See our straw bale holiday accomodation: www.strawcottage.co.uk

What can you build with straw bales?

 

What can be built with straw bales?

 

Straw is a great building material; very strong, very durable and highly insulating. It has enormous appeal to self-builders but increasingly, its wide-ranging benefits are being realised by a wider audience.

 

You don’t need a lot of money or space to have a go at straw bale building. Simple structures such as a garden room, playhouse, wall or compost loo, for example, are a great way to get started and learn the basic techniques.

 

Here are some examples of straw bale buildings of varying size and use:

 

The Straw Bale Cabin

A load bearing straw bale “mobile” home that can be used for simple, permanent accommodation, a holiday cottage for two or a straw bale office perhaps. This cabin has internal floor area of 27m2. Half that size would still be useful and probably more mobile. Twice the size is also possible – made in two halves and assembled on site.

 

A straw bale bungalow

A load bearing 2-bedroom straw bale bungalow with internal floor space 55m2, constructed by Sam Atkinson LLP in 2010.

 

The Straw Bale Cottage

A load bearing permanent, family size straw bale home with internal floor area of 120m2 built by Sam Atkinson in 2009.

 

Straw bale home

Jim Carfrae's timber frame and straw bale house in Totnes, Devon.

Jim says “Traditionally jointed Douglas fir frame with an insulating wrap of lime rendered straw bales. One of the interesting features is the lack of a need for compression of the bales because they are stacked on edge.”

 

Home built with big straw bales

This load bearing straw bale house in the Swiss Alps was designed and built by Werner Schmidt in 2001. www.atelierwernerschmidt.ch. For more straw bale buildings see www.grossebotte.com.

 

Curved straw bale house

This straw bale house near Toronto, Canada was completed in 2010. It was designed by architect Ingrid Cryns www.somaearth.com and was build by Ben Polley and his team. www.evolvebuilders.ca The house has 2 curved and 2 flat sides. The stove in the centre of the house was incorporated in a massive clay chimney, which acts as a thermal store.

 

Straw bale extension

A very smart straw bale extension to an existing brick house in Canada by Ben Polley and his team. www.evolvebuilders.ca

 

Affordable straw bale bedrooms

Straw bale accommodation in California where it is warm enough to have solar showers outside! These bedrooms were built by volunteers at Commonweal Garden, Bolinas on the edge of Point Reyes National Park where James Stark and Penny Livingstone co-manage a 17-acre organic farm. www.regenerativedesign.co.uk

 

Straw bale classroom

A large multi purpose open space built by Sam Atkinson LLP in 2010 with a timber frame in filled with locally grown spelt straw.

 

Straw bale wine warehouse

An above ground wine “cellar” in California where straw bale walls help to keep the barrels at the correct temperature and humidity. The 18,000 square foot warehouse was constructed in 2004. www.ridgewine.com

 

Straw bale visitor centre

The Audobon Centre at Spring Creek Prairie, near Lincoln, Nebraska was built in 2006 using bales prairie grasses in a timber frame with lime render. www.springcreekprairie.audubon.org

 

Straw bale student accommodation

The Grand House, Cambridge, Ontario is a housing co-operative for students at the University of Waterloo architecture school. The building is on steel legs due to the steeply sloping site. Many students volunteered during the build, which was completed in 2009. www.grandhouse.org

 

Straw bale holiday apartments

Architect Margareta Schwarz worked with Werner Schmidt (see above) to design and build these stylish holiday apartments in the south Tyrol region of northern Italy. www.esserhof.com Three rooms were formed in a hairpin shape with big bales of straw.

 

Straw bale school classroom extension

Straw bale classroom extension at Liverpool infant school. Training in straw bale building, lime rendering and clay plastering by Sam Atkinson.

 

If you would like to include your straw bale building on these pages, please contact us at Home Grown Home.