straw bale resources

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Straw Bale Building Resources David A. Bainbridge Associate Professor, Sustainable Management Alliant International University 10455 Pomerado Road, Scripps Ranch San Diego, CA 92131 Straw bales and straw and mud are becoming increasingly popular as materials to build houses and commercial buildings. This building technology is "all American", born and bred on the treeless plains of Nebraska; but it has now spread all over the world to Mexico, Mongolia, China, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and France. People like these buildings because they are very quiet, fire resistant, energy efficient, strong, durable and attractive. They are also friendly to build and families can work together to create their own home. Even small children can participate in the process and they love it. Straw is the waste material left after grains such as wheat and rice are harvested. Straw is usually baled with a machine towed behind a tractor, but can also be made into bundles or bales by hand for building. Straw bales can be used structurally. Straw bales, bundles and straw mixed with clay can also be used as infill for wood or timber, concrete, or steel framed buildings. The bales can be used straight, like big bricks, or bent to create more interesting forms. Fairly tight curves in walls can be made when the bales are bent by placing them in a form and jumping on them. After the walls are completed and pinned together they are plastered with lime, mud, or cement plasters. Designs should include wide eaves and detailing to help keep rain off of and out of the walls. When designed and built correctly they will last forever. Uses for Straw Bale Construction new homes schools Bainbridge -Straw bale building page 1 reprint with credit

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Page 1: Straw Bale Resources

Straw Bale Building Resources

David A. BainbridgeAssociate Professor, Sustainable Management

Alliant International University10455 Pomerado Road, Scripps Ranch

San Diego, CA 92131

Straw bales and straw and mud are becoming increasingly popular as materials to build houses and commercial buildings. This building technology is "all American", born and bred on the treeless plains of Nebraska; but it has now spread all over the world to Mexico, Mongolia, China, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and France. People like these buildings because they are very quiet, fire resistant, energy efficient, strong, durable and attractive. They are also friendly to build and families can work together to create their own home. Even small children can participate in the process and they love it.

Straw is the waste material left after grains such as wheat and rice are harvested. Straw is usually baled with a machine towed behind a tractor, but can also be made into bundles or bales by hand for building. Straw bales can be used structurally. Straw bales, bundles and straw mixed with clay can also be used as infill for wood or timber, concrete, or steel framed buildings. The bales can be used straight, like big bricks, or bent to create more interesting forms. Fairly tight curves in walls can be made when the bales are bent by placing them in a form and jumping on them.

After the walls are completed and pinned together they are plastered with lime, mud, or cement plasters. Designs should include wide eaves and detailing to help keep rain off of and out of the walls. When designed and built correctly they will last forever.

Uses for Straw Bale Constructionnew homes

schoolsnew office buildings and commercial spaces

wineriesbarns and utility buildings

retrofit insulation for existing buildingsthermal shelters for water tanks

garages and hangarsemergency housing

How well do they work? Combining straw bales and solar orientation can create very comfortable and extremely efficient buildings. Here is an example from Fresno, California with a very hot summer and cool winter. In Mongolia straw bale buildings reduced energy use 80%.

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There are 3,410 BTU in a kilowatt hour.

How much do they cost?In Mexico Bill and Athena Steen have been building straw bale and straw clay homes for

less than $2 per square foot, but some elegant custom homes with complex shapes and the finest materials have cost as much as $200 per square foot. In other words, it depends on what you want. Construction costs are often about the same or slightly higher than conventional construction if they are contractor built by someone without much bale building experience; but you get three times the wall thermal efficiency, much better fire safety, superb sound control, more internal thermal mass, and increased comfort and security.

To read more about straw bale buildingsThere are now 15 books available on straw bale construction in English, with some added

books and material in German and Danish. Straw bale buildings are regularly featured in many magazines, but The Last Straw Journal remains the best resource. A subscription is only $28, for info www.thelaststraw.org or [email protected]. Additional support welcome -- send $20, $50, $100, $1,000 or $10,000 to help with research and publication if you can.

To visit a straw bale buildingThere are now many straw buildings in the United States today, but not many are open to

the public. Buildings in California include the Real Goods Solar Living Center in Hopland, the Schwaesdall Winery visitor's center in Ramona, and the Woken Center in Los Altos Hills. In Huntsville Alabama the Burritt Mansion is an amazing straw bale building completed in 1938, and in Arthur, Nebraska you can visit the Pilgrim Holiness Church, 1928.

