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Straw Bale Building in 2004
David A. Bainbridge
Associate Professor, Sustainable Management
Marshall Goldsmith School of 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 for
building homes, outbuildings, and commercial and industrial buildings. This building
technology is "all American", born and bred on the treeless plains of Nebraska; but has
now spread all over the world to Canada, France, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands,
Denmark, Mexico, Mongolia, Iraq, Chile, Belarus, South Africa, England, Canada, Spain,
Norway, Sweden, China, Russia, Nicaragua, Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. 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. Well compressed straw bales can be used
structurally. Straw bales, straw bundles, and straw mixed with clay can also be used as
infill for wood, 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 wire meshed or pinned together they are
plastered with lime, earth, 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
new office buildings and commercial spaces
wineries
barns and utility buildings
retrofit insulation for existing buildings
thermal shelters for water tanks
garages and hangars
emergency housing
How well do they work?
Combining straw bales and solar orientation and climate adapted design features 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%. The Congregation Beth David Synagogue in San Luis Obispo is 82% below
state energy code requirements.
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Annual Heating and Cooling Energy
Required for Fresno, California
conventional stickframe
straw bale
oriented stickframe with thermal mass
oriented straw bale with thermal mass
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
BTU
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 more than $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; 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. They cost much less to build than traditional adobe buildings in Santa
Fe.
To read more about straw bale buildings
There are now many books available on straw bale construction in English, with some
added books and material in German and French and other languages. 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. Additional support
welcome -- send $20, $50, $100, $1,000 or $10,000 to help with research and publication if
you can. Natural Home magazine has also featured many straw bale homes,
(www.naturalhomemagazine.com). So have Mother Earth News, Home Power and Sunset.
To visit a straw bale building
There 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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The largest buildings have been wineries, several over 20,000 square feet. Wineries in
Australia have also taken to straw bale, including the really big bales. Well worth a trip just
to see them all. The buildings in Mongolia and China would also be worth a visit.
It is also easy to find many pictures and stories about straw bale building on the
worldwide web and in magazines. The Last Straw articles from the first ten years are now
available on a CD. "The Straw Bale Solution" video is a good introduction
(www.strawbalecentral.com), as is "Strawbale", Show 105 from Huell Howser Productions'
California's Green series (www.calgold.com).
To work on a straw bale building
Workshops 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 can be found through The Last
Straw and on the web.
Acknowledgement and thanks
With 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. Roger Welsch, Matts
Myhrman, Judy Knox, Steve MacDonald, Catherine Wanek, Ken Haggard, Polly Cooper,
Kelly Lerner, Steve Bob Bolles, Chris Magwood, Steve Kemble, Carol Escott, Bruce King,
Bob Theis, Dan Smith, Greg McMillan, Turko Semmes, Bob Fowler, John Swearingen,
David Mar, Mark Piepkorn, Chris Prelitz, Jon Hammond, Kim Thompson, Lynne Elizabeth,
Marilyn Farmer, Joe McCabe, Peter Mack, John Glassford, Pliny Fisk II, Jennifer Rennick,
Rick Green, and many others (including many supportive partners and spouses) merit thanks
for perseverance, dedication and enthusiasm along the straw bale trail. The first adopters
deserve even greater thanks for investing time and money in people with great ideas, new
technology, and patiently continuing despite delays and uncertainty.
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. His work deserves your support! Many
building code officials have found a new respect for alternative materials thanks to his
speeches, workshops, and articles on "Building Codes for a Small Planet" in the building
code magazine. Take a look at www.dcat.net. Bruce King and the Ecobuilding Network are
the leading test group, support their work as well, www.ecobuildnetwork.org.
Key written resources
Corum, N. 2004. Building One House: A Handbook for Strawbale Construction. Redfeather.
192 p. www.redfeather.org.
Eisenberg, D. 1995. Straw Bale Construction and the Building Codes. Development Center
for Appropriate Technology, Tucson, AZ. [http://www.azstarnet.com/~dcat/barriers.htm]
Elizabeth, L. and C. Adams. 2000. Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural
Building Methods. John Wiley, NY 392 p. (several chapters on straw bale)
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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)
Gruber, H. and A. 2003 [2000]. Bauen mit Stroh. Okobuch Verlag. Staufen bei Frieburg.
GDR. 112 p.
Gruber, A. and H. 2003. Construire en Paille Aujourd'hui. Terrre Vivant 128 p.
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.
Holmes, S. and M. Wingate. 2002. Building with Lime: A Practical Introduction. ITDG
Publishing, London, UK 309 p.
Jones, B. 2002. Bulding with Straw Bales. Green Books, UK. 371 p.
Keller, L., J. Kruse, J. Nielsen. 2001. Halmbyggeressourcer. 116 p.
Kennedy, J.F., M.G. Smith and C. Wanek, editors. 2002. The Art of Natural Building. New
Society Publishers. Gabriola Island, BC 289 p.
Kennedy, J.F. 2004. Building Without Borders: Sustainable Construction for the Global
Village. Island Press, Washington, DC.
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. 384 p.
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.
Minke, G. and F. Mahlke. 2004. Der Strohballenbau: Ein Konstruktionshanbuch. Okobuch.
141 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
Piringer, M. and A. Schwade. 2000. 10 Schritte zum Stroballenhaus. Global 2000, FoE
Austria. www.Global2000.at
Roberts, C. 2003. A House of Straw. Chelsea Green, White River Junction, VT. 188 p.
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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.
Wedig, H. ed. 1999. Bauen mit Ballen. OLVA, Xanten, GDR. 46 p.
Welsch, R.L. 1970. Sandhill baled construction. Keystone Folklore Quarterly 15(1):16-34.
The Journal
The Last Straw: The International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Construction. In the US
$28 a year,
Canada US$33
Int'l US$36
[email protected]
www.thelaststraw.org
Older material on straw bale building, agricultural uses and a few new gems
Too many recent articles to index (a potential student project?), see particularly The Last
Straw, volume #1-44.
Andersen, B.H. 1989. The Danish Solution to Housing Outdoor Pigs. PIGS. 5 (MayJune):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.
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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
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.
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.
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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 p
Myhrman, 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.
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..
Selected Videos
Howser, H. 2003. Straw bale. Show #105 in California's Green series. H. Howser
Productions. www.calgold.com
Wanek, C. 1999. The Straw Bale Solution. 30 minute video. Networks Productions.
www.NetworkEarth.org
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.
Laporte, R. 1993. Mooseprints-Light Straw Clay Building. 35 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.
Volhard, F. 1995 [1983]. Leichtlehmbau. CF Muller, GDR 208 p.
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Passive solar systems for heating and cooling
A straw bale building can be a poor performer if it is improperly oriented and designed.
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
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. Elsevier
Neubauer, 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, California
Olgyay, V. and A. 1976. Solar Control and Shading Devices. Princeton Univ., Princeton, N.J.
Heed the words of my friend and mentor, the marvelous solar pioneer and researcher Loren
"Tod" Neubauer. "It is better to be crudely right than precisely wrong."
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