[Greenbuilding] Strawbale workshop announcement in Frederick County Maryland

[Sigi Koko]

Strawbale workshop announcement in Frederick County Maryland

Black Ankle Vineyards will be hosting Sigi Koko of Down to Earth Design for
a hands-on strawbale workshop on March 8-9, 2008 (attendees must attend both
days). 

When:    8AM to 5 PM 
Where:  Mt. Airy, MD
Cost:   $75, includes lunch both days

TO REGISTER: Participants MUST RSVP to attend!  Please contact Ed Boyce by
email (ed at blackankle.com)  to reserve a space ASAP.  Participation will be
limited.


DESCRIPTION: strawbale infill construction is a method using rectangular
bales of straw to fill in between a standard structural system.  In this
case, the bales serve primarily as insulation and do not support the
structural loads of the building.  The result is a building with beautiful
thick walls, usually plastered on both sides. 

The building we will be working on during the workshop is the wine tasting
room for Black Ankle Vineyards.  Black Ankle Vineyards, a new winery which
will open this summer,  is focusing on making world class "wines of place"
that will display the unique flavors of the land they were grown on.  The
owners wanted the buildings on site to be built with the same sense of place
by using as many materials (including rain, sun, soil, etc.) from the farm
as possible.  We have designed the wine tasting room to be low in energy
use, to integrate stormwater management into the design of the site and
building, and to utilize local, sustainable, and healthy materials.  A
shortlist of "green" building features includes:

the straw for wall infill was grown organically on site most of the
structural and finish wood was harvested and milled on site all stormwater
will be collected for irrigating gardens or allowed to percolate on site
passive solar design will heat in winter and naturally cool in summer straw
bales will create super-insulated walls with natural non-toxic finishes,
such as clay plaster made from site soils living roofs will help absorb
rainwater and keep the interior spaces cool in summer 

WORKSHOP FORMAT: We will begin Saturday morning with an overview of
strawbale construction.  We will follow with a demonstration of the skills
used to shape, resize, and install strawbales into a durable wall system.
Everyone will then be invited to get hands-on experience. Sunday will
provide ample opportunity to practice what was learned on Saturday, with a
full day of hands-on building with strawbales.

WORKSHOPS COVER:
overview of strawbale construction, including recommended detailing and a
copy of a handout written by Down to Earth

demonstration of construction methods, including resizing, retying, shaping,
pinning, etc.

permitting issues and tips

hands-on experience of installation techniques