construction workshop,
sponsored by Greenbuilders,
Baltimore AIA and USGBC.
hundred years, are fire rated, and have an
insulation value of R-40. They provide a
market for local agricultural produce and save
an average of 50 trees per house. Walls are
typically supported by post and beam
construction and the bales are used to infill.
The surface is coated with stucco inside and
out, permeable so the walls can breathe and
do not accumulate moisture.
as environmentally kind, and they can
be built at a cost slightly less than
conventional construction. They are
fun to build. A crew of family, friends,
and neighbors can do much of the
actual wall construction.
workshop, Pittsburgh, 2003. Lower left, Michael
Furbish and Heather Bathon house, Pasadena, MD.
For more info, Furbishco.com. Right, Winters home in
Garrett County, MD.
National: strawhomes.com
Regional: buildnaturally.com
Tools needed are very simple. This photo shows a bale needle, which
was made by the homeowner, Robert Byrnes. Any long sharpened tool
will do, with two holes in one end for threading the bale twine, and a
handle on the other end for pushing through the bale.
At left, bale needle in use to create a new,
shorter bale by retying and cutting.
In this application, we were building a curved wall. To the right,
homeowner Ruth Sadler adjusts a curved bale in place. Below,
our technique for bale-curving. Hey, this is fun!
Bale walls must be built on a foundation so that the bales
do not come in direct contact with moisture. They are held
in place by post and beam framing and by bamboo stakes.
A scratch coat of earth plaster is applied (earth, lime, sand) and
then a final coat of lime plaster (lime, sand, water) which can be
colored. In this case, the color comes only from white lime and sand.
The plaster must be kept moist while it dries, so that the lime can
recalcify. This produces a hard, durable finish which will "breathe",
thus keeping any moisture out of the bales in the future.
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Hay is a grass, used for animal feed. Straw is the non-nutritive waste left after cereal grains (wheat, oats,
barley, rice, etc.) are harvested. Straw is either used for animal bedding or burned by farmers. Hay bales
should be a shade of green and are relatively heavy to lift; straw bales should be a bright yellow gold color
and are lightweight. Straw bales do not attract pests or mold more than typical wood frame construction.
Hay bales can ignite; straw bales meet codes for fire resistance.
There are no "old growth" wheatfields!!
