Building with Straw Bales

It’s hard to imagine a construction method that better fits the word “sustainable,” than durable, energy-efficient straw bales. When the material that forms both the wall structure and the insulation is an agricultural by-product that might otherwise be burned in the fields, all the usual concerns about resource depletion and embodied energy are washed away. While straw-bale construction is currently still very much a fringe activity, the interest it has generated is likely to keep spreading. The first serious testing program for load-bearing bale walls is now underway in Arizona, and the results should help with the challenge of convincing building inspectors and code officials to go along.
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