[GSBN] prefab strawbale

Fri Sep 11 16:27:52 UTC 2009

Dear All, 

Knowing that I am very late in this respons, I feel like I should make it anyway. 
In Denmark for some time, we have had an ungoing discussion on, how to make strawbale construction breaking through. Because, there is no doubt, the load bearing houses, build in lovely parties, strenghtening community etc, well you can't do better then that, when you want to see environment and livelyhoods flourish. 
But how much of the market do we reach? I am affraid that I have lost the belief in, that we will get to have a very big market share using the different bale techniques that are out there. At least in Denmark, no construction worker - be it trained in carpentry, masonry or simular trades touch bale construction. It is to fare from what they have learned. And then not to talk about more industrialized buildings, not just thinking of residential homes.

SO..I think Modcell is the best suggestion out there to break the market. We have the absolutely more appropriate solutions for the people who will engage them selves in building their homes, be it in Europe/US or any where on the planet, where you always build your home your self. But if we want to change some carbon footprint, it's the heavy guys we need to reach, and then be there a lot of wood in the structure or not. - With the Modcell nobody needs to care about that it's straw thats inside it, once it reaches the building site. And that may be what makes it duable for the conventional market. - Allowing straw to become an insulation material like any other, not a hippie-style of construction, which is the impression that any conventional builder has about the way I have at least build all my houses.

Considering the transportation, I just want to mention, if you haden't seen on the web site, that they construct the panels always in a local barn, so transportation is never more then a few miles with the completed panels and only the woodframes are coming in from a fare.

So having defended this, I agree that their may be ways of improvement, which Modcell themselves are working on as well. My point is just, that this alternative potentially can reach a market that we (being all us balers) can't reach. And which may in the end have a very large impact on our beautiful planet.

All the best
Caroline

From: Brian <brian at anvill.com.au>
Subject: Re: [GSBN] prefab strawbale
To: "'(private, with public archives) Global Straw Building Network'" <GSBN at greenbuilder.com>
Date: Sunday, August 2, 2009, 5:24 PM

Hi All,
I have been interested in prefab wall panels for some time, but have
difficulty finding the appropriate time and skill savings. My son Brad has a
render pump that will pump up to 60 square meters an hour at 20mm thick. He
works with the owners and their volunteers to keep their costs down. It is
often necessary to have two mixers to keep up with the machine, but at 1
square meter per minute it is pretty quick. 

Regards

Brian
Anvill
-----Original Message-----
From: GSBN-bounces at greenbuilder.com [mailto:GSBN-bounces at greenbuilder.com]
On Behalf Of cmagwood at kos.net
Sent: Friday, 31 July 2009 8:40 PM
To: private, with public archives) Global Straw Building Networ
Subject: Re: [GSBN] prefab strawbale

John,

Most of the cost and time savings with the prefab panels we're doing come
from eliminating the site plastering. The poured walls are done in a
single coat, poured "sidewalk style", both sides of the panel at one time.
There is no way even our best practiced spray crew could do two coats to
two sides to a perfect finish in under an hour for an 8ftx8ft panel. Plus,
the plaster can be applied in any weather and can cure away from sun, wind
and gravity pulling things down the wall.

After lots of experiments, we decided not to cast door and windows into
the panels. Instead, we panelize the sections of the building between
openings, and then frame in the openings once the panels are installed. In
the case of the building we just did, those sections don't have any bale
in them. Instead, we framed out storage bins/benches at the same width as
the bale walls.

We include a single stud at the edge of each panel, and the framed
sections are attached to these studs. I can send you the plan details if
you want. We typically don't meet shaky California criteria here in
Ontario, but I'm sure the system can be adapted to suit.

Chris

> That's interesting info, Chris, particularly your construction costs.
> Maybe
> we should try something like that!
>
> I'm not clear how, with a module that's pre-plastered, you tie modules
> together and make them weather-tight as well as structurally sound (don't
> forget, our ground shakes violently now and then).
>
> It seems that your 'poured' walls are simple and easy for unskilled
> builders.   What would be the difference if you installed pre-fab walls
> w/o
> plaster, and a professional crew did the plastering as normally done?
>
> John "Beyond Fab" Swearingen
>

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