[GSBN] Bales for Haiti

[Kelly Lerner]

Hi all,
Just my two-cents worth from working in China. For developing a 
sustainable, appropriate building approach in any new country, I 
think you need to employ an investigative approach - lots of questions:
What's the climate?
Other environmental factors (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc)?
What materials are available? (resource mapping)
What skills do people already have? (resource mapping)
What are/were people living in now? traditionally? What worked and 
didn't work about those housing types?
What's the family structure?
What are the economic factors?
What do people want?
etc, etc, etc

Strawbale construction may make sense or there may be some other 
techniques that are better suited to Haiti (reinforced waddle and 
daub or reinforced adobe?). Rural and urban locations will have 
different solutions. Establishing relationships that empower people 
to look around them for solutions is always a good place to begin.

I do worry about the longevity of strawbale walls in a climate with 
so little drying potential and so much wetting potential (rains and 
hurricanes and poverty which often equals lack of ability to maintain roofs).

All my best to you all.

Kelly


Kelly Lerner, Architect
Certified Sustainable Building Advisor
One World Design Architecture   509-838-8812
www.one-world-design.com
www.naturalremodeling.com

Have you read Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green House? 
Available in bookstores throughout the universe.



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