𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 @ 𝐇𝐁𝐒 | 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 Summary Date : 18th September 2025 Venue: Haniffa Business School, MAHSA Avenue, Kuala Lumpur

Sustainable Innovation: Endless Innovation with Bamboo𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟: 𝐼𝑟. (𝐵) 𝑀𝑎𝑗𝑜𝑟 𝐴ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑑 𝑀𝑎𝑧𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑛 (𝐴𝑀𝑃, 𝑃𝐽𝑀, 𝑃𝐸𝑃𝐶)Managing Director, Ihsan Team Consultants Sdn. Bhd. Advisor, Malaysian Bamboo Society

Brigadier General (Retired) Professor Ir. Dr. Norazman bin Mohamad Nor (Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Information Technology) presenting a token of appreciation to 𝐼𝑟. (𝐵) 𝑀𝑎𝑗𝑜𝑟 𝐴ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑑 𝑀𝑎𝑧𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑛

𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 @ 𝐇𝐁𝐒 brought together architects, engineers, environmentalists and green-tech innovators for a compelling session on the future of bamboo. IR. Major (Rtd) Ahmad Mazlan Othman shared how this humble “giant grass” is being reimagined as a high-performance material across architecture, transportation, electronics and energy. With case studies from Malaysia and beyond, the talk showcased bamboo’s extraordinary versatility—from building mosques and floating restaurants to powering homes and crafting sustainable bicycles. The session underscored to rethink bamboo not just as a natural resource but as a strategic material for Malaysia’s green economy and ASEAN’s sustainable future.

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤

• 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

Examples such as open-air bamboo cafés in Langkawi and prototype housing projects highlighted bamboo’s flexibility and cultural relevance in Malaysian settings.

• 𝐄𝐜𝐨-𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 & 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠

With species like Dendrocalamus asper and Gigantochloa scortechinii, bamboo matures in 3–4 years and sequesters carbon efficiently — a renewable material well-suited for construction and land rehabilitation.

• 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬

The session featured emerging trends in bamboo mobility products like lightweight bicycles and experimental watercraft, highlighting biodegradable alternatives to conventional materials.

• 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Bamboo is increasingly used in composite materials, biotextiles, and even in activated carbon for batteries and energy storage — pushing it into high-tech territory.

• 𝐀 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥

Bamboo is among the few construction resources that can be cultivated and harvested within a few years. A small plantation could provide ongoing raw material for homes, fencing, or furniture.

• 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬

Despite its promise, bamboo lacks formal inclusion in building codes and standards in Malaysia. The speaker emphasized the need for updated regulations, artisan training, and public rebranding to move bamboo from niche to mainstream.

𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 continues to provide a platform where 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, inspiring collaboration to transform the future of sustainable development.