<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Greetings All:<div><br></div><div>As many of you know, in our bale buildings we continue to use 14" (35cm) wood I-joists for vertical framing at windows and doors, and located between 7' to 10' (2m to 3m) on center otherwise, with an LVL or some other plate at the top. The I-joists have less wood than a 4x6 (9x14cm) post, and are made up of 'engineered' lumber (OSB and LVL). This is a fraction of what the ModCells are using. I can't say it's the ultimate solution, but the creation of surfaces for stapling mesh on both sides of the walls seems to greatly lighten the lateral bracing as compared to some of the systems folks are using here in earthquake country. </div><div><br></div><div>Before looking at the website, the thought that popped into my head would be to prefab nearly everything EXCEPT the bales at the factory, and then site install and finish these into frames carefully sized to receive common bales of that region. These would be much easier to ship than the ModCell panels. They could be much larger wall sections, or possibly even building modules (floors, wall and roof) without all of the weight of the bales and finish already in place. </div><div><br></div><div><div>All that said, I wish them only success. Here's a building system made largely of renewable resources, and is carbon negative. Not much else out there that can claim that, and probably none other in the prefabricated world. </div><div><br></div><div>Cheers, </div><div><br></div><div>David Arkin</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><div>* * * * *</div><div>Arkin Tilt Architects</div><div>Ecological Planning & Design</div><div><br></div><div>David Arkin, AIA, Architect</div><div>LEED Accredited Professional</div><div>CA #C22459/NV #5030</div><div><br></div><div>1101 8th St. #180, Berkeley, CA 94710</div><div>510/528-9830</div><div><a href="http://www.arkintilt.com">www.arkintilt.com</a></div><div><br></div><div>"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."</div><div>— A. J. Muste </div><div><br></div></span></div><div><br></div><div><div>On Jul 29, 2009, at 4:07 PM, Bruce King wrote:</div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><br></div>Prefab or site built, compadres and commadres, what still drives me a bit nuts is that we are still using quite a lot of framing lumber to build (most) straw bale buildings. There are lots of compelling reasons for that, of course, but I keep hoping someone will make the breakthrough that makes load-bearing straw bale much easier and hassle-free.<div><br></div><div>There are lots and lots of load-bearing bale buildings all over the world, yes, of course, but they are not mainstream. Meaning: in one way or another they are not easy, or cheap (??!!??), or just don't meet (or haven't yet been proven to meet) the kind of building standards that most of us have to work with.</div><div><br></div><div>Straw bale building is stuck in a bit of a wood rut, and I don't know how to bump it out. Do you?<br><div><br><div> <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-align: auto; 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: 0; "><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 3:51 PM, John Glassford wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">G ' day Again<br><br>Re the costing of the Pommie Panels.<br><br>They say from 250 pounds per square metre that is expensive, very expensive. That brings them in at around $500 per square metre and as we all know it takes around three standard bales for one square metre of wall. In our case that costs $15 per square metre just for the bales. Then you have to build them and render them of course but the margin is huge in the case of the Pommie Panels v the good old Nebraska way!<br> <br>I am of the opinion that tilt up panels will have their place but the costs of manufacture transportation and erection cannot compete with the way we build with straw bale just like this little cottage:<br><br><a href="http://glassford.com.au/main/?attachment_id=1751">http://glassford.com.au/main/?attachment_id=1751</a><br> <br>The Straw Wolf.<br> _______________________________________________<br>GSBN mailing list<br><a href="mailto:GSBN@greenbuilder.com">GSBN@greenbuilder.com</a><br><a href="http://greenbuilder.com/mailman/listinfo/GSBN">http://greenbuilder.com/mailman/listinfo/GSBN</a><br></blockquote></div><br></div></div></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 apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; 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