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<DIV><SPAN class=984445922-30112009><FONT size=2
face=Arial>Yeh!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=984445922-30112009><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Great work - here in
Australia we have the same kind of concerns and we believe that there is more
research being done than in other building traditional
materials.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=984445922-30112009><FONT size=2
face=Arial>Bohdan</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> GSBN-bounces@greenbuilder.com
[mailto:GSBN-bounces@greenbuilder.com] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Joyce
Coppinger<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, 1 December 2009 9:25 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
(private, with public archives) Global Straw Building Network<BR><B>Subject:</B>
Re: [GSBN] Straw Bale Code Appeal<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Great work, Laura. Look forward to the report when
it’s available. Many of us on the GSBN have done so much to help educate
building officials and others in our own communities and regions and in many
countries. Always glad to hear about the experiences everyone has had.
Thanks.<BR><BR>Joyce<BR>--------------- <BR>Joyce Coppinger<BR>Managing
Editor/Publisher<BR>The Last Straw, the international journal<BR>of strawbale
and natural building<BR>PO Box 22706, Lincoln NE 68542-2706<BR>402.483.5135,
fax 402.483.5161<BR><thelaststraw@thelaststraw.org><BR>web site:
www.thelaststraw.org<BR>and our new blog at <A
href="http://thelaststrawblog.org">http://thelaststrawblog.org</A><BR><BR></SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT
face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR><BR><BR><BR></SPAN></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR><BR>Dear GSBN'ers, <BR><BR>First, let me say I am
feeling very thankful again for this network, the value it offers, and the
access it provides to so many good people doing excellent work. I don't write
often, but I "listen" a lot and speak up as my schedule allows. <BR><BR>And
secondly, I was asked to share this by several of you. I was recently hired by
a client to appeal a straw bale code in Grand County, UT that required a
"weather barrier" or "sheet barrier" 32" up the exterior of the straw bale
wall under the plaster. This code requirement has been in place for over 10
years, previously required a full sheet barrier and was unsatisfactory to many
builders and owners in the jurisdiction. The client, who I applaud, was
willing to put some resources into having a study of this and to create a
hopefully successful appeal for the benefit of those following him. The head
code official is on the board of the International Code Council and is
involved at the state level as well. Thanks</SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><FONT face=Arial> go </FONT><FONT
face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial">to several folks on this list who I contacted
individually for thoughts and data related to this issue. I collected data
from the StrawSense systems that GreenWeaver makes and sells and wrote a
report summarizing that data, the data in a study by Kris Dick, and a one-time
moisture investigation I did of the Waldorf School campus in 2007. With that
in hand, I met with the building official, the clients and their builder last
week and at the end of a two hour meeting, he agreed to remove the requirement
from the code and to look more deeply at the other straw bale requirements and
opportunities</FONT><FONT face=Arial> to improve their code.</FONT><FONT
face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> The meeting helped me to see again some of
the common misconceptions about drainage vs. storage wall assemblies, the role
of plasters, and the properties of vapor permeance and capillary absorption.
But, it also helped me to understand again the value of taking the educational
approach, going in with an appreciation of the motivations for a code, and an
attitude of wanting to work together. The building official was very
conscientious and I applaud him as well in this change. <BR><BR>Thanks again
to those involved. <BR><BR>Laura <BR><BR>I will make available a .pdf of the
data after I add some additional data that came in after the fact.
<BR> <BR></FONT></SPAN><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><FONT
color=#4c721d><FONT size=5><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 16px"><B><I><BR><BR><BR><BR></I></B></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT
color=#50742b><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Laura
Bartels<BR><I>P.O. Box 912, Carbondale, CO 81623<BR>Ph 970-379-6779, Fax
970-963-0905<BR>laura@greenweaverinc.com<BR>www.greenweaverinc.com<BR></I></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px"><BR><BR><IMG
src="cid:984445922@30112009-143C"> <BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR><BR>
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