Timber Bamboo Customized Wall System

The BamCore Prime Wall System uses timber bamboo to deliver a customized, code-compliant wall system for the low-rise built environment. These green engineered bamboo-wood hybrid structural panels are strong and high performing while providing the lowest possible carbon footprint.

The panelized Prime Wall system eliminates over 80% of wood studs, headers, and posts to reduce thermal bridging and air leakage. This dual panel framing solution is a significantly quieter building option, suitable for shared interior walls in apartments, hotels, offices, etc. as simply eliminating conventional wood framing of the panels greatly improves the acoustic environment. Additionally, BamCore’s bamboo-based Prime Wall System reduces mold risk.

“At BamCore we change both the materials that we build with and the methods we build. Only by doing both can we address the global housing and climate change crises,” said Hal Hinkle, CEO, BamCore.

First, the round hollow timber bamboo is processed in a patented, low embodied energy process that uses no heat, chemicals, or water. Then highly engineered bamboo-wood hybrid structural panels and other building components are manufactured. Second, the BamCore panels are custom fabricated to each customer’s job to millimeter accuracy using advanced Building Information Modeling software. On-site, this results in lower waste and simple and fast wall installation. Proprietary software allows BamCore to integrate the design, bid, and build processes. The end products include printed nail patterns on every panel and a smart-phone based animation that guides installation. Third, by integrating design, bid, and build, BamCore also streamlines electrical/plumbing rough-ins, door and window installation, trim and cabinet hanging, and lowering the need for skilled labor across many trades. Patented pictorial MEPI Maps can even be printed on the panels to indicate exactly where each rough-in line is to be attached.

The BamCore Prime Wall System is delivered to the jobsite numbered and pre-cut for every door, window, switch, and outlet opening. Once the bottom plate is laid, individual 4′ wide panels are placed into position according to the number printed on them and nailed together. There is little or no job site cutting needed.

The BamCore Prime Wall is a nearly hollow-wall comprised from two parallel runs (inside and outside) that can be filled uniformly with any blown-in insulation, which can eliminate most cross-cavity framing members like studs, headers, and posts that are typically present in low-rise construction. These wood, steel, or concrete framing elements interrupt the insulation barrier and conduct thermal energy at far higher rates than the insulation, thus becoming thermal bridges.

BamCore’s dual-panel Prime Wall panels have a vapor perm rating of approximately 7.9. This means that water vapor can pass through either inside or outside panel far more easily than it can pass through the OSB/plywood of conventional construction. Moreover, since the vapor perm rating is identical for both sides of the wall, the likelihood of water vapor getting trapped in any season is significantly lowered.

BamCore only purchases raw material bamboo from sustainably harvested suppliers mostly in lesser developed countries and strives for high sustainability throughout the entire manufacturing process.

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