[GSBN] steel clad barn and straw bales

[John Straube]

I am with Tom: the ideal construction is to provide an earth plastered SB with a 1" airspace and then the metal cladding.  The rain control would also be excellent.
In your case, building from the inside with a pre-existing metal clad barn, I am not sure how to do this.

Condensation is very likely in a UK climate if there is even a little interior humidity and the bales are placed tight against the cladding.  In storage barns (no interior moisture generation), bales are often placed close to metal cladding, usually there is a 2 to 10 cm space, but sometimes they touch.  I have only seen rot in these situations when interior humidity (livestock) where added to the inside.  

As a minimum I would leave an air space.  however, if at all possible, dipping bales in a clay slip before laying up with a 3 or 5 cm air space and interior plaster may be the best you  can achieve. I would be careful to provide screens at the bottom to resist the entry of animals.


On 2011-10-07, at 5:40 PM, Tom Woolley wrote:

> Dear Chug
> 
> I think the only way you can avoid condensation is to ensure that there is an air gap between the steel and the bale walls  and one that is also well ventilated.
> Thus the steel is acting as a rain screen. If the bales are tight to the steel you will almost certainly get condensation
> The problem then is to plaster the outside of the bales for fire reasons. There would also be the worry that there would be a fire risk in the gap so it needs to be well fire stopped as well
> Maybe the only way is to make prefabricated panels that are plastered on the "outside" before putting into place a bit like MODCELL
> 
> It is worth trying to find out the details used for the steel clad buildings that have been built in the UK using hemcrete internally.
> If you google the Wine Society building in Stevenage designed by Vincent and Gorbing architects. It doesn't look very nice but apparently its very effective.
> 
> Tom
> On 7 Oct 2011, at 09:11, Chug wrote:
> 
>> Greetings baleheads,
>> 
>> I've been asked if straw bales can be retrofitted to the inside of a steel
>> clad barn and whether there would be any problems with condensation forming
>> on the steel and migrating into the bales, anyone got any experience to
>> share?
>> 
>> bale on
>> Chug
>> chug at strawbale-building.co.uk
>> http://www.strawbale-building.co.uk
>> .
>> 
>> 
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> 
> Tom Woolley
> 
> Rachel Bevan Architects
> 80 Church Road
> Crossgar
> Downpatrick
> BT30 9HR
> tom.woolley at btconnect.com
> 028 44 830988
> www.bevanarchitects.com
> 
> 
> 
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Dr John Straube, P.Eng.
Associate Professor
University of Waterloo
Dept of Civil Eng. & School of Architecture
www.buildingscience.com