Many straw bale schools have been built, one of the best is the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork near Aspen, Colorado. This 6,000 square foot school was built on time and under budget by volunteers and contractors. It is a passive solar, daylit, sustainable school. Heating costs were reduced 60%.

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0 10000 20000 30000 40000

BTU

Annual Heating and Cooling EnergyRequired for Fresno, California

conventional stickframe

straw bale

oriented stickframe with thermal mass

oriented straw bale with thermal mass

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The largest buildings are wineries, over 20,000 square feet in some cases but this is for production space. Wineries in Australia have also taken to straw bale, including the really big bales. Well worth a trip just to see them all. (www.strawbale.archinet.com.au). The buildings in Mongolia and China would also be worth a trip. (www.one-world-design.com). It is also easy to find many pictures and stories about straw bale building on the worldwide web and in magazines such as The Last Straw (www.thelaststraw.com) and Natural Home magazine (www.naturalhomemagazine.com). A superb video on straw bale building, "The Straw Bale Solution" is available (www.strawbalecentral.com).

To work on a straw bale buildingWorkshops are offered around the year by straw bale building schools and organizations

and kids are usually welcomed and encouraged to attend. Mud plasters and straw are fun for everyone, and no one does it better than Bill and Athena Steen at the Canelo Project in Southern Arizona (www.caneloproject.com). The Solar Living Center in Hopland has a regular workshop series (www.solarliving.org). Workshops throughout the Southwest can be found from Joelee Joyce ([email protected]) and Catherine Wanek (www.strawbalecentral.com) and others. Several projects will be built around San Diego this year and workshops are likely, contact Bob Bolles ([email protected]) and Drew Hubbell (www.hubbellandhubbell.com).

Acknowledgement and thanksWith many thanks to the pioneers who took a chance and built straw bale houses in the

beginning. The permaculture community saw the elegance and beauty of straw bales first and worked through the critical preliminary details. Many people have carried this work forward and have provided inspiration, support and delight over the years. Matts Myhrman, Judy Knox, Steve MacDonald, Catherine Wanek, Ken Haggard, Polly Cooper, Steve Kemble, Carol Escott, Bruce King, Bob Theis, Dan Smith, Greg McMillan, Turko Semmes, Bob Fowler, John Swearingen, David Mar, Bob Bolles, Chris Magwood, Chris Prelitz, Jon Hammond, Kim Thompson, Lynne Elizabeth, Marilyn Farmer, Joe McCabe, Peter Mack, John Glassford, Pliny Fisk II, Jennifer Rennick and many others (including many supportive partners and spouses) merit thanks for perseverance, dedication and enthusiasm along the straw bale trail.

David Eisenberg has done an outstanding job of integrating straw bale and sustainability issues into the building codes -- surpassing the efforts of multimillion dollar Federal programs and massive institutional initiatives. Kelly Lerner has tackled the incredibly complex challenge of introducing straw bale building to meet the housing and energy crises in Mongolia and China and farm housing in California. Bill and Athena Steen have carried their work in Mexico and at the Canelo Institute on with enthusiasm and humor in the most trying conditions, while providing workshops and connecting craftspeople and builders from all over the world. All are my heroes! If you can provide financial support - please do!

Key written resources

Eisenberg, D. 1995. Straw Bale Construction and the Building Codes. Development Center for Appropriate Technology, Tucson, AZ. [http://www.azstarnet.com/~dcat/barriers.htm]

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Elizabeth, L. and C. Adams. 2000. Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods. John Wiley, NY 392 p. (several chapters on straw bale)

Guelberth, C.R. and D. Chiras. 2003. The Natural Plaster Book. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC. 251 p.

Gray, A.T. and A. Hall, eds. 2000. Strawbale Homebuilding. Earth Garden Publishing, Trentham, Victoria, Australia 156 p. (U.S. dist. Chelsea Green)

Haggard, K. and P. Cooper. 1998. Rising from the Ashes: A Study in Sustainability. Solar Today. Sept/Oct. 12(5):26-30.

Haggard, K. and G. McMillan. 1993. Straw bale passive solar construction. Solar Today 7(3):17-20.

Haggard, K. and S. Clark, eds. 1999. Straw Bale Construction Sourcebook. California Straw Building Association/San Luis Obispo Sustainability Group. Santa Margarita, CA 37 p.

