Straw Bale Construction Manual

Building with straw bales is a technique pioneered a century ago in the state of Nebraska. In recent years there has been a renaissance in the use of straw as a building material largely in the American Southwest, but also in Canada, Australia, France, Holland, Germany, Austria and China. Straw is a renewable resource with excellent insulating properties. It is a cheap and easy-to-use option for self-builders, and even large-scale structures can be erected using timber framework filled with straw. This book is a practical, hands-on guide to building with straw. Fire safety, protection against moisture, damp, pests and parasites are treated in detail. Numerous on-site photos document the process of assembly and construction step by step. 30 exemplary international projects illustrate the wide spectrum of design possibilities with straw.

Professor em. Dr. Gernot Minke, Kassel University

I The technology of straw bale building 1 Introduction Purpose and objectives of this book About the contents Building with straw - a contribution to sustainability in construction Further advantages of straw bale building Objections and anxieties 2 History and profileration of straw bale building Early buildings (1880-1970) The development after 1980 3 Straw as building material General facts Straw bales Straw panels 4 Wall construction systems using straw bales Introduction to the construction systems Load-bearing straw bale walls Non-loadbearing straw bale walls Facing straw bale layer as thermal insulation Structural and dynamic aspects Summary and comparison of the individual systems 5 Roof and floor construction with straw bales Roof insulation Floor constructions Supplementary thermal insulation of existing structures 6 Physical aspects of straw bale building Heat storage and heat conductivity Thermal bridges Thermal insulation Moisture protection Moisture balance Wind and air tightness Fire protection Sound insulation 7 Designing a straw bale building Special aspects of load-bearing straw bale walls Special aspects of non-loadbearing straw bale walls Detailing of foundations Base details Wall build-up Wall junctions with foundation, base and floor Ring beams Windows and doors Wall corners Wall/roof junctions Interior walls Intermediate ceilings Service ducts Heavy-duty fixings in straw bale walls Wall recesses 8 Surface protection and finishing works Interior render Exterior render Paint coats Water-repellent treatment Weather boarding, facing and ventilated cladding 9 The building process Supervision and co-ordination on site Health and safety measures Assessment of the quality of the bales Supplementary compaction of the bales Transport and storage Separating of bales Reshaping of bales Bale installation Wall reinforcement Wall prestressing Removal of deformations Backfilling of joints and gaps Cropping of bale surfaces Rendering of the walls 10 Trial and error - an example Preliminary note Scheme design Construction - the first attempt Solving the problems - the second attempt 11 Building cost, insurance, planning permission Building cost, expenditure of time and personal contribution Insurance of building Planning permission II Built examples in detail 1 Residences Residential building in Ouwerkerk, Zeeland, Netherlands Residential building in Balneario Punta Ballena, Uruguay Residential building in central Montreal, Canada Prefabricated single-family home in Hitzendorf, near Graz, Styria, Austria Single-family home in Dobersdorf, Burgenland, Austria Urban cottage in Berkeley, California, USA Single-family home in Bryson City, North Carolina, USA Singe-family home with guest house, games room and garage in Galston, near Sidney, Australia Single-family home in Lower Lake, California, USA Single-family home at Lake Biwa, Japan The Spiral House, Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland Load-bearing straw bale house in Disentis, Switzerland Passive house in Cavan, Ontario, Canada First straw bale house in Vienna, Austria Single-family home in Blanden, Belgium Low-energy house in Maria Laach, Austria Passive house in Wienerherberg, Austria 2 Home and workplace Trout Farm Complex, Tassaraja Canyon, California, USA Residential and office building in London, Great Britain Ulenkrug Farm, Stubbendorf, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany Residential building for ethnic German resettlers, Wargoldshausen, Lower Franconia, Germany The Woodage Sawmill in Mittagong, Australia Straw bale dome as a rehearsal and performance space in Forstmehren, Westerwald, Germany Farm and residential building near Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Franconia, Germany House of a painter near Santa Cruz, California, USA 3 Educational and cultural buildings Foothills Academy College Preparatory, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA Real Goods Solar Living Center, Hopland, California, USA International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center Lodge, Val-Morin, Quebec, Canada Waldorf school in Carbondale, Colorado, USA Salem Childrens' Village, Kaliningrad, Russia Sanctuary House, Crestone, Colorado, USA Vipassana Meditation Hall, Blackheath, Australia III Appendices Measures Networks Internet links Bibliography Acknowledgements Illustration credits