[GSBN] Straw bale survives the recent New Zealand earthquake

Sat Jan 25 02:30:58 UTC 2014

A letter to the editor (and TV station) seems like a good idea.  It's
fortunate that there was a house in the same vicinity that had only minor
damage and has enthusiastic owners that you can point to as a good example,
besides the fact that the house is still standing.  It would be interesting
to get an engineer's assessment of the damaged house.  To my own eye, it
looked like the house was too flexible--there are many cracks at joints
between rigid and solid, but was far from any sort of collapse.

On another subject, do these greyhounds belie the idea that animals are
super sensitive to quakes, or are they just Kiwi dogs who don't mind when
the ground rolls underneath their feet?

John "All Cracked Up" Swearingen

On Thu, Jan 23, 2014 at 10:39 PM, Bohdan Dorniak <
bohdan at bdcoarchitects.com.au> wrote:

> Graeme
>
> It would be good for us at AUSBALE to send a letter to the editor -
> spreading the fact that strawbale construction performs better than solid
> construction??
>
> Would you be prepared to do this?
>
> Regards
>
> Bohdan
>
>
>
> *From:* GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com [mailto:
> GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com] *On Behalf Of *Graeme North
> *Sent:* Friday, 24 January 2014 1:47 PM
> *To:* Global Straw Building Network
> *Subject:* Re: [GSBN] Straw bale survives the recent New Zealnd earthquake
>
>
>
> We are following up on getting a bit more info about the badly damaged
> house and hopefully I can get a few more photos - but at the moment I do
> not have any more to add,  sorry.
>
>
>
> Even though the damage looks bad the house is still standing and no one
> was hurt - thankfully no one at all was badly hurt anywhere as far as I
> know by this reasonably severe quake.
>
>
>
>
>
> Graeme
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 24/01/2014, at 2:17 PM, Bruce EBNet <bruce at ecobuildnetwork.org> wrote:
>
>
>
> Graeme North forwarded more information:
>
> *the poor old house that was in the media was built in every way, how
> straw bales should not be built..it hasn't faired well in the wet weather
> or the shakes. I think the  local council have been stressed out about it,
> and unfortunately, the media have made straw bale homes look
> suspect...regardless, we are very happy, safe and warm, and , even if the
> quake flattened our home, we would be happy to shake off the dust, collect
> the recyclable materials, and start again.*
>
>
>
> He may have more . . . Graeme?
>
>
>
> It looks like this is another case of "The toilet overflowed -- therefore,
> indoor plumbing is a bad idea!".
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Bruce King, PE
>
>
>
>
> <PastedGraphic-2.tiff> <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/buildwell-2014>
>
>  <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/buildwell-2014>
>
>
>
>
> * <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/buildwell-2014>*
>
> March 19 -- 22, 2014, Sausalito, CA
> www.ecobuildnetwork.org
> (415) 987-7271
> Skype: brucekingokok
> Twitter: @brucekinggreen
> http://bruce-king.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 23, 2014, at 4:35 PM, huffnpuff at q.com wrote:
>
>
>
> I thought the same thing Jeff...if the mesh is not placed with care it is
> as with improper concrete work and welded wire mesh, often, when the work
> is exposed, it would seem that the mesh was used mainly to separate the
> earth from the concrete or, in this case, the plaster from the bales. Even
> then, with improper technique, the roof is still up.
>
> Mark 'embed it' Schueneman
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From: *"Jeff Ruppert" <jeff at odiseanet.com>
> *To: *"Global Straw Building Network" <GSBN at sustainablesources.com>
> *Sent: *Thursday, January 23, 2014 5:02:07 PM
> *Subject: *Re: [GSBN] Straw bale survives the recent New Zealnd earthquake
>
> I have to say, after seeing walls that have undergone a lot of stress, the
> plaster on the house in the video looked like it had not been adhered to
> the bales very well.  The one shot showing the chicken wire reminded me of
> our compression tests where the walls with mesh were actually weaker than
> those with without mesh (we used chicken wire as well).  On our tests it
> appeared that the plaster was inhibited from being worked into the bales
> properly due to the mesh.
>
>
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 23, 2014, at 3:52 PM, Graeme North <graeme at ecodesign.co.nz> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi Folks
>
>
>
> I have designed a straw bale house that was near the failed s/bale
> building.  The one that failed I know nothing about.
>
>
>
> Here is what my clients have to say with a few more personal bits taken
> out:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Hi Graeme How are you doing?  I was just thinking of you the other day,
> so thanksfor mailing.  We're doing just fine here, and no, we aren't the
> onethat had the damage, as you well could have guessed.  That house is not
