<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Re: [GSBN] Strawbale Classroom in Cork Ireland (Fire Resistance) (+SB code)</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>Hi Art,<BR>
<BR>
In the recently proposed SB code, I use the following language:<BR>
<BR>
<B>2407.4 Type of construction. </B>Buildings or portions thereof utilizing strawbale walls in accordance with this chapter shall be classified as Type V-B construction.<B> </B>Strawbale walls constructed in compliance with Section 2407.1.1 or 2407.1.2 shall be permitted wherever combustible walls of the same fire-resistance are allowed by Chapter 6 of the <I>International Buildlng Code</I>. Strawbale walls with any finish allowed by this chapter shall be permitted wherever non-rated combustible walls are allowed by the <I>International Building Code</I>. <BR>
<BR>
Sections 2407.1.1 and .2 refer to tested assemblies that have fire-resistance ratings of 1-hour and 2-hour. There currently is no stated type of construction for strawbale in any code** that I’m aware of. What I’m proposing, and what I believe any building official would say until a code says otherwise, is that SB construction is Type V-B (i.e., Type V, unrated).<BR>
<BR>
**However, in California, the current HS18944 Guidelines for Straw-Bale Structures says “(a) Straw-bale walls, when covered with plaster, drywall, or stucco, shall be deemed to have the equivalent fire resistive rating as wood-frame construction with the same wall-finishing</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'> </SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>system.”<BR>
<BR>
Wood frame constructino covered with those materials (depending on specifications) is Type V-A (i.e., Type V, 1hr.). What HS18944 says is not the same as saying strawbale is Type V-A , but if you accept what it does say, it’s not a big leap to get there.<BR>
<BR>
The safe thing for your purposes is to say strawbale construction is Type V-B. But I believe plastered strawbale walls and buildings actually perform more than well enough to be considered Type V-A. In the long run that’s where I think it will land, but I’m taking it incrementally, calling it unrated for now except for the assemblies that were tested. For the vast majority of strawbale applications, there is no need for a type of construction that is 1-hour. If needed a case could be made for a specific project and jurisdiction.<BR>
<BR>
I hope this helps.<BR>
<BR>
Martin<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
On 3/15/12 1:50 PM, "Art Ludwig" <<a href="oasis@oasisdesign.net">oasis@oasisdesign.net</a>> wrote:<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>Martin, <BR>
<BR>
I'm working on the hydrant water supply as part of the integrated design for a project with at least two straw bale buildings. The required hydrant flow in this jurisdiction is determined by the Insurance Service Office procedure for needed fire flow <<a href="http://www.isomitigation.com/downloads/ppc3001.pdf">http://www.isomitigation.com/downloads/ppc3001.pdf</a>> .<BR>
<BR>
Can anyone help me figure out the Construction Class number for earth plastered straw bale for purposes of this calculation?<BR>
<BR>
Here's a table from the document linked above that is sort of a Rosetta Stone for translating amongst the various standards that you all might be familiar with:<BR>
<BR>
<IMG src="cid:3414667136_2582795" ><BR>
This calculation is non-critical; we can get it to work with ISO class 1 (the worst) but I feel like we'd have more credibility if we had an idea what actual class the building fit in...<BR>
<BR>
Thanks, <BR>
<BR>
Art<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
On 3/15/12 1:24 PM, martin hammer wrote: <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> Re: [GSBN] Strawbale Classroom in Cork Ireland (Fire Resistance) (+SB code) Tom -<BR>
<BR>
First a note re: the second EBNet link Derek listed. This is the repository page for all supporting documentation for the proposed Strawbale Construction chapter of the International Building Code. It includes the 2006 ASTM fire tests reports and the fire test video. It also includes the other documents that support the proposed SB code, as well as the proposed chapter and appendix as published by ICC on March 13. (note, ICC did not include a few final revisions I requested, for example potentially allowing baled materials other than the 5 cereal straws. But I will pursue including them in the longer review process.)<BR>
<BR>
In addition to the excellent 2006 fire tests conducted by D. Eisenberg, B. King, and B. Obregon of this list, there is the excellent 2004 German fire test by FASBA and Dirk Scharmer (of this list). Here is a summary of this test by Dietmar Lorenz (of Dan Smith’s office) from the Fall 2006 Last Straw:<BR>
<BR>
“A major step toward Code recognition was accomplished in February 2006 with the General Approval (“Allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Zulassung” or AbZ) of “Construction Straw Bales” as insulating infill within certain wall assemblies. As part of the application the Fachverband Strohballenbau had to show compliance with the following criteria:<BR>
<BR>
1. Flammability:<BR>
In a standardized test straw passed as “Normalentflammbar B2”, i.e. it is not considered an easily flammable material, but of normal or regular risk regarding combustion and flame spread.<BR>
<BR>
2. Fire Resistance:<BR>
An unplastered 18" wide bale wall was tested to achieve 30-minute fire resistance (F-30), and 90-minute fire resistance (F-90) with 3 cm of earth plaster on each side. A minimum of F-30 is required, except in single-family residences with at least 5m of separation from adjacent structures. Fire resistance is technically not part of the AbZ, but included as a general prerequisite.”<BR>
<BR>
You can go to www.fasba.de <<a href="http://www.fasba.de">http://www.fasba.de</a>> (click on English) and you can find a link to the fire test (in German) and see a poster on SB Fire Resistance that gives a good summary.<BR>
<BR>
Martin<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
On 3/15/12 10:33 AM, "Derek Roff" <<a href="derek@unm.edu">derek@unm.edu</a>> wrote:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>Seeing the videos of fire tests may be useful in convincing the council, in appealing to the "seeing is believing" tendency of our brains. Catherine Wanek documented the New Mexico fire test in the 90's, and could probably send you a copy of the video. Bruce King has a 10-minute video on his website of the fire test done a few years ago in Texas. <BR>
