Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
WHY BUILD WITH STRAW BALES?
Strawbale building makes sense. It offers
us a radical way to solve many of the issues
facing construction with respect to thermal
efficiency, carbon footprint and cost. It's far
more than just a wall-building technique; it's a
completely different approach to the process
of building itself. Like all innovative ideas, it
has been pioneered by the passionate and
practised experimentally by those with the
vision to see its potential. Its background is
grassroots self-build: it is firmly based in that
sustainable, 'green building' culture that has
brought to the construction industry many
new and useful ideas about energy efficiency
and environmental responsibility.
Working with straw is unlike working with
any other material. It is simple, flexible,
imprecise and organic. It will challenge your
preconceptions about the nature of building
and the correct way of doing things - and
not everyone will be able to meet this chal-
lenge. The simplicity of straw can be disarm-
ing, or alarming. If you need complexity
for security, then this may not be for you.
Don't be put off by nursery tales about the
big bad wolf - we should be wise enough to
realise that the wolf probably worked for the
cement manufacturers! And there are plenty
of examples of professionally finished,
durable strawbale buildings, as illustrated in
the colour pages in this topic - so read on,
and make up your own mind.
A typical plastered straw wall has a
U-value of 0.13, more than twice the
insulation that Building Regulations require.
Straw as a building material excels in the
areas of ease of installation, affordability
and energy efficiency. Council houses of
almost PassivHaus standard are currently
being built for £110,000 for a three-bed
semi. Of interest to the homeowner is the
huge savings in heating costs, owing to the
buildings' super-insulation. Potential savings
are up to 75 per cent compared with a conv-
entional modern house. A typical plastered
straw wall has a U-value (see page 120) of
0.13, more than twice the insulation that
Building Regulations require. Furthermore,
This method of building is now entering
mainstream construction, used by firms
who see its value in terms of cost-effec-
tiveness, sustainability, ease of installation
and energy efficiency. The building method
itself is based on a block system, making
the designs very easy to adapt from one
project to another, and giving great flexibility
in its use.
