Leimana Pelton is the guy responsible for the 6 bamboo structures

that Cof H waste management contracted to be built for recycling centers

 around the island. I've asked him to talk about the compromises

he had to make to comply with existing code and what  code changes

would more easily enable him to build future bamboo structures

on the big island.
You can read more about him at
http://www.bamboovillagehawaii.org/team1.htm

and on

http://ecoterrestrialconcepts.com/
which states:-

Only one Asian bamboo has been included in the uniform building code.

Even though all of the locally grown treated bamboo we use has been

structurally evaluated for strength and resistance to insect and fungal

attack according to the highest standards, they have not yet been

approved for inclusion in the uniform building code. We expect this

will occur within the next two years, one species at a time at a very

high cost. Therefore we are currently offering only “portable” structures

that will none the less last for decades, but don’t require regular

building permits.