<BR>
<a href="http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/resources/straw-bale-fire-test-video">http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/resources/straw-bale-fire-test-video</a><BR>
<BR>
There are many other useful documents on Bruce's site, including PDFs of the ASTM testing reports for the one-hour and two-hour fire tests. Scroll down to Fire Resistance on this page:<BR>
<BR>
<a href="http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/strawbale-construction-code-supporting-documentation">http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/strawbale-construction-code-supporting-documentation</a><BR>
<BR>
Good luck,<BR>
Derelict<BR>
<BR>
Derek Roff<BR>
<a href="derek@unm.edu">derek@unm.edu</a><BR>
<BR>
On Mar 13, 2012, at 4:03 AM, Tom Woolley wrote:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>Dear friends<BR>
<BR>
here is the old chestnut about strawbale and fire!<BR>
I would be most grateful if anyone willing to help with this could email Alan Wiseman directly<BR>
I am sure that Alan is aware that properly plastered strawbale walls are not a fire risk, <BR>
however he needs some official looking documents to give to his local authority to convince them to issue a fire certificate<BR>
<BR>
The situation in Ireland is different from the UK ...<BR>
we were able to convince building control in Northern Ireland that we complied with one of the US Building Codes and that was sufficient to get approval!<BR>
Irish Regs<BR>
<a href="http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/BuildingStandards/">http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/BuildingStandards/</a><BR>
<BR>
many thanks to anyone who can assist<BR>
<BR>
Tom Woolley<BR>
<BR>
Begin forwarded message:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B>From: </B>alan wiseman <<a href="wisemandesigns@gmail.com">wisemandesigns@gmail.com</a></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>><BR>
</SPAN><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B>Date: </B>13 March 2012 09:46:47 GMT<BR>
<B>To: </B><<a href="tom.woolley@btconnect.com">tom.woolley@btconnect.com</a></SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'>><BR>
</SPAN><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B>Subject: Strawbale Classroom<BR>
<BR>
</B></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande">Dear Tom,<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande">I have received planning permission for a strawbale classroom .This is located in a built up area, next to a large block creche on one side and 2m away from a dwelling on the other side, a couples of miles from Cork city. But now comes the awkward part. As it is a commercial building we need to get a Fire Certificate This will be difficult as there is no precedent here in Ireland for this (there are plenty of structures, mainly dwellings, as you are aware, but none commercial that needed a Fire Safety Certificate).<BR>
<BR>
I am aware of commercial structures in the UK that have been built with strawbales.I would like to find out how they managed to persuade the fire department. I have test results from North America but precedents in Europe, particularly in the UK would better strengthen our case. I am hoping you might have some insight or indeed contact on this. Any help is greatly appreciated.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> <BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande"> </FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande">Thanking you.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande">Kind regards,<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> <BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande"> </FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT><FONT FACE="Lucida Grande">Alan.</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"> <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</FONT></SPAN><FONT FACE="Arial"><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14pt'> </SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
<BR>
</SPAN><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14pt'> </SPAN></FONT><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
13 Amberley Lawn<BR>
<BR>
Grange<BR>
<BR>
Cork<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Tel: 021 489 99 79<BR>
<BR>
Mob: 086 877 6564<BR>
<BR>
www.wisemandesigns.net <<a href="http://www.wisemandesigns.net">http://www.wisemandesigns.net</a>> <<a href="http://">http://</a>www.wisemandesigns.net/> <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
<BR>
</SPAN><FONT SIZE="2"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:9pt'>Tom Woolley<BR>
<BR>
Rachel Bevan Architects<BR>
80 Church Road<BR>
Crossgar<BR>
Downpatrick<BR>
BT30 9HR<BR>
<a href="tom.woolley@btconnect.com">tom.woolley@btconnect.com</a><BR>
028 44 830988<BR>
www.bevanarchitects.com <<a href="http://www.bevanarchitects.com">http://www.bevanarchitects.com</a>> <<a href="http://">http://</a>www.bevanarchitects.com/> <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%">_______________________________________________<BR>
GSBN mailing list<BR>
<a href="GSBN@sustainablesources.com">GSBN@sustainablesources.com</a><BR>
<a href="http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/GSBN">http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/GSBN</a><BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'> <BR>
<BR>
<BR>
_______________________________________________<BR>
GSBN mailing list<BR>
<a href="GSBN@sustainablesources.com">GSBN@sustainablesources.com</a><BR>
<a href="http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/GSBN">http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/GSBN</a><BR>
<BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:10pt'><BR>
<BR>
<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%">_______________________________________________<BR>
GSBN mailing list<BR>
<a href="GSBN@sustainablesources.com">GSBN@sustainablesources.com</a><BR>
<a href="http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/GSBN">http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/GSBN</a><BR>
</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
</BODY>
</HTML>