Straw bale
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about straw bale
News • Specification • 2 May 2024
10 homes making use of straw bale construction and insulation
Straw has a long history as a building material, finding application in thatch roofs, as a binding agent in adobe bricks, as an insulant, and in straw bale construction.
It is increasingly recognized that the construction sector plays a huge role in contributing to the climate emergency, accounting for 37 percent of global carbon emissions. Straw, a renewable, recyclable, regionally available, and low-cost material, offers a climate-friendly alternative to conventional building materials such as concrete and steel. A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (2023) highlights that the annual supply of bamboo and straw, two fast-growing and renewable biomass resources, outweighs demand. The report calls attention to th... More
News • News • 26 May 2023
Haus Hoinka demonstrates the potential of straw bale construction
Haus Hoinka by Stuttgart-based Atelier Kaiser Shen is described as “a straw bale house in the village center.” Located in Pfaffenhofen, a small historic village close to the city of Heilbronn in south-western Germany, Haus Hoinka’s design is typical of the regional vernacular.
Brigida González
Haus Hoinka was crafted using natural and renewable raw materials; in effect, the structure's individual components can be recycled and reintroduced into nature. “Everything was based on the idea of using bales of straw combined with clay plaster as a thermal envelope,” explains Atelier Kaiser Shen. “The goal for Haus Hoinka was to realize all six facades — including the roof and the floo... More
Project • By Coburg University - Faculty Design • Student Housing
Circular Tiny House CTH*1
Circular Tiny House - CTH*1 - Straw.Clay.Timber.Light How to build sustainable? A very current question - that moves a lot of people, as well Master students of the course „DESIGN and MAKE sustainably“ guided by Prof. Dr. Rainer Hirth at Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The project started with a number of seminars about problems coming from the building sector. According to an UN report from 2020 [1], the construction sector is responsible for 38 % of all CO2 emissions globally; for an immense and constantly growing consumption of resources and, for example, in Germany for around 55 % of all waste[2]. The constantly increasing demand for living space per capita - the average is currently 48 qm in German... More
Project • By Outpost • Private Houses
Strawbale Meeting Room
Straw Meeting Room
The project is a self build small meeting room built as a load bearing straw bale building with lime exterior and interior finishes. The outside has been painted by an artist friend and collaborator Cecilia Sjoholm.
The design is a simple cube with a free floating metal roof above the straw insulated cube. The idea behind the project was for the studio to test and gain first hand knowledge of building with natural building materials. Straw sequesters carbon, is biodegradable, highly insulating, hygroscopic and highly available local building material in the UK. Its fun to work with and as we have proven anyone can do it.
We see an urgent need for the whole industry to revaluate our standard practices in the face of cli... More