bamboo advised by Inbar – Ecuador.
This also became part of the academic program; a series of conferences that took place on sustainable construction and planning alternatives, which completed projects or those who were in progress were presented in different parts of Colombia and Latin America, characterized not only by the use of bamboo as raw material but also by involving the community in its processes or encourage environmental conservation.
The third version of Guadua Live Festival ended with a varied cultural program surrounded of business and craft fair which both the participants and the community of Montebello enjoyed, the entry for that day was extended to all audiences.
Building the future
On that day the entrance was for everyone. Children and volunteers of different institutions that are part of Weltwärts program, the urban music group Solid Waste, groups representing dance and rock at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, the percussion group was on stage with signs the Percumotora, the duo Quinoa and a sample of African dance performed by the Afro to the park led by Andrea Bonilla space.
In this way, the Valle del Cauca is positioned next to Quindio and Risaralda as one of the regions of Colombia that makes better use of this resource both in craftsmanship, as in construction and in industry to be a benchmark for the world increasingly. He is more interested in the use of bamboo and bamboo.
