Building With Bamboo: Australia's Structural Revolution

Australia stands at a pivotal moment in redefining how we build — and with growing pressure on global timber supplies, the need for alternative, high-performance, and low-carbon materials has never been more urgent.

Bamboo isn’t the future — it’s already here. From Bali’s Green School to 6-storey towers in Asia, engineered bamboo is being used to solve carbon, cost, and climate challenges faster than timber or steel.

This June, join the Next Frontier Summit — the first national event in Australia dedicated to unlocking the full potential of structural engineered bamboo. Across three cities, we’re bringing together global pioneers, local innovators, and the stakeholders shaping what’s next.

Why attend?

Whether you're a designer, grower, policymaker or investor — this is your front-row seat to Australia’s bamboo moment.

There is increasing demand for renewable, high-performance building materials, and engineered bamboo is emerging globally as a viable, sustainable, high-strength solution. Yet Australia - despite our capacity to grow, research, design, and manufacture - has not yet realised its potential in this space. The summit will address that gap and catalyse real industry momentum by bringing together leaders across sectors to inform and shape a 10-year roadmap.

Explore topics like:

How bamboo compares to timber & CLT in carbon performance
Certification and approval pathways in Australia
Agronomy, irrigation, and landholder opportunities
Investment models + carbon credit potential
Cutting-edge case studies in construction and design

Hear from world-leading experts:

Neil Thomas MBE (Atelier One)
Professor Yan Xiao (China’s first 6-storey bamboo tower)
David Sands (Rizome – $150M bamboo carbon investment)
Plus: Researchers, engineers, farmers, and certification bodies

Who Should Attend?

→ Architects & Engineers
Discover bamboo’s design capabilities and global use cases

→ Developers & Builders
See how this fast-growing material is changing green construction

→ Growers & Landholders
Learn how to grow, process, and sell structural-grade bamboo

→ Policymakers & Planners
Explore how bamboo fits into carbon, biodiversity, and housing strategies

→ Investors
Hear from the companies and climate funds betting big on bamboo

Event Schedule

18 June
12:30pm-4:30pm

Sunshine Coast
University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs

Cultivation, water reuse, certification, supply chain

19 June
12:00pm-4:30pm (arrive at 11:30)

5:30pm-7:30pm

Sydney
University of Technology Sydney

House of Bamboo, Botany

Architecture, commercialisation, structural applications

20 June

12:30pm-4:30pm

Melbourne
RMIT, City Campus

Policy, investment, innovation, future roadmap

Each session includes Q&A, networking, and insight sharing — and seats are capped to ensure high-value engagement.

The event series is proudly sponsored by ICC-Evaluation Service. With over 90-years of international experience and JASANZ accredited to CodeMark Australia and ICC ES Mark, our primary sponsor provides trusted product certification to satisfy the National Construction Code’s evidence of suitability requirements.

View the Program Outline - As at 29 May 2025

Don’t miss your opportunity to help shape Australia’s bamboo future!

Thank you also to our supporting partners:

Responsible Wood, Arris Water, University of the Sunshine Coast, UTS, RMIT, Robert Bird Group, Standards Australia, Green Tag, Architecture & Design, WWF Australia, Mansfield Advisory & House of Bamboo

Contact the host of The Next Frontier Summit - Pioneering Structural Engineered Bamboo in Australia