Hawes, M., 1993. Straw and solar: a perfect match. Home Power 35, 62-66.Kennedy, J.F., M.G. Smith and C. Wanek, editors. 2002. The Art of Natural Building. New

Society Publishers. Gabriola Island, BC 289 p. King, B. 1996. Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and

Straw Bale Houses. Ecological Design Press 169 p. (dist. by Chelsea Green Press)Lacinksi, P. and M. Bergeron. 2000. Serious Straw Bale. Chelsea Green, White River

Junction, VT.Lerner, K. and P.W. Goode. 2000. The Building Official's Guide to Straw Bale

Construction v2.1. California Straw Building Association, CA 83 p. [www.strawbuilding.org]

Magwood, C. and P. Mack. 2000. Straw Bale Building. How to Plan, Design and Build with Straw. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia. 234 p.

Magwood, C. and C. Walker. 2001. Straw Bale Details: A Manual for Designers and Builders. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia 59 p. .

Meagan, K. 2002. Earth Plasters for Straw Bale Homes. KM, PO Box 5888, Santa Fe, NM 87502. 54 p.

Myhrman, M and S.O. MacDonald. 1997. Build it with Bales, version 2. Out On Bale, Tucson, AZ. 143 p.

Patterson, T. 2003. Wineries as green as the vineyards? Vineyard and Winery Magazine, www.vwm-online.ocm/magazine/archive/2203/Vol29_No5/Green.htm

Steen, A. and B. 2001. The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes. Chelsea Green, White River Junction, VT. 113 p

Steen, A. and B., D.A. Bainbridge, D. Eisenberg. 1994. The Straw Bale House. Chelsea Green, White River Junction, VT. 297 p.

Wanek, C. 2003. The New Straw Bale Home. Gibbs Smith, Layton, UT 188 p.

The Journal

The Last Straw: The International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Construction. US$28 Canada US$33 Int'l US $36

[email protected] www.thelaststraw.org

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Older material on straw bale building, agricultural uses and a few new gemsToo many recent articles to index (a potential student project?), see particularly The Last

Straw, volume #1-40.

Andersen, B.H. 1989. The Danish Solution to Housing Outdoor Pigs. PIGS. 5 (May-June):12-13.

Andersen, B.H. and Homegaard, P. 1987. Hytter og klimatelt til alterativt svinehold (Huts and tents for alternative pig husbandry) 5 Nov. Statens Byggesforskingstnst (POB 119 2970, Horsholm, Denmark).

Argue, R. 1980. The Well Tempered House. Renewable Energy in Canada, Toronto.Bainbridge, D.A. 1986. High performance, low-cost buildings of straw. Agriculture,

Ecosystems, Environment 16(3):281-284. Bainbridge, D.A. 1986. Straw bale buildings. Permaculture Activist. 24:12-13.Bainbridge, D.A. 1987. Straw bale construction. Working Paper #5, Dry Lands Research

Institute, UC Riverside, Riverside, CA 12 p.Bainbridge, D.A. 1987. Straw bale construction. Poster presented at the 12th Passive Solar

Conference, Portland, Oregon 1987. Portions appeared in the Proceedings of the Conference, American Section International Solar Energy Society, ed. by Andrejko, D.A. and Hayes, J. Vol. 12, pp. 250-253. ASISES, Boulder, CO.

Bainbridge, D.A. 1988. Better homes with gardens. Amandla 1:8 (reprinted Permaculture Activist)

Bainbridge, D.A. 1992. Straw Bale Buildings: A Bibliography in Progress. Groundworks International, Riverside, CA 4 p. (~100 sources)

Bainbridge, D.A. and M. Myhrman. 1991. Straw bale building systems. Proceedings of the International Solar Society Meetings, Denver. pp. 2611-2616. 1991 Solar World Congress, Pergamon Press, NY.

Bainbridge, D.A. with A. and B. Steen. 1992. Plastered Straw Bale Construction. Canelo Project, Elgin AZ 46 p.

Bainbridge, D.A. 2000. Straw bale building. Resource: Engineering and Technology for a Sustainable World. 7(3):9-10.

Bainbridge, D.A., Hofmeister, R., MacDonald, S.O. eds. 1993. Roots and revival: working group reports. First National Straw Bale Building Conference. Arthur, Nebraska. Out on Bale, Tucson, AZ.

Doolittle, B. 1973. A round house of straw bales. Mother Earth News 19:52-57.Cleland, S.B. 1942 [1941]. Straw sheds. Univ. of Minnesota, Extension Bulletin 227, St.

