Carbon neutral or, more importantly, carbon negative building can be best achieved with straw. Carbon can be drawn from the air and put into buildings. If it was a machine everyone would want one. Straw is fast growing and without toxins.
Straw bale homes, also known as hay bale homes, have been around for more than 100 years in France and the USA. Many of these homes are still standing.
In NSW one of the best befits of building with straw is the bushfire protection. They have been tested by the CSIRO and are suitable for any level of construction, including flame zone construction. The straw bale walls are without air, greatly insulate the spread of heat and can make internal temperatures safer than almost any other material during the passage of a bushfire. They have excellent capacity as bushfire refuges.
In terms of insulation, a straw bale wall typically has an R value greater than 7. Dollar for dollar, straw bale provides the best insulation. Combined with renders they also provide good thermal mass.
Straw bale walls are great sound insulators. They don’t have issues with vermin due to the density of the bales and finishing in renders with screens.
Bales lend themselves to many modern styles of building. They can be straight finished walls, convict stone patterns and curved walls. They allow for a sculpture approach of which even Gaudi would be proud.
Strawbale homes rate well for ease of construction. We have further developed straw bale infill to a portal frame system constructed on site. We try to incorporate the benefits of prefab walls with fast construction. There’s no need to transport sand and cement long distances for our lightweight straw bale walls. We build factory style – efficient and fast, but on site with sand sourced locally.
We have mechanised our process and don’t need tribes of people to help, however the more the merrier – many hands make light work and we find there is great interest from friends and family in getting hands on with the build.
Outside the Box Designs 