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Houses Made of Straw
Save the bales, build some walls.
This may surprise some of you but using straw bale construction to build houses and storage buildings has been around for centuries and was especially popular in the American west in the early 1900’s. The system uses a standard foundation with a post and beam style wooden frame similar to what’s found in barns. Bales of straw then form the exterior walls. The bales are covered with a layer of plaster which creates thick, extremely well insulated walls that are impervious to insects, mildew, or fire.
If you’re on the East Coast and interested in this kind of thing, there is one name you should know and that name is Sigi Koko, which is her real name. Sigi is the head honcho at “Down to Earth Design,” and served as a consultant on this particular house project, guiding the architects and the homeowner down the gravel road towards building a house out of straw — or more accurately, bales of straw.
The house is located near Annapolis, Maryland. A living roof shelters an inviting front porch. The simple plan called for a two-story, 2200 square foot home over a full basement. The homeowners talked to local farmers about finding the right kind of straw and to make sure it was bailed at the correct level of tightness.
