Straw Might be the Building Material of the Future

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I finished a small studio for my mothers 70th birthday last year, totally off the grid, photovoltaic power and passive solar orientation. We also made the floor passive geothermal, and did a workshop for labor....I love that house.

Matt Martin of KY 12:00PM November 13, 2009

I built a 1,700 sq ft room with 20 foot ceiling out of Rastra, a concrete and recycled styrofoam block with voids filled with steel rebar and concrete. I have never had to heat the room. The windows and stone floors keep the room comfortable. I am amazed by the temperature every time I walk in the room.

Hilliard Bruce Vineyards of CA 11:04AM November 13, 2009

I worked in the mid nineties for a great company in Canada called the Prairie Institute for Human Ecology. One of its major focuses was the building of straw bale structures. They are fantastic works.
I have seen a man take a Benzomatic Propane torch and run it slowly over a stuccoed straw ball wall for several minutes in an area the size of a dinner plate. Of course, it did not catch fire.
Try that with your regular house and wonder which is more dangerous in a fire.

Ed 10:42PM November 12, 2009

Just finished my 2400 sq.ft. strawbale home and after one full year of living here the amount of propane I used to heat (in floor) and cool my home (temps inside in summer and winter are at 70 degrees +or-), heat my domestic water and for cooking were $163. for the year...for the entire year! The home is oriented to the south for good passive solar gain and I burned about 1.5 cords of mixed pine and oak. I live in sunny Colorado and we did have a moderate winter.

Mark Schueneman of CO 5:14PM November 11, 2009

Thanks for this article. Straw bale construction is an energy and resource efficient strategy that IS catching on, in all 50 states and well over 40 countries around the world. LEED Platinum projects highlight straw bale construction across the US. The first US Congressional Briefing on Straw Bale Construction took place last year. This may be a quiet movement to some, but its a powerful strategy converging with some of the highest visions of green building.
See www.greenweaverinc.com for links to an article on how straw bale building supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, downloads of the Congressional Briefing presentations, and resources to learn more about this and other technologies.

Laura Bartels of CO 10:02PM November 10, 2009