Manual Bale Press
Jeni Kardinal explains her manual bale press that was developed as part of her work in Bali.
Jeni KardinalOctober 12, 2015
International Straw Building Conference (ISBC) 2016
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 there's lots of beautiful and wild places to explore and experience there' 'There's some fabulous natural building happening there' Well,…
Jeff RuppertMay 21, 2015
Choosing a Plaster System for Your Straw Bale House
A straightforward explanation of the different characteristics of natural plasters, and when each should be used.
James HendersonFebruary 26, 2015
Strawbale and Earth Builders Converge on Adelaide (AUSBALE)
The 2014 Ausbale Strawbale Conference was held in Adelaide, Australia in September. See what you missed...
Christine Farrugia and Scott GoldieJanuary 5, 2015
Jules Ferry Residence – Straw Bale Panels
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
Jeff RuppertJuly 3, 2014
Tribute to Alfred von Bachmayr
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.
Jeff RuppertApril 22, 2014
Framing Bale Walls: How to
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 years. It is a post and beam frame system with roots in conventional framing techniques. Because I came to straw…
Andrew MorrisonMarch 24, 2014
Wrap-Up of the Ontario Natural Building Coalition Annual Natural Building Conference
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 at Camp Kawartha, near Lakefield Ontario, warmed my heart during one of the coldest of Canadian winters. With temperatures outside…
Frank TettemerMarch 10, 2014
Healthy Living, Healthy Building
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 job, big house, nice cars, the monthly lawn service, the health club membership, 24/7 access to shopping … Then on…
Elaine BrettJanuary 11, 2014
Straw Bale Construction Building Code (2013 IRC Approval)
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) approved final action RB473-13 as a new Appendix R in the upcoming 2015 version of the International Residential Code (IRC).…
The Last StrawNovember 4, 2013
The Straw Bale Alternative Solutions Resource by ASRI
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 facilitate the use of natural materials and systems in the construction of buildings..." this document is meant to focus specifically…
The Last StrawSeptember 20, 2013
Window Sill Details
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 example below is on a Nebraska-Style structure in Colorado and the second example is in Siberia from our 2005 trip.…
The Last StrawSeptember 5, 2013
Figuring the Hidden Costs in Your Building Plans
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 Moving Target. There is never a single point during the planning process when you can fix an exact budget for…
Chris Magwood and Peter MackAugust 29, 2013
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