Modern Straw Bale Housing The idea of a straw bale home is one that conjures up some very old fashioned images for people across England, many of whom immediately think of thatched roofing products and the kind of residences that dotted the countryside during a much earlier period in this country’s history. That view itself is actually quite a bit outdated, as straw bale housing is now one of the hottest trends in sustainable development. Best of all, it doesn’t even look like the home is made out of straw. Evolution Takes Center Stage in New Straw Bale Housing Developments Straw was once the leading product for home building throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and much of Ireland. That is all about to change. No Artificial Products Means Straw Buildings are Good for the Environment There is no plastic, no vinyl, and no other inclusion of synthetics in straw housing.
Help us spread the word about straw bale building in Romania [EN] Hello, my name is Grzegorz and I am an architect. I come from Poland, but I currently live in Romania where I am an active proponent of straw bale building. Together with my wife Maria, and our many enthusiastic friends we are trying to spread the word about straw bale construction. [FR] Bonjour, je m’appelle Grzegorz et je suis architecte. [DE] Hallo, mein Name ist Grzegorz und ich bin Architekt. [RO] Salut, numele meu este Grzegorz și sunt architect. [EN] Over the past three years, I attended workshops, construction fairs and straw bale builders’ gatherings. [FR] Au cours des trois dernières années, j’ai participé à des ateliers, des foires de construction et des réunions des constructeurs en ballots de paille. [DE] In den letzten drei Jahren nahm ich an Workshops, Baumessen und Treffen der Strohballenbauer teil. Thank you! Merci Beaucoup!
How new straw-bale homes could help solve the housing crisis -Low impact living info, training, products & services In an ordinary street in Bristol, UK, something extraordinary is happening. All of the seven houses are made with straw. Built from carbon-capturing, renewable materials of timber and straw, the homes bank more carbon than is emitted in making them. In addition, the negative-carbon homes have received crucial industry certification. This means that straw – a home-grown and low-impact building material – is now a viable way to tackle the UK’s housing crisis. Making sustainable housing accessible to the public was important to the developer, Martin Connolly. Building materials on the way from farm to factory. Concern for homeless and climate change A social landlord providing emergency accommodation and food for homeless people since the 1980s, Martin Connolly’s family company was awarded 2009 Environmental/Conservation Development of the Year for flats made of solid-wooden blocks, a first for Bristol. “Our vision was natural, non-toxic house building which stores carbon.
Green, cheap and efficient straw bale dome homes :) - Energetic Forum Hi easyrider. The dome structure is very solid, it now supports around 3-4 tons of weight with all the clay and straw bales. The work is rather hard and weather dependent, if it is raining, you need to cover the dome with something to prevent water damage, if it is sunny, you need to remove the rain protecting plastic or whatever so that clay can dry better. You need to do all the inside and outside clay works before you can proceed to waterproofing the inner and outer surface. This is a 3/8 V3 dome 1m in diameter. I have calculated that a 2 story house 12m in diameter with combined floor square area of about 150m2 would cost under 18000$ with all the windows, doors, decorative plastering and everything you need except plumbing and furniture. If you have more questions, just ask! __________________ It's better to wear off by working than to rust by doing nothing.
Yes you can! Build with strawbales in wet climates... small habits that make a big difference... Cut down on cleaning products...make your own fast & effective cleaners in your kitchen! Ok, I'll admit it...when I someone first suggested this to me, I thought "that's nuts!" I figure there was no way home-made products would work well. Otherwise no one would buy cleaning products! Do it because it's cheaper Well...needless to say, I tried it anyway. Do it for your health But the biggest reason to ditch the cleaners is health! Admittedly I don't make all of my cleaning products, but my supply of what I buy is pretty limited...down to dish liquid, laundry soap, and Murphy's oil soap. Below is my favorite book with recipes for every application you can think of. If you buy one book on homemade cleaners, this is the one I would get: If you are looking for additional information on the health and safety of various household products, I love the Health & Human Services database at:
Strawbale vs. Cob...Not the Typical "King Kong vs. Godzilla" Story King Kong and Godzilla fought to the death. One victor. One “good guy”. They didn’t walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand at the end of the battle. Not so for strawbale and cob. STRAWBALES insulate. STRAWBALES work best... ...as exterior walls anywhere you are trying to keep the inside temperature different from the exterior temperature. I RECOMMEND: Build exterior walls with STRAWBALES if you live in a climate where a well-insulated home is more comfortable and cheaper to heat/cool. COB provides thermal mass. COB works best... ...as thermal mass built around a masonry heater or rocket stove (or near a wood burning stove), where the cob can absorb heat from the fire, and store the heat energy even after the fire is out. ...for trombe walls in passive solar design, with the cob thermal mass inside, where it is warmed by sun coming through South-facing glass. ...for any interior element when you are trying to keep the inside cool.
