WEB SITES OF INTEREST
There are squillions of web sites on strawbale building on
the web, and I think I have looked at most of them. That took months! These are some of
the ones that particularly caught my eye.
Huff 'n' Puff Australia
An Australian web site courtesy of "Huff n Puff", N.S.W. A lot of hard work being
done by John Glassford.
Mortar Sprayers and Tools
This is where you get your Tirolessa spray unit. Set up by Nolan Scheid in Oregon, USA, this company aims to assist homebuilders to achieve their goal in a practical and cost effective way. Works really well on strawbale.
Ontario Straw Bale Building Coalition
A collection of research material and documents on strawbale construction. Check out the rest of the site, especially the Gallery.
U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy A compehensive site put together by the U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EREN)
Well worth a look.
The Canelo Project
A web site set up by Athena and Bill Steen, authors of "The Strawbale
House", probably the best known book on strawbale building. They have been branching
out into other fields, broadening their approach to design and construction techniques.
http://www.ebuild.com/Archives/Features/Straw/Straw.html
A good analysis of strawbale building and other uses of straw by the Environmental
Building News. Contains useful information and references.
The Last Straw
The home of "The Last Straw", a quarterly journal published by Out On Bale in
the U.S.A.
Test Vault
And now for something totally different. A controlled test on a load bearing strawbale
vault. Just goes to show what can be done.
Skillful-means - Lou Harrison strawbale vault and
Documentary on Lou Harrison and his strawbale vault
A spectacular series of photographs of a 36 foot long, vaulted loadbearing strawbale building. Quite an inspiration.
CHMC Research page.
The Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation has been putting Canadians into their own homes for more than sixty years. They not only supply financial assistance but also do a lot of research into innovative building. This country could really take a leaf out of their book, or maybe even a chapter or two.
Indoor Air Quality A technical report on healthy buildings and breathing walls. Has good
things to say about strawbale walls and lime renders. Makes you take a good look at what
we sometimes load our houses and lives with.
The Humble Gripple This page of the Gripple company site gives detailed information on the types and uses of gripples that they manufacture.
Solstice Crest Discussion Forum Now part of REPP, this discussion list has many contributors and lots of questions asked and answered. Doesn't seem to go past 2003, but still worth ploughing through.
The Last Straw - bonus articles/
A great combination of articles discussing mud and straw renders, clay slips and other hand's-on methods of dealing with natural materials.
Small House Society
Not about strawbale, but a topic dear to my heart. Makes you think seriously about how and what we consume in the name of "lifestyle". Join up and get the book "Little House on a Small Planet. Great affirmation for a simpler way of living.