[Greenbuilding] (no subject)

[Lawrence Lile]

>The straw will likely get damp, rot and provide no insulation, and
promote mold growth. Perhaps a foam, like polyisocynurate, or pumice or
perlite will be more effective.

-Rob Vadurro AIA, LEED AP


I'd agree, a non-rottable, less moisture sensitive insulation would be
best between masonry layers.  XPS (the blue stuff) would be my pick, but
polyisocyanurate (the foil stuff) would work fine, too.  XPS would allow
a little moisture transmission, which might be an asset, whereas
foil-faced is a moisture barrier, and might not allow things to dry out.


Top build with straw, you need to design the building from the ground up
to be a straw building - deep overhangs, straw up away from grade,
structure planned for a material that can shrink vertically.  Straw
isn't really very good insulation, but it is cheap so it is easy to buy
a two foot thick section of it.  A few inches of straw, IMHO, would not
be worth much.  

--Lawrence Lile