In systems at elevated temperature the development of the microstructure of a material is controlled by diffusional and interface migration processes. As first step the description of the microstructure is reduced to a finite number of time-dependent characteristic parameters (CPs). Then the Thermodynamic Extremal Principle (TEP) is engaged to develop the evolution equations for these characteristic parameters. This treatment is demonstrated on a bamboo-structured material system predicting the spatial and time distribution of chemical composition as well as the deformation state.