Paul, MN. Doughty, T. (ed). 1990. Bales form emergency bunker. The Dakota Farmer, p. 31, April 7.Douglas, R.J. and L.H. Langford. 1954. Inexpensive winter shelter for hogs. Bi-Monthly

Bulletin. North Dakota Agric. Exp. Sta., 16:4 (Mar-Apr.):139-40.Edminster, A. 1995. Strawbale construction: investigation of environmental impacts. A.V.

Edminster Design. Pacifica, CA. 115 p. thesis [[email protected]]Eisenberg, D., M. Myhrman and J. Knox. 1993. Summary results of a structural straw bale

testing program. Community Information Resource Center, PO 42663, Tucson, AZ 85733.

Extension Agricultural Engineer. 1930. Straw barn for sheep or cattle, 24' X 90', End wall door, Plan # ND B-711, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

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Extension Agricultural Engineer. 1930. Straw Barn for Cattle, 20'28', End wall Door, Plan # ND B-712, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

Extension Agricultural Engineer. 1934. Straw barn for poultry, 20'X20', End wall Door, Plan # ND B-713, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

Extension Agricultural Engineer. 1924. Straw shed demountable roof frame, 19'X23', Plank and Wire, Plan # ND B-8-1-1, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

Extension Agriculture Engineer. 1943. Straw barn framing 28'X32', Post beam & wire Plan # ND 725-3-1, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.

Extension Agriculture Engineer. 1943. Special Circular A-54, Straw shed for cattle and sheep. 4p, Extension Service, North Dakota Agric. College, Fargo, ND.

Extension Agriculture Engineer. 1943. Special Circular A-55, Straw shed for poultry, 4p, Extension Service, North Dakota Agric. College, Fargo ND.

Faller, T., D. Nudell, R. Olson and D. Stecher. 1990. A shed made from straw used for a sheep shelter, 31st Annual Western Dakota Sheep Day Report, North Dakota State University, February. Hettinger Res./Ext. Center. (POB 507, Hettinger, ND 58639).

Gagne, L. 1986. A Straw Bales/Mortar House Demonstration Project. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Housing Technology Incentives Program. Ottawa, Ontario 42 p.

Gergen, B. 1987. Low-cost calving shed made from straw bales. Farm Show 11:6 (POB 1029, Lakeville, MN, 55044).

Glassford, J. 2000. Monica's Winery. Details on big bale and sb construction in Australia. [http:/strawbale.archinet.com.au] or [email protected]

Hammond, J. 1979. Straw bale house. Winds of Change, Winter(Feb/Mar):8 (Winters, CA).Johnson, D.W. 1990. Straw bales make cheap buildings. Grainews. July:25,42-3, (POB 660,

Winnipeg, MB, Rc3 3A7). Johnson, D.W. 1990. Build yourself a low-cost straw bale barn. Farm Show 14:2 (POB 1029,

Lakeville, MN, 55044). Johnson, D.W. 1990. Farm buildings using rectangular or round baled roughage. American

Society of Agricultural Engineers paper #904550, Presented at the 1990 Winter Meeting. ASAE St. Joseph, MI 49085 10 p.

Johnson, D.W. 1990. Old tricks work with new bale shapes. The Dakota Farmer 108:4(Feb 17):34-5 (7900 International Dr., Minneapolis, MN. 55425).

Johnson, H. (editor). 1984. Straw bale grain bins. Farm Show. 8:1-7 (POB 1029, Lakeville, MN 55044).

Johnson, H. (editor). 1987. Round bale shed. Farm Show. 11:6.Johnson, H. (editor). 1982. Straw provides low cost shelter for livestock. Farm Show. 6:1.Myhrman, M. 1989. We just sort of stood the hayfield up on end. Earthcare, the Journal of

Amaterra 3 pMyhrman, M. 1990. One man's straw bale odyssey. Permaculture Drylands Journal 10,

Spring. Myhrman, M. 1991. Straw bale update. Permaculture Drylands Journal 14: 3-5. Smith, M. 1989?. Baled Hay Houses. pp. 44-45. In Arthur County's 75 years of History,

Homesteaders and Homemakers. Arthur County Historical Society Book Committee Arthur Nebraska.

Sorenson, D. 1982. Hog barn built with straw bales. Farm Show. 6(6):21.Strang, G. 1985. Straw bale studio. Fine Homebuilding. 12/84-1/85:70-72.Tilley, R.D. 1991. Blueprint for survival. Architecture May. 64-71.

