[Strawbale] Prefab strawbale

[Mark Piepkorn]

It isn't a new idea, but these folks seem to be taking a pretty good 
stab at it.

- - - - -

ModCell or Modular Cellulose construction is the vision of Craig 
White, principal at White Design Associate architects in Bristol, and 
Tim Mander, structural engineer and a partner at Integral Structural 
Design in Bath. ModCell is a building system that uses straw bales to 
form prefabricated factory made panels.

A structural timber frame is 'infilled' with locally sourced straw 
bales, which are stacked to form a wall, compressed and pinned 
together for stability. The wall is then plastered using a protective 
lime render. Panel sizes can vary to suit project requirements, 
though at present the most common size in recent projects has been 3 
m high x 2 m wide and just over 500 mm thick. ModCell has been used 
in one and two storey buildings, including in 2006 York City 
Council's new Eco-Depot.

http://www.newbuilder.co.uk/news/NewsFullStory.asp?ID=1845


Mark Piepkorn
www.potkettleblack.com

'Cause when love is gone there's always justice,
and when justice is gone there's always force,
and when force is gone there's always Mom. Hi Mom!
   - Laurie Anderson