<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div>Hi Lars,</div><div><br></div><div>Rick Green, a California farmer and builder (including straw bale) was involved in a SB sound barrier highway wall about 15 years ago. Rick did exceptional work over the years and was a good friend of the California straw bale community. He passed away last year at too young an age.</div><div><br></div><div>I’ve attached a photo Rick sent me in 2013 of the SB highway wall, though there is a dearth of information about it, and I don’t know if it even still exists. See my email exchanges with Rick below.</div><div><br></div><div>It seems, from my last email below, someone from the GSBN inquired about this in 2013.</div><div><br></div><div>By the way, a 5 meter high free-standing SB wall has me concerned. I wonder how/if it will be braced for out-of-plane wind loads (and seismic if in a moderate to high seismic location).</div><div><br></div><div>Martin</div><div><br></div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><font size="1"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Martin Hammer, Architect<br></span></i></b><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;">1348 Hopkins St<br>Berkeley, CA 94702</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><font size="1">510-684-4488 (mobile)</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><font size="1"><br></font></span></p></div></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">On 3/20/2013 2:35 AM, martin hammer wrote:</span></div><div><div><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <br></span></font></div><div><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hi Rick -<br><br>Did you participate in the construction of a straw bale highway wall in<br>Nevada some years ago, or know anything about it?<br><br>I found this on your website:<br><br>LAS VEGAS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT<br>Las Vegas, NV<br><br>4,000 foot long - 10,000 rice straw bales – sound wall for Hwy. 95. Expected completion 2002.<br><br>Thanks.<br>Martin Hammer<br></span></font></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 9pt;"><br></span></div><div><blockquote cite="mid:CD6F3092.16694%25mfhammer@pacbell.net" type="cite" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On 3/20/13 7:59 AM, "Rick Green" <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="applewebdata://3016B570-DDF9-4C20-9BF3-53CCCFEA653D/greenstraw@hughes.net">greenstraw@hughes.net</a>> wrote:</span></font></blockquote><blockquote><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></font><font size="2"><font face="Helvetica,Verdana,Arial"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Martin,<br> The project is located at the north end of the Las Vegas Springs </span></font></font><font face="Helvetica,Verdana,Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Preserve at the junction of Hwy 95 and Valley View. We did a total of seven building</span><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">s within the Desert Living Center made from straw bale, rammed earth, or a combination of the two. A web search for the Desert Living Center should give you a lot of information. I will locate some pictures and get them down to you.<br> The wall was built before the buildings and was completed I believe in 2004. The sections were ten feet wide and varied in height, so we made 1/2 bales here and shipped them as full blocks, to the installer</span></font><span style="font-size: 10pt;">s only had to cut the outside added strings, and could then just stack the bales. There were 10,000 bales total, and I think we made up</span><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> 4,000 half bales. The wall is functioning well, and from the Hwy 95 side is very attractive, as it displays colorful precast concrete panels with customizable insets, which advertise coming attractions at the Preserve.<br> </span></font><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The rough surface on the south side of the wall was intentional, to absorb the intense heat, rather than reflect it back on the pl</span><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">ants close to it. As far as sound attenuation, the wall performs very well, as you might expect.<br> I have a lot of </span></font><span style="font-size: 10pt;">first hand information on the Desert Living Center if that is of interest to you.<br> </span><font size="2"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Take care,<br> Ri</span></font><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ck</span></font></blockquote><blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; border-width: 1pt medium medium; border-style: solid none none; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">From: </span>Martin Hammer <<a href="mailto:mfhammer@pacbell.net">mfhammer@pacbell.net</a>><br><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date: </span>Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 3:33 PM<br><span style="font-weight: bold;">To: </span>Rick Green <<a href="mailto:greenstraw@hughes.net">greenstraw@hughes.net</a>><br><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject: </span>Re: SB highway wall in Nevada<br></div><div><br></div><div><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Rick -<br><br>I really appreciate this. Amazing wall. I saw drawings of the Desert Living Center on the internet, but no photos. I’m sure I could find photos if I looked. Both the wall and the Desert Living Center are great projects. <br><br>As far as you know, the bales have not rotted? Assuming it has been a success (performance and relative cost) I wonder why it hasn’t been replicated elsewhere. Do you have a cross-section drawing of the wall that you’re able to share?<br><br>My inquiry came from a colleague in Australia who asked about the highway wall, and is on the Global Straw Building Network (about 120 straw bale building experts from around the world). Do you have interest in being a member of this group? (with informed, interesting e-mail discussion that ebbs and flows, that you can participate in or not)<br><br>Thanks again.<br><br>Martin</span></font></div></blockquote></div><div><br></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION"><div style="font-family:Arial; font-size:10pt; text-align:left; color:black; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt"><span style="font-weight:bold">From: </span> Gsbn <<a href="mailto:gsbn-bounces@sustainablesources.com">gsbn-bounces@sustainablesources.com</a>> on behalf of Lars Keller <<a href="mailto:larskeller@gmail.com">larskeller@gmail.com</a>><br><span style="font-weight:bold">Date: </span> Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 5:41 AM<br><span style="font-weight:bold">To: </span> GSBN <<a href="mailto:GSBN@SustainableSources.com">GSBN@SustainableSources.com</a>><br><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject: </span> [GSBN] Reference projects for big scale traffic noise barriers.<br></div><div><br></div><div dir="auto"><b>Hi all,</b></div><div dir="auto">I have been contacted by an architect who is researching whether to use straw in a 900m long and 5meter tall noice barrier next to a road.</div><div dir="auto">Provided there is a dry foundation and a healthy roof i think great yes.<br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The architect would love to see, that it has already been done somewhere else in the world.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I think its been dony many places.</div><div dir="auto">Can anyone guide me to a good reference project ?</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Best, Lars Keller</div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Small Planet<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><a href="mailto:jomorandin@gmail.com">jomorandin@gmail.com</a><br><a href="mailto:larskeller@gmail.com">larskeller@gmail.com</a><br><br>Lars +45 2024 0505 (mobile/handy)<br><br>Friland 12 B<br>8410 Rønde<br>Danmark<br><br></div></span></body></html>