Mostly known for its use in baskets and furniture, bamboo offers surprising qualities that make it perfect for use in architecture. An architecture firm from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is an international pioneer in constructing buildings with bamboo. Once soaked in mud and smoked, bamboo, which grows quickly, becomes a very strong, eco-friendly and inexpensive cladding material, and can be used in conjunction with concrete. According to experts, the “vegetable steel” has the potential to build houses much faster and cheaper.