Down to Earth Design - online articles on natural building & sustainable design Straw has been used in various ways as a construction material for as long as there has been agriculture. Early structures implement straw-clay combinations. The straw provided tensile strength and some insulation value, and gave clay building materials additional structural integrity. Straw is the stalk of any grain plant (oat, wheat, rice, barley, etc.). There are 2 basic types of strawbale construction: loadbearing (or Nebraska style) and non-loadbearing (or infill). Strawbale infill construction does not rely on bales to carry any of the building loads (other than the weight of the bales themselves). Straw bale Straw has been used as a building material for centuries for thatch roofing and also mixed with earth in cob and wattle and daub walls. Straw bales were first used for building over a century ago by settlers in Nebraska, USA, shortly after the invention of baling machines. Straw is derived from grasses and is regarded as a renewable building material since its primary energy input is solar and it can be grown and harvested. Straw bales were first used for building over a century ago. Straw is the springy tubular stalk of grasses like wheat and rice that are high in tensile strength. Strawbale walls are surprisingly resistant to fire, vermin and decay. Photo: Paul Downton A ‘truth window’ is a common feature in strawbale homes, providing a glimpse of the material that is otherwise completely rendered over and hidden in the finished building Performance summary Appearance Finished strawbale walls are invariably rendered with cement or earth so that the straw is not visible. Thermal mass Footings
Building with Straw: Busting the biggest Strawbale myths posted Categories: Construction Methods Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw(commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both. This construction method is commonly used in natural building or "brown" construction projects. Research has shown that straw-bale construction is a sustainable method for building, from the standpoint of both materials and energy needed for heating and cooling. Advantages of straw-bale construction over conventional building systems include the renewable nature of straw, cost, easy availability, naturally fire-retardant and high insulation value. Problem pleśni w ścianach z kostek słomy i gliny | Akademia Bosej Stopy Moje zainteresowanie budownictwem naturalnym zaczęło się w roku 2012 od obejrzenia filmu ekipy Cohabitat o domu z kostek słomy i gliny. Biorąc pod uwagę kierunek rodzącej się we mnie ideologii oraz możliwości finansowe postanowiłem przyjrzeć się tej technologii bliżej. Szukałem i gromadziłem coraz więcej informacji na ten temat. Poznałem życzliwych ludzi z Polski, USA oraz Australii którzy zajmują się naturalnym budownictwem. Jakiś czas później natknąłem się na dwuczęściowy wywiad z państwem Krystyną i Wojciechem Brzeskimi odnośnie budownictwa naturalnego, zrealizowany przez „Porozmawiajmy TV”. Postanowiłem zgłębić temat dokładniej. Przedstawię wam teraz problem przed którym stanąłem, a chodzi tu o wilgoć i pleśń w ścianach z kostki słomianej. Don Fugler z (CMHC) przeprowadził testy chłonięcia przez słomę wilgoci z powietrza w całej Kanadzie, od Pacyfiku po Atlantyk. Moim zdaniem Polska zdecydowanie nie nadaje się do tej technologii.
Zastaliśmy Polskę betonową, a zostawimy słomianą – KrytykaPolityczna.pl fot. Koziej Architekci Pewien francuski architekt-wynalazca chciał znaleźć rozwiązanie na kryzys mieszkalnictwa, który dotknął kraj po I wojnie. Jaś Kapela: Co jest nie tak z budownictwem, że potrzebujemy nowego − ekologicznego? Przemek Woś: Produkcja i eksploatacja budynku powoduje dużo odpadów i zanieczyszczeń oraz pochłania masę energii. To się udaje? W cyklu całego życia osiedla prawdopodobnie tak. Tylko najpierw trzeba mieć dużo pieniędzy… Tak i nie. Beton zostaje na zawsze? Są metody, żeby go przetwarzać, ale trzeba włożyć sporo energii, żeby go skruszyć i ponownie użyć. Czyli jakich? Głównie pochodzenia biologicznego, które CO2 pochłaniają, czyli na przykład słoma albo konopie. Czyli wszystkie domy mogą być ze słomy? Tak. To czemu się tego nie robi? Pomysł na technologię budowania ze słomy, dokładnie taką, jakiej używamy teraz, narodził się po I wojnie światowej we Francji. Indywidualizacja winy za katastrofę klimatu – jeszcze większe świństwo niż myślisz czytaj także PW: Nie. BL: Tak.
Danish school made of straw - Project Feldballe | EcoCocon | EcoCocon In the heart of Denmark, on the east end of the Central Jutland Region, lies a small town with a long tradition of sustainability. Feldballe is home to an ecovillage, where residents build their houses from renewable materials. A healthy, carbon-neutral refuge. When the local school sought to build new science labs and a classroom, maintaining that spirit was, naturally, a chief concern. To that end, Feldballe Free School found the perfect partner in Henning Larsen. The project was a pivotal moment for the studio. A Rare Partnership Henning Larsen is a renowned architectural studio with many prestigious and diverse projects to its name. Magnus Reffs Kramhøft, a senior architect at Henning Larsen, was instrumental in pushing the project ahead. “It is very hard to integrate these great thoughts material-wise. The fact that there was no profit to be made in project Feldballe didn’t help either. “My argument was that we could learn a lot from it. Designing With the Future in Mind