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More and more frequently, I find myself describing natural building as “open-source building”. What we call natural building is the continuation of many living, revived, and reinvented traditions of community-held…
The Case for Waste There are few things we interact with more on a daily basis than toilets. Sanitation is central to community infrastructure; yet, most people are unaware of…
a conversation with Matt Anderson about his Springs and Summers Matt Anderson is the filmmaker behind Earth Lodge Studios, a production house that has released some fantastic films on building,…
The Last Straw: What are you working on now? Lloyd Kahn: There’s an awful lot going on right now. And the thing is, as you get older and real old…
Introducing Resource Conscious Construction What is Natural Building? The terms “natural building”, “eco-building”, and “green building” are surrounded by ambiguity and debate. There are purists who permit…
The Last Straw: So, Matts, when you were younger did you have any sense that you would end up building with bales? Matts Myhrman: Not in the slightest. My dad…
While natural building has been practiced around the world for as long as people have made shelter, its recent revival has taken on at different paces in different places. This…
As I write this, I am sitting in a 320 sq. ft. classroom I’m building in Central Florida out of pallets insulated with straw and covered in an earthen cob…
Back in November, we sat down with Martin Hammer to discuss his invaluable contributions to natural building and to the creation of natural building codes in the U.S. The following…
Issue No. 73
Fall 2022
Most people choose straw bale for environmental considerations, wanting to be kinder to the earth and to themselves. Straw bales have low embodied energy; they're easy and fun to use,…
Moisture is every bit the very real concern in straw-bale construction that it is in standard wood-frame construction, and many of the same considerations that need to be given to…
Mud is magic. Mud is fun. Mud can also be quarrelsome. Don't get me wrong, I love earth plasters. I want all new strawbale homes to be wearing them. They…
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Read reviews of the first three books in the Sustainable Essential Building Series by New Society Publishers - Hempcrete Construction, Building Science and Prefab Straw Bale Construction.
The EcoNest is a type of building and a movement that is building momentum across the natural building world. We review the latest book by Robert and Paula Baker LaPorte.
Issue No. 72
Spring 2022
Jeni Kardinal explains her manual bale press that was developed as part of her work in Bali.
Welcome to NZ!!! When you think of New Zealand, what do you think about? 'Wow, it's really far away' 'Isn't there more sheep then people that live there?' 'I've heard…
Andrew Morrison helps us understand how to properly choose the sand for your plaster.
The upcoming European Strawbale Gathering is indicative of the activity on that continet, and Germany is no exception
Identifying sources of stress and remaining calm during you project is as valuable on natural building projects as conventional ones
Darcy Donovan updates us on her progress of building bale structures in Pakistan through PAKSAB
Issue No. 71
Winter 2022
The 2014 Ausbale Strawbale Conference was held in Adelaide, Australia in September. See what you missed...
Shelter is about the journey of building a home yourself, and sharing a dream that brings natural building home
We review the first comprehensive how-to guide covering the topic of earthen floors. Find out why you should have it in your natural building library.
Jules Ferry Residence is an eight-story sustainable urban dwelling complex in the heart of France incorporating prefabricated bale panels in an efficient and unique way
This feature project is of a solar, light clay-straw house in Western Colorado with all the bells and whistles.
Ryan Chivers walks us through his recent experience running a lime plaster and tadelakt workshop in Costa Rica. Topics covered include qualities of lime and mixes used for tadelakt.
Judy Knox was one of two founders of this publication back in 1993. She passed away in late 2011. This article is a tribute to her work and how she helped…
One of the most active and creative natural builders who dedicated his life to helping other passed away in 2013. Alfred von Bachmyr is remembering by Catherine Wanek.
Ryan Chivers walks us through his recent experience running a lime plaster and tadelakt workshop in Costa Rica. Topics covered include qualities of lime and mixes used for tadelakt.
Judy Knox was one of two founders of this publication back in 1993. She passed away in late 2011. This article is a tribute to her work and how she helped…
One of the most active and creative natural builders who dedicated his life to helping other passed away in 2013. Alfred von Bachmyr is remembering by Catherine Wanek.
The latest version of the Rocket Stove book is the best ever. Don't miss it if you enjoy saving wood and living comfortably.
There are many different approaches to framing a straw bale house; however, there is one in particular that I have used on the vast majority of my projects over the…
Editors Note: We plan to have a comprehensive article covering as many of the tilt-up straw panel systems on the global market as we can in Issue #64 due out…
Chris Magwood, speaking about setting goals and design priorities This definitely was the most fun to be had all winter. Timing is everything, and this year's gathering of the clan…
With the modern development of natural building technologies, there has been a resurgence and rediscovery of ancient and traditional methods of plasterwork. For over 10,000 years, in nearly every culture,…
We like to share this is the type of information because the context of lime plaster is so broad and interesting. It is important to keep in mind your goals…
Reviewed by Jeff Ruppert Making Better Buildings: A Comparative Guide to Sustainable Construction for Homeowners and Contractors by Chris Magwood will be released this Spring and promises to be one of the most…
This is a sidebar as part of the Code approval article in upcoming Issue #61. The International Code Council (ICC) and its series of International Codes, carry with their name…
Twelve years ago I had never even heard of building with straw. I lived in a four-bedroom colonial house in a subdivision in Maryland. The conventional American Dream – good…
As an update to this post about the Feuillette House in France, here is a patent in the United States for straw bale construction. It was filed on June 6, 1921…
BIENVENIDOS, we're the Spanish-speaking straw bale network RCP (Red de Construcción con Paja), or Network of Building with Straw. The RCP network of straw bale construction is a non profit…
Reviewed by Jeff Ruppert Earth Render: The art of clay plaster, render and paints by James Henderson is a refreshing, easy approach to what can become an overwhelming process. As…
Editors Note - This article is a feature length pictorial look at the various aspects of natural building in Korea. The full-length article will be in the upcoming issue of…
An appendix on Light Straw-Clay Construction was also approved for inclusion in the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). To date only the states of New Mexico and Oregon have a…
Making Things Air-Tight The straw bale revival of the 1990s reintroduced builders to a pioneer building method that showed remarkable potential for building in a modern context. The nature of…
A more recent post with a more in depth explanation of the ramification of this code appendix can be found here. On October 14, 2013 the International Code Council (ICC)…
Thanks to the hard work of a few, Natural Hydraulic Lime has become one of the materials of choice for restoration/preservation projects and natural building construction in the United States.…
Update: The Feuillette House has been purchased by the Centre National de la Construction Paille. They are still in need of support to complete their plans for creating a visitor center…
The Straw Bale Alternative Solutions Resource is a document prepared by the Alternative Solutions Resource Institute (ASRI) addressing, obviously, bale construction. While the goal of ASRI is to "foster and…
This is a bonus post showing a couple examples of window sills on bale walls. Both examples incorporate a drip kerf for shedding water away from the wall. The first…
This article is an excerpt from the book Straw Bale Building: How to Plan, Design and Build with Straw (New Society Publishers, 2000), and is reprinted with permission. Hitting a…
A little known fact in the bale building realm is that a handful of people scattered across different continents have experimented with the idea of finishing their bale walls with…