I visited this bamboo factory and village. I forget exactly what chemicals they used. I think they said it was a 'bromine bath' - they have long troughs that

I visited this bamboo factory and village. I forget exactly what chemicals they used. I think they said it was a 'bromine bath' - they have long troughs that they fill with bamboo, then pump full of warm liquid. They let them soak for an amount of hours, then wash off the solution. They said this process both hardens the material and makes it less vulnerable to pest damage. Bamboo requires different amounts of treatment for different uses (sounds like too long makes it brittle, but very hard). Didn't see a spot of mold on the houses we toured - but I'm certainly curious about the longevity as well. Another neat design trick: they would cut little square holes in posts about 3 feet off the ground, so they could pour the supporting footings through the hole so the cement actually extends a few feet up into the post. Here's their website - if you're in Ubud, you should visit! Their ~1-2 hour walking tour was nice. Or, you can book ahead to stay in one of these houses. http://greenvillagebali.com/ http://greenvillagebali.com/