> far away, we have visited it before, and while it looked lovely, it hada
> very small hat, a butynol roof with sod on top that apparently leakedquite
> a bit before the quake, and cement based plaster that has fallen off all
> over the place.  In fact, we got a visit two days ago from thelocal council
> inspectors who just wanted to see whether our place heldup ok, straight
> after they visited the other one.  We suspect that they were trying to see
> if straw, as a rule, was a failed material.Thankfully we were able to
> reassure them  :)  We do have a few minor cracks (it was a big shake), just
> at joinsbetween materials - despite reinforcing the joins, I guess that was
> to be expected.  But nothing we can't fix with a few days fiddling
> around(and thankfully no EQC required... we have no insurance anyway
>  :)...........take careKyle*
>
>
>
>
>
> Hello Graeme,
>
> it is nice to hear from you! I think Kyle has already replied, and so you
> will know that our home performed very well during the quake. kyle was away
> at the time.. I was dumb struck for a while before I registered that it was
> an earthquake..by the time that happened, it was all over. we have a few
> superficial cracks where straw meets wood...otherwise nothing more..several
> glass trinkets and pottery items fell off of shelves and smashed, which
> made a mess, but while pretty, were not overly valuable.
>
> The poor old house that was in the media was built in every way how straw
> bales should not be built..it hasn't faired well in the wet weather or the
> shakes. I think the  local council have been stressed out about it, and
> unfortunately, the media have made straw bale homes look
> suspect...regardless, we are very happy, safe and warm, and , even if the
> quake flattened our home, we would be happy to shake off the dust, collect
> the recyclable materials, and start again.
>
> .......
> Take care and love to you both
>
> Janet
>
>
>
>
>
> On 24/01/2014, at 1:21 AM, Frank Tettemer <frank at livingsol.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> AT exactly 1:00 minute into the video that Bruce linked us to, there is a
> view into the wall, between a wider crack.  It looks a lot like Chicken
> Wire that was used as a plaster lathe.  Isn't chicken wire one of those
> materials, (like rebar stakes), that has evolved over time, to be replaced
> by something less stretchy? Like welded fencing wire, or, Tenax cinteflex
> plastering lathe?   Considering the stretchy nature of chicken wire, I
> posit that the plaster render itself was the active material in absorbing
> the shaking energy.  Kudos to plaster!
> Frank Tettemer
>
> /A straw bale home in Pahiatua succumbed to the quake.The home's plaster
> is split, with cracks visible both inside and out.The occupant, Belinda
> Payton, said she was vacuuming the floor and heard some rumbling. "And the
> floor started shaking and I just ran out the door," she said. "We had a
> look inside and it was just like a bombsite. I was was shocked. It's
> unlivable." <
> http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/earthquake-claims-roll-in-amid-clean-up-aftershocks-5804294
> >/
>
> Actually, all the news reports talk about minor damage and no injuries.
> Though one set of commercial buildings would need to be torn down, there
> wasn't a report <
> http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9629660/Severe-quake-rattles-lower-North-Island>
> of another residence being seriously affected. The Kiwis seem to take 6.3
> in stride:/ "//Pam Lochore, wife of All Blacks great Brian Lochore, said
> photographs had fallen off shelves and "a rugby ball went flying across the
> room" ...." /Not enough to severely interrupt a broadcast of a dog race....
> <http://youtu.be/Fgh3lptxESI>
>
> The damage to the strawbale looks to be much as we anticipate....major
> cracking in the sacrificial stucco but the structure otherwise in tact.  It
> looks horrible, though, and Belinda is clearly shaken, but I don't see
> damage other than plaster cracks--no broken windows or toppled structure.
> The plaster obviously absorbed a great deal of the energy.
>
> John "Rolling Motion" Swearingen
>
> ............................................................................................................
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 21, 2014 at 3:04 PM, Bruce EBNet <bruce at ecobuildnetwork.org <
> mailto:bruce at ecobuildnetwork.org <bruce at ecobuildnetwork.org>>> wrote:
>
> This TV spot sort of makes it look bad -- but the SB house is standing,
> when the neighborhood is not.  Courtesy of Hugh Morris, with a fancy nod to
> Graeme North.  Any of you Kiwis know which house this is?  Did you build it?
>
> Bruce King
>
>
> http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/residents-count-cost-north-island-quake-video-5804861
>
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-- 
John Swearingen
Skillful Means Design & Construction
2550 9th Street   Suite 209A
Berkeley, CA   94710
510.849.1800 phone
510.849.1900 fax

Web Site:  http://www.skillful-means.com
Blog:         https://skillfulmeansdesign.wordpress.com
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