<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div><div><br></div>While in the UK last summer I visited a Modcell project and spent the day with the inventors, and have known them for a while. They have completed some really nice buildings -- and are well aware that they're process is still a bit material intensive. A good and smart bunch of folks, and I'm happy to see anyone make any progress in simplifying straw-based construction. Most people want the benefits of thick straw walls, but few can give up the floor space, or the time and expense required for a lovingly hand-built home.<div><br></div><div>The web link takes you to the current Modcell project at the University of Bath. As it happens, there will be a fantastic <a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/ace/nocmat2009/">conference</a> there in early September. I'll be there, and I think I saw Tom Woolley and Chris Magwood's names on the speaker list (yes?). There will be a lot of great stuff on straw and fibers, earthen building, pozzolans & lime, hemp, use of waste materials, and more. Hope to see y'all there.</div><div><br></div><div>Finally, please put in a prayer with your favorite God(s) and Goddess(es). Ecological Building Network is applying to scoop a big old bucket of money out of this much ballyhooed stimulus funding being distributed by the Obama administration to both kickstart the economy and push a much more green agenda. If successful -- and we'll know at the end of the year -- we will:</div><div>- conduct more seismic testing so as to gain entrance to mainstream building codes for straw construction;</div><div>- conduct more thermal testing and modeling so that we can all say with confidence how the plaster mass and sheer wall thickness make a plastered straw bale wall behave much more effectively than a static R-value would suggest, and;</div><div>- write and publish an ASTM International standard for straw-based construction that could/should pave the way for not just bales, but the family of straw panels, blocks, spray insulation and more that is coming soon.</div><div><br></div><div>cheers to all,<br><div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Thanks,</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Bruce King</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">(415) 987-7271</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">bruce-king.com </div></div></div></span></div></span> </div><br><div><div>On Jul 29, 2009, at 10:46 AM, martin hammer wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div> <font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:12.0px">I encourage people to look at the following website regarding a prefab SB system being developed and implemented in the UK:<br> <br> <a href="http://www.modcell.co.uk/page/new-balehaus-at-bath">http://www.modcell.co.uk/page/new-balehaus-at-bath</a><br> <br> Is anyone familiar with this? Also, I include here a brief sequence of comments between Dan Smith (GSBN member), Dietmar Lorenz (of Dan’s office), and myself.<br> <br> Martin Hammer<br> <br> <br> <br> On Jul 29, 2009, at 8:29 AM, Dietmar Lorenz wrote:<br> <br> Very interesting, indeed. I wonder how material (and cost-) effective this system is after all. The frames have to be overly sturdy for transport and handled very carefully to avoid damage to the plaster or the installed doors and windows. Wiring and plumbing could also be a challenge with such small units, rather than full length wall segments or prefab boxes. Dan has probably more insights to share from his experience with our ZETA prototypes.<br> <br> But it's great to see that this is being explored in a serious way, and it certainly architecturally appealing. Maybe I'll see it from the airplane Saturday morning, when we fly over the UK...<br> <br> <br> <br> On 7/29/09 8:35 AM, Dan Smith wrote:<br> <br> Thanks, it's certainly refreshing in concept and looks. But it seems about $25 sf for bare bale panel only, hmm.<br> <br> </span></font><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:12.0px"><br> <br> </span></font></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:12.0px">On 7/29/09 9:40 AM, Martin Hammer wrote:<br> <br> I agree with both of your comments. The wood frames are thick, deep, heavy, and consume a lot of wood. Maybe an ‘</span></font><span style="font-size:12.0px"><font face="Times, Times New Roman"><b>I</b></font><font face="Arial">’ section could be used. And I hadn’t noticed the per sq.ft. price. <br> <br> It’s still good to see. A modern vocabulary with SB (rarely seen), using the bales only in solid panels (no holes poked in them), and at least trying pre-fab, with plaster done in shop conditions (even though it inherently creates bulky, heavy panels that must then be transported). Not sure how dependable the bale to frame interface is in terms of potential water intrusion.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> </font></span><blockquote type="cite"><span style="font-size:12.0px"><font face="Arial"><br> </font></span><blockquote type="cite"><span style="font-size:12.0px"><font face="Arial"><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> </font></span><blockquote type="cite"><span style="font-size:12.0px"><font face="Arial"><br> <br> <br> </font></span></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-size:12.0px"><font face="Arial"><br> </font></span> </div> _______________________________________________<br>GSBN mailing list<br><a href="mailto:GSBN@greenbuilder.com">GSBN@greenbuilder.com</a><br>http://greenbuilder.com/mailman/listinfo/GSBN<br></blockquote></div><br></div></div></body></html>