Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus (C.A. Mey.) Soják) and its potential as a construction material

Totora is an emergent macrophyte with properties and historical uses supporting its potential use in contemporary construction and for reducing pressure on conventional forest plantations by diversifying the sources of biomass-based materials. Recent advances in the wood construction field have demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of using wood-based materials in tall building structures and other massive constructive uses, which could lead to a net reduction in CO₂eq emissions from the construction sector by replacing high-energy consuming materials such as concrete or steel with wood and biomass-based materials. Among these biomass-based materials are non-timber forest products. This category includes plants that can provide important contributions to the construction sector by diversifying the sources of biomass-based materials. One of these plants is totora (Schoenoplectus californicus (C.A. Mey.) Soják). Totora is a bulrush that grows in lakes and marshes in the Americas, from California to Chile, and some of the Pacific islands. This bulrush has been used by many cultures as medicine, food, forage, and material for building houses, boats, and different handicrafts. Although several people still use totora to make their handicrafts and rafts, the most important current examples of the use of totora are the floating islands of the Uros in Lake Titicaca. The Uros people have developed traditional techniques for building their homes, boats, and even the artificial islands where they live, with methods based almost exclusively on the totora culms. The studies and experimentation conducted on this plant have underscored its fast growth capacity, high yield values, anatomical and physical properties, and potential environmental benefits. This review aims to analyze the available data on this material regarding its potential for construction, which is intended to foster its research and development as an alternative source of a biomass-based building material.