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Welsch, R.L. 1970. Sandhill baled construction. Keystone Folklore Quarterly 15(1):16-34.Welsch, R.L. 1973. Baled Hay. pp. 70-71. In L. Kahn, ed. Shelter. Shelter Publications,

Bolinas, CA. White, N. and Iwanicha,C. 1997. Lateral Testing of a Stucco-covered Straw-bale Wall.

Architectural Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA..

VideosWanek, C. 1999. The Straw Bale Solution. 30 minute video. Networks Productions.

www.NetworkEarth.org

Wanek, C. 1994-96. Building with straw series. Black Range Films, Kingston, NM.http://www.strawbalecentral.com [email protected]

Kemble, S. and C. Escott. 1996. How to Build Your Elegant Home with Straw Bales. 90 minute video. Sustainable Systems Support, Bisbee, AZ. http://www.bisbeenet.com/buildnatural

Many others available, look on the internet and at Real Goods, Out on Bale and in The Last Straw.

Straw/clay, rammed earth, etc.Straw bales are often not the best solution or not available locally, there are many equally

appropriate materials. Look for:

Elizabeth, L. and C. Adams. 2000. Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods. John Wiley, NY 392 p.

Stulz, R. and K. Mukerji. 1988. Appropriate Building Materials: A Catalogue of Potential Solutions. Swiss Center for Appropriate Technology, IT, GATE. 430 p.

Steen, B. and A. and E. and Y. Komatsu. 2003. Built By Hand: Vernacular Buildings around the World. Gibbs Smith, Layton, UT 469 p.

Passive solar systems for heating and cooling

A straw bale building can be a poor performer if it is improperly designed and built. Utilize the best features of passive solar design for heating and cooling (well understood by the ancient Greeks in the solar city of Olynthus) and by most traditional designs around the world.

Choose details to keep water off walls (overhangs and no parapet walls) and they should last for hundreds of years. The improved comfort and tremendous life cycle savings make the marriage of straw bale and solar a winning combination, for homeowners and for the planet.

Bahadori, M.N. 1978. Passive cooling systems in Iranian architecture. Scientific American 144-154.

Bainbridge, D.A. 1978. Natural cooling: practical use of climate resources for space conditioning in California. Pp 138-153. In E.F. Clark, and F. de Winter, eds. Proceedings

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of the 3rd Workshop on the use of solar energy for the cooling of buildings, San Francisco, California, U.S. Department of Energy/University of Colorado, Boulder.

Bainbridge, D.A. 1979. How to build a waterwall. Solar Age 4(8):38-41.Bainbridge, D.A. 1979. Waterwall passive solar systems for new and retrofit buildings. pp

473-478. In Proceedings of the Third Passive Solar Conference, American Section International Solar Energy Association, San Jose, California.

Bainbridge, D.A. 1983. Water Wall Solar Design Manual. SUN, Bascom, Ohio.Bainbridge, D.A. 1987. Energy self-reliant neighborhoods. pp. 398-402. In D.A. Andrejko

and J. Hayes, eds. 12th Passive Solar Conference Proceedings, American Section International Solar Energy Society (ASISES), Boulder, Colorado.

Bainbridge, D.A., J. Corbett, and J. Hofacre. 1979. Village Homes' Solar House Designs, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA.

Butti, K. and J. Perlin. 1980. A Golden Thread. Chesire Books. Cramer, R.D. and L.W. Neubauer. 1959. Solar radiant gains through directional glass

exposure. ASHRAE Transactions V65: #1681.Cramer, R.D. and L.W. Neubauer. 1966. Thermal effectiveness of shape. Solar Energy

10(3):141-149.Evans, B. 1954. Natural air flow around buildings. Research Report #59. Texas A&M,

College Station Texas. Givoni, B. 1969. Man, Climate and Architecture. ElsevierNeubauer, L.W. 1972. Shapes and orientations of houses for natural cooling. Transactions

ASAE 15(1):126-128.Neubauer, L.W. and R.D. Cramer. 1968. Effect of shape of building on interior air

temperature. Transactions ASAE 11(4):537-539.Niles, P., K. Haggard, and P. Cooper, eds. 1980. California Passive Solar Handbook.

California Energy Commission, Sacramento, CaliforniaOlgyay, V. and A. 1976. Solar Control and Shading Devices. Princeton Univ., Princeton, N.J.

And heed the words of the marvelous solar pioneer and researcher Loren "Tod" Neubauer.

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"It is better to be crudely right than precisely wrong."DB, Tree of Life Nursery, San Juan Capistrano, CA

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