One of the more astonishing things I've become accustomed to seeing on the street every day is bamboo scaffolding. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it: hundreds of dubiously slender bamboo poles, most of which looked used many times over, placed in an intricate grid pattern and simply tied in place. It took me by surprise, seeing these rather primitive-looking structures surrounding the most sleek, modern towers.These builders (below) are getting started with a job. Note how the one fellow just simply climbs up the grid, dragging a pole with him. They don't use cranes or any other mechanical equipment to help them. There really isn't much room on the street, anyway, for something like that.
Anything stationary and sturdy is fair game to be used in the building process. These poles are tied to a nearby streetlight:
You might think that the poles at the bottom of the scaffolding would be planted into the ground, or at least given some kind of additional stability at the base. Nope -- the poles are simply bare. They're often not even cut so that they stand flush with the ground:
Since buildings in Hong Kong are normally of the skyscraper variety, their scaffolding also reaches breathtaking heights. For example:
Here's a closeup of that building. Most scaffolds are swathed in a green or blue-and-white striped material, for reasons I have yet to discover:
I've tried watching the fellows who build the scaffolding, but I haven't been able to watch for long because they never seem to wear any kind of safety equipment. Although the builders do look very much at ease as they swarm up and down the grid, it's not enough to calm my nerves!This article from The New York Times gives some more information about this type of scaffolding and its use in Hong Kong, including one reason why bamboo is better than steel.
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