[GSBN] fire 'proof'

[emily niehaus]

All - We recently experienced a human-caused fire here in Moab, UT. The event took 10 homes. As it would happen, we had a project under construction in the line of fire. Our project was 2 weeks from completion. We had yet to install the doors and windows, however our metal roof was installed and our bales were covered in base plaster and finished with Permatint (a silica-based paint). 

Straight to the punchline - homes surrounding the project burned to the ground. Our project was unharmed. 

Here is a link to an article showing aftermath photos and footage from a drone: https://kutv.com/news/local/eight-homes-destroyed-in-moab-fire <https://kutv.com/news/local/eight-homes-destroyed-in-moab-fire>
*the CR home has a bright blue roof

When I walked by the site with Utah’s Lt. Governor Cox, he noticed that the home still standing was a Community Rebuilds home…and straw bale! I didn’t even have to speak. The Utah Wildfire expert addressed him and the rest of the crowd by explaining why this home was so fire resistant. 

Two things: 
I am so proud that my team kept a clean job site. Kudos to Melissa Graciosa and Bea Denham for their leadership on this front. This could have had a different outcome if there was unkept loose straw. Second, I am proud of our housing typology. Straw bale continues to perform better on every metric. Every. Single. Metric.

And if affordability is what you are seeking for straw bale construction, then change the economics of the construction industry  (or shift it within your business model). Don’t blame the typology. The materials are dirt cheap.




emily niehaus

founder / director of Community Rebuilds

web    www.communityrebuilds.org <http://www.communityrebuilds.org/>
blog    www.communityrebuilds.wordpress.com <http://www.communityrebuilds.wordpress.com/>



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