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Deadline 30 September 2025

Straw bale insulation

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about straw bale insulation

Project • By Betillon & Freyermuth ArchitectesApartments

Natura

In 2017, when we were contacted for our first housing competition, we responded positively, though with many preconceptions about real estate development and its architectural quality. We believed we could do better than others. The reality check was painful. We found ourselves overwhelmed by the constraints, norms, regulations, and economics of such projects. It took us a while to digest this failure, swallow our pride, and get back to work with much more humility. Maxime Delvaux Maxime Delvaux In 2019, Premium Promotion invited us to participate in a competition in Toulouse for a project involving 100 biosourced and geosourced housing units. Although this topic and these construction methods are relatively common nowadays, fiv... More

NewsSpecification • 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