Tribute to Judy Knox
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 others realize the power of straw bale construction.
The Last StrawApril 22, 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
THE SITUPS*: Super Insulated Tilt-Up Panel System.
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 in July. Please also note that the images associated with the thumbnails on this page are of large size. We…
Huff 'n' Puff ConstructionsMarch 19, 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
Making Better Buildings (Book Review)
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 valuable tools for the designer and builder who wants to understand how their choices of systems rank in terms of…
Jeff RuppertFebruary 8, 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 House Patent (Feuillette House Follow-Up)
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 and is a very interesting read for the bale construction history buffs out there. The author was Emile Feuillette himself and…
Jeff RuppertJanuary 8, 2014
Traditional and Contemporary Natural Building in Korea
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 The Last Straw and is available in its entirety right here on the website for subscribers. Make sure you have…
Kyle HolzhueterDecember 30, 2013
Straw Bale and Building Science: Growing Up Together
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 the basic components of a straw bale wall system – bales with plaster applied directly to bales – combined several…
Chris MagwoodNovember 22, 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
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