Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• the effect of moisture on straw
into spaces, but this always has adverse
consequences. Rushing the process, and
working alone or competitively can mean
that an adjoining section of wall is distorted
and pushed out of shape - a section that
someone else has spent time and care in
getting right. Strawbale building is as much
a personal learning process as it is about
learning a new building technique. More
than any other material (except perhaps cob
and clay), it is susceptible to your own spirit
and that of the team. It is not something
to do alone. It requires cooperation, skill-
sharing and common sense. Many of the
inspirational and artistic features occur in
this atmosphere. It is empowering, expand-
ing the world of opportunities for you and
making possible what you thought to be
impossible!
• weather protection in general.
Most of the differences in technique in
this climate are to do with foundation
design, the predominant use of loadbearing
methods and the type of render used as
a weatherproof coating. We have been
able to draw on the rich knowledge of the
past, using ideas that have been tried and
tested over centuries. In many respects, the
requirements of strawbale buildings are
essentially the same as those of traditional
cob (earth) buildings. They have high plinth
walls, self-draining foundations, and large
overhangs to the roof - 'a good hat and a
good pair of boots', as cob builders used to
say. They are also constructed of breathable
materials and must not be waterproofed
(although they must be weatherproofed).
Building with straw encompasses far more
than a new wall-building system, however,
as the whole building is constructed of
natural materials with very low embodied
energy (the energy required to make the
product) and a negative carbon footprint, all
at an affordable price.
Building with bales can be inspiring and
transformative, and working together with
a group of people to build your own home
can be one of the most empowering experi-
ences of your life.
The atmosphere and environment in which
we live is a matter of increasing concern
to homeowners and designers alike. There
is a growing body of knowledge on the
harmful effects of living long-term with
modern materials that give off minute but
significant amounts of toxins, the so-called
'sick building syndrome'. Living in a straw
house protects you from all that. It is a
natural, vapour-permeable material that has
no harmful effects. Hay-fever sufferers are
not affected by straw, as it does not contain
pollens. Asthmatics too find a strawbale
house a healthier environment in which to
live. Combined with a sensible choice of
natural plasters and paints, it can positively
enhance your quality of life.
Straw is a flexible material and this requires
us to work with it somewhat differently
from how we would if it were rigid. Accurate
measurement and precision is impossible
and unnecessary with straw, but working
without these aids can be worrying to the
novice, and threatening if you're already
used to twenty-first-century building
techniques. It is very important to make
this clear at the outset. You have to develop
a feel for the straw. You have to give it
time; absorb its flexibility. It is possible to
be macho about it - to hurl bales around
single-handedly and force them tightly
