[GSBN] SB support for St Paul Architect

[martin hammer]

If only I had known about this last week.  I was in Minneapolis/St.Paul and
was even on the U. of Minn. campus (looking at Frank Gehry's stainless steel
clad museum) and could have connected in person with Lucas and others.  My
wife is working part time in Minneapolis and it's possible I'll return in
July, so I'll offer my in-person and/or long-distance support to Lucas.  I'm
copying him on this and will follow up with additional information.

I can provide my code related experience, but I think the people in Canada
(or other parts of the US midwest) have the most to offer because of similar
climatic conditions.  I appreciate what Rob Tom had to say.  I understand
that Minnesota winters are extremely cold (down to 50 F below zero) but also
somewhat dry.  Not as much available winter moisture as areas north, south,
and east of the Great Lakes, and often "too cold to snow".  Then there are
the often hot and humid summers, and moisture from those 10,000 lakes.

Martin Hammer

(I also managed to see Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood in St. Paul.  Neither
had any straw bale problems to report or sing about)


On 6/24/09 6:55 AM, "Derek Roff" <derek at unm.edu> wrote:

> Pete Fust has asked me to post a request for ideas and support, to
> help make it possible to build with strawbale in Minneapolis-St Paul.
> Due to well publicized failures of some of the first SB buildings in
> that area, in the mid-ninties (described in The Last Straw), there is
> very strong resistance in the building department to permitting any
> strawbale structures.
> 
> Architect Lucas Alm, lucas at almdesignstudio.com, an adjunct professor
> at the University of Minnesota and eco-designer, hopes to design and
> build with strawbale in the Twin Cities.  At the recent Midwest
> Renewable Energy Fair, he told Pete that although some officials
> recognize that the building failures were the result of poor design
> and construction practices, others continue to oppose strawbale as a
> building material.  Lucas said than one official had asked him for
> performance data on SB structures in Oregon, because "it has the most
> similar climate to St Paul."  Lucas recognizes the inaccuracy of this
> comparison, and is looking for ways to move the dialog into a more
> productive and relevant channel.
> 
> Pete suggests that anyone offering help with this problem can
> probably acquire all the lutefisk that they might desire.
> 
> Derelict
> 
> Derek Roff
> Language Learning Center
> Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
> University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
> 505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
> Internet: derek at unm.edu
> 
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