[GSBN] Only in walls you say ? (was re: Question about SB insulation at foundation/ceiling GSBN Digest, Vol 10, Issue 32

[Van Krieken]

I also agree that straw should not be used in floor insulation, at all.

A great insulation for floor its cork. Portugal is the first world producer
of cork (Quercus suber), and I live in the region of the Sobreiro Montados (
*cork oak forests*): Alentejo.

It just doesn't get rot, even if you keep it for decades under terrible
humid conditions.

In 1863, the UK invented the linoleum, which was manufactured from wasted
and crushed chips, thereby obtaining a fine-grained cork, which served
to put them on. England also used cork ground with a mixture of rubber
and gums, which was then pressed sheets, so getting
to cover floors called kamptulicon.

The black cork agglomerates were discovered by accident, around
the year 1891 in New York, by John Smith, a manufacturer of lifejackets. He
used the granulated cork to fill tubes placed inside
the metallic vests. One night, one of these tubes, filled with granulated
cork, rolled into one boiler and the next morning the manufacturer noticed
that the cork into the tube had burned down and turned into a mass of dark
brown color perfectly aggregate.

That moment was a milestone in the history of Portugal, who became
the largest producer and exporter worldwide, cork and its derivatives. (*there
is a very interesting PHD thesis about* Floor Covering in Agglomerated
Cork, by Ana Reis, Portugal)
Do you have this tree in USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand?

Best from Alentejo

Jorge Van Krieken
Portugal


On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 6:17 PM, RT <archilogic at yahoo.ca> wrote:

> On Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:48:09 -0500, <GSBN-request@**sustainablesources.com<GSBN-request at sustainablesources.com>>
> wrote:
>
>> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:07:52 +1030
>> From: "Bohdan Dorniak" <bohdan at bdcoarchitects.com.au> wrote:
>>
>
>  Strawbales should only be used in walls
>>
>
> [huge big <snip>]
>
> It'd be interesting to hear (read) the thoughts that are knocking around
> in the Skillful Meany's noggin in response to Bohdan's declaration (above).
>
> For those who may not recall, John played a starring role in the creation
> of :
>
>             http://www.skillful-means.com/**projects/vault/lou_harrison.**
> htm <http://www.skillful-means.com/projects/vault/lou_harrison.htm>
>
> Come to think of it, I would imagine YakWoman's noggin might have a few
> rattles to contribute as well:
>
>       http://www.one-world-design.**com/international.asp?pid=11&**
> image=35<http://www.one-world-design.com/international.asp?pid=11&image=35>
>
> That is to say, bales would seem to lend themselves well to being used as
> the insulation core for thin-shell and exo-skeleton-type domed and arch
> structures, where the straw could be installed as a continuous layer
> uninterrupted by framing members.
>
> So long as a ventilated rainscreen-type cladding were provided over top of
> the exterior plaster and a wet-applied plaster with temperature/shrinkage
> reinforcement incorporated applied to the interior to ensure an effective
> air barrier,  I see no reason why Bohdan's declaration could not be revised
> to include "roofs".
>
> --
> === * ===
> Rob Tom
> Kanata, Ontario, Canada
>
> < A r c h i L o g i c  at  Y a h o o  dot  c a  >
> (manually winnow the chaff from my edress if you hit "reply")
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