[Greenbuilding] Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 13, Issue 30

[Joyce Coppinger]

Green by Design by Angela Dean (Gibbs Smith, Publisher) is an excellent book
as it explains how to combine various design concepts with systems to create
"green" and sustainable designs.

In the world of straw-bale building, we are now using straw bale wall
systems - similar to a SIP (structural insulated panel) where a small square
strawbale is used as the insulative material inside the SIP. The panel is
constructed flat on the floor of a "factory" building, doors and windows are
cut out of panels as per the plan, and the units are brought to the
construction site and tilted up and attached together. Can be used as an
addition to an existing structure or for new construction. Minimalizes labor
(can be built with a small crew and one small crane), costs are reasonable
(include transportation in the budget), and can go up in a relative short
amount of time. The R-value is greater than Agriboard or other manufactured
products. Articles about straw bale wall systems have been included in
issues of The Last Straw journal, the 40-page international quarterly
journal of strawbale and natural building (www.thelaststraw.org)

Joyce
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Joyce Coppinger, Managing Editor
The Last Straw journal
GPFS/TLS, PO Box 22706, Lincoln NE 68542-2706 USA
402.483.5135, fax 402.483.5161
<thelaststraw at thelaststraw.org>
www.thelaststraw.org