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Hi Bob,<br>
<br>
It may come as a surprise, but I agree with you on many levels. My
pursuit of prefab solutions was at first entirely cost-driven,
because I could see no way that more than a small handful of lovely,
curvy, hand-made straw bale homes were ever going to get built
because it requires too much labour for such homes to ever be built
in any volume (and I know that there are a few builders who will
protest and point to their examples of bale buildings built
"traditionally" at great speed... but the recipe for such builds
involves many rare ingredients... largely crew members who are
willing to blow through hard, heavy work at great speed). My first
bale home was the lumpiest, curviest thing ever, and my next one
(whenever that happens) will also avoid all the straight edges. And
yet I still think prefab ideas are important to pursue.<br>
<br>
I still see cost as the key barrier to adoption of straw bale
building, as well as the difficulties of working with loose straw
and wet plaster in an urban environment. This thread began because
John pointed out that the fire victims he was speaking with had
limited means, and that led me to suggest prefab solutions. The fire
victims weren't asking for a particular aesthetic, I'm guessing, but
rather a home that they could build affordably. After all the builds
I've done, I know that the only way I can build affordably with
bales is to prefab (maybe that just means tip-up panels made on
site). Or else I can exploit a young and enthusiastic crew who are
willing to work insanely hard for moderate wages... that works too,
but it's tough to repeat those projects consistently.<br>
<br>
I am further driven to pursue prefab solutions by my recent plunge
into assessing the carbon footprint of new buildings. Having modeled
all kinds of buildings to create a set of carbon figures, it is
clear that the amount of carbon sequestered in a straw bale building
can offer a truly meaningful solution to society at large as we try
to meet carbon reduction targets. A straw bale building can have
close to a net zero carbon footprint, while also helping to ensure
low carbon output over the lifespan of the building, and it is a
unique beast in that way. Frankly, from this point of view I don't
care if the bale buildings are square, wavy, round or
machine-edged... if we can replace foam and fiberglass with straw in
high quantities in any form, we collectively benefit from the
massive reductions in carbon. And again, I see prefab solutions as
the only way to bring meaningful volume of these "carbon suckers"
into being.<br>
<br>
Building prefab doesn't preclude site-built options. It just expands
the options available, and allows people with low-incomes and/or
those who like straight edges a way in to all the benefits we know
and love about straw bale.<br>
<br>
<img src="cid:part1.06020700.09000204@endeavourcentre.org" alt=""
width="671" height="444"><br>
<br>
PS, I think the "hard" edges of a prefab wall can be well softened
with a final coat of hand-applied clay plaster (red) or lime paint
(white).<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 16-02-24 9:59 PM, Bob Theis wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:0DCA5738-5BE9-4C04-B1D6-C87A9D24B633@bobtheis.net"
type="cite">Chris has been advocating for prefabricating bale
walls for so many years, and wondering why the slow uptake of the
approach, that he merits a considered reply from one of the
holdouts.
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">It’s all Matts’ and Judy’s fault. When they gave
their first straw bale workshop in California, I had just
finished some stud-framed projects where I was calling for
double stud walls to get some visual weight, and beating the
plasterers over the head to create surfaces and corners that
were NOT perfectly straight and flat. I came away saying, “
There must be a way to create thick informal walls that’s
intrinsically thick, intrinsically informal. “ …and I got my
answer. Straw bale was thick , it was informal, and if you
wanted perfect surfaces and straight corners that was extra
work, instead of extra work to relax them. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">And I wasn’t alone. When the first bale project
got some publicity, we were getting a LOT of phone calls from
people who wanted to know more. This was 1992, before all the
wonderful books, so we’d spend considerable time with these
calls, and it was evident that, while the ecological and
superinsulative qualities gave them <i class="">permission </i>to
pursue this offbeat technique, it was the relaxed character of
the walls that was the real pull. The emotional pull. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><img apple-inline="yes"
id="FA31ED95-2F69-4E56-BE60-722DBD077C15" apple-width="yes"
apple-height="yes"
src="cid:part2.01030707.08020406@endeavourcentre.org"
class="" width="550" height="412"></div>
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Maybe it was our cartoon-based upbringing. Witness
Mickey Mouse’s kitchen at Disney World. Try not to barf at the
saccharine color scheme, and focus on the room and objects,
because this is by folks who know what appeals. The basic
geometry is still rectangular, but the hard edges have been
taken off. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">So I bow before the success of prefabrication in
reducing the costs of bale building, but continue to fret
about the stiffness that this moves the material toward. Yes,
you can plaster bale filled panels by hand, and be as informal
about the resulting surface as you care to be, but it is
primarily the edges where we read the nature of the walls, and
prefabricated panels give you machine-made edges. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">To me, the most sobering, and challenging,
statement in the bale literature is still the woman who said, “
I wanted a bale house, but what I got is a house with bales in
the walls.” </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I’m sure large parts of the population will be
perfectly happy with bales in the walls. Especially if it makes
the difference between having a house or not. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""> But it feels like movement in the wrong
direction. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Bob</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<br>
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</pre>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Chris Magwood
Director, Endeavour Centre
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.endeavourcentre.org">www.endeavourcentre.org</a></pre>
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