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"Natural building" is an umbrella term than connotes any sort of building that is accomplished with the use of natural materials primarily, as opposed to the use of man-made or industrial materials. There is, of course, a blurring of this distinction when any specific material or building technique is examined, because the influence of technology is all-pervasive in today’s world. Still, it is worthwhile to focus on those ways of building that minimize the use of products that require considerable embodied energy for their manufacture or transportation. The objective is to build with simple techniques that don’t further pollute the environment, consume more fossil fuel, or unnecessarily extract the resources of Mother Earth. Such techniques, by their very nature, have an aesthetic value that tends to blend in with the environment and "feel" natural. |
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| Strawbales |
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Strawbale buildings are all the rage in alternative construction today, and with good reason–they are cheap, easy to build, and very energy efficient. Strawbale buildings look similar to adobe, with massive walls, wide window sills and typically rounded corners, but with the added benefit of a higher insulation value. The soft, sometimes curvy edges of strawbale construction can lend a fairy tale look to the finished structures. The fun part of strawbale construction is that anyone can do it. Anyone can help stack the fluffy, oversized bricks in place.
Strawbale homes and outbuildings were first developed by pioneers in the Sand Hills of Nebraska where there was lots of straw, but few trees. The early pioneers built houses of sod, up until the late 1800’s when baling technology provided the first compressed, string-tied rectangular bales. The next logical step was to stack those bales like bricks to make warm walls. Strawbale buildings from the early 1900’s are still in use and in excellent condition today. |
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| Hotlinks to Additional Internet Resources: |
| Natural Building Photo Gallery: new link — They developed an inexpensive way to monitor SB houses for moisture content in the walls, and studied a few over time. More data on moisture is always a Good Thing, so contact them if you’d like to help out. (Seems to me that the best moisture peace of mind you could get would be installing a few inexpensive meters in your walls so that you’ll know if you’ve sprung a leak or something.) |
| The Cob Builders Handbook: new link — It’s a thoughtful site, which speaks to the concerns of Housing and The Environment. They offer a booklet for sale under their Publications link called Strawbales As A Building Element, which "provides general background information on building with straw bales, including discussion of advantages and disadvantages of building with baled straw. This overview includes methods of load-bearing and non-load bearing applications, roofing and finish work." I’ve never seen a copy of it, so I’ll take them at their word. Also check out the article about "Northside Strawbale," a two-home development in Missoula, Montana, under the Demonstration link. |
| The Thermal Resistivity of Straw Bales for Construction: new link — The hut has two different solar systems that power the 40 sensors taking readings on moisture, humidity, and temperature.." |
| Wood chip and Light-clay Infill Systems: new link — We all know how things turned out for that first little pig, but he really didn’t have such a bad idea. There’s nothing flimsy about a house made of straw, as long as the straw is tightly baled, free of pesticides, dry, and used in accordance with good engineering principles. Don’t believe it? Meet Susan Riebel of Rimrock, Arizona. She opened the Huff ‘n’ Puff Straw Bale Inn in August, 1996. The house boasts post-and-beam construction and a solar-powered electrical system. Hot water pipes run under the concrete slab floor, offering radiant heating in the winter. "And my utility bill runs about US$18 a month," said Susan. "It’s one of this house’s many great features." |
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