[GSBN] Wall Heights - Larger & Multi-storey Straw Bale buildings

[John Glassford]

G ' day Andy

We have built a few large straw bale buildings and here are the links:

Lethbridge Winery<http://glassford.com.au/main/projects-menu/lethbridge-winery/>
6.0 metres high load bearing using 2.4m x 900mm x 860mm wheat straw bales.
 Tie downs high tensile fencing wire and cement render.

Nulawala Community
Hall<http://glassford.com.au/main/projects-menu/nulawala-community-hall-fairfield-sydney/>
4.2 m high Load bearing jumbo bales 2.4m x 900mm x 600 mm jumbo bales.  Tie
downs all thread rod at 1.8 metre centres.  Lime render.

Valhalla Winery<http://glassford.com.au/main/projects-menu/valhalla-winery/>
4.2 m hign Load bearing jumbo bales 2.4 m x 900mm x 600 mm all thread tie
downs lime render

Steiner School Community
Hall<http://glassford.com.au/main/?s=steiner+school&x=8&y=6>5.8 m high
Small bales steel frame in-fill, 16 mm tie downs all thread lime
render.

I hope that the links work for you if not let me know and I will send you
some photos to your email address.

I see no problems with in-fill to just about any height all depends
on the frame.  I see no point in following the 6:1 ratio for in-fill.

Load bearing jumbo bales we have been as high as 6.0 metres and if you
include the gable ends up to 9.0 metres high with no problems.  As for
standard bales I also see no real problems with going to 2 story high load
bearing as long as there is a middle plate involved for pre-compression and
stability.

As for renders we prefer lime and sand.  Our earthen renders are also
working very very well and we do not use cement renders at all.  We spray
our renders on and they penetrate the bales and create a very good key.  We
also mesh the second coat with render mesh:

Mesh into render<http://glassford.com.au/main/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/14-valhalla-mesh-on.jpg>

We have not done any studies on the height to width ratio just used common
sense and a good structural engineer and we base our arguments
on the school of hard knocks.

Just about to leave for Gosford to complete the Steiner School final coat
of lime render aprox 1,000 square metres will post photos to our web site.

Feel free to use any of the photos in your presentation.  Susan and I will
be back in Cape Town in May 2015 hope to catch up with you then.

Kind regards

Susan and John Glassford
Huff 'n' Puff Constructions
http://www.glassford.com.au
61 2 6927 6027
In Australia (02) 6927 6027

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