<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Hello Pete, <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Years ago, I made a survey of all the known fires in straw bale buildings I could hunt up ( summarized in chapter 6 of <i class="">The Design of Straw Bale Buildings ) . </i>While the survey included just 14 buildings, the clearest variable for the amount of damage caused was whether the bales had been plastered. It was evident that a fire in an unplastered building with the wood framing exposed was the most likely scenario to result in the total loss of the building. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">So it is standard practice around here is to be conscientious about sweeping up loose straw during stacking, and - with clay plasters - to get a slip coat on the bale walls as soon as possible. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The fire tests to date include at least one on unplastered bales ; check in at <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 102, 33); color: rgb(0, 102, 33); font-family: arial, sans-serif; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="http://buildwellsource.org" class="">buildwellsource.org</a></span></div><div class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 102, 33); color: rgb(0, 102, 33); font-family: arial, sans-serif; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class="">Bob Theis</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Aug 3, 2018, at 7:14 AM, Pete Walker <<a href="mailto:P.Walker@bath.ac.uk" class="">P.Walker@bath.ac.uk</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Hi<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">I am writing on behalf of a leading straw bale builder in UK who has run into concerns from a fire safety consultant concerning exposed straw bales during construction. The consultant is happy to accept the fire performance of load bearing straw bale walls once rendered, but is concerned that the exposed (unrendered) straw bales present too high a fire load risk during construction. To limit this risk the consultant is requiring that the 2 and 3 storey bale walls are rendered in stages as the construction progresses (in sections of around 250 bales per time), rather than all in one go after completion of all the bale walls (around 750 bales in total), as is more usual practice. This will cause significant programming issues for the project.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Therefore, I am writing to enquire:<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;" class=""><span class="">1)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Has anyone else had similar experiences? If so, how did it work out?<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;" class=""><span class="">2)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Has anyone had experience of straw bale buildings catching fire during construction? If so, how did it work out?<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;" class=""><span class="">3)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>What other fire protection measures have you experienced? Are your walls/bale stockpiles covered by a fire protection layer during construction, before rendering?<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;" class=""><span class="">4)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Does anyone have data/information on fire performance of unrendered straw bale walls?<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;" class=""><span class="">5)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Any other words of advice?<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">many thanks and best wishes<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Pete Walker<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">Gsbn mailing list</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><a href="mailto:Gsbn@sustainablesources.com" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline; font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">Gsbn@sustainablesources.com</a><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><a href="http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline; font-family: HoeflerText-Regular; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn</a></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></body></html>