[GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codes

Tue May 13 22:20:40 UTC 2014

Re: [GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codesHi Martin – Could I also please have a copy of the information Martin sent out to Graeme – the light straw clay codes/guidelines and also the guidelines mentioned in your previous email of 12th of May below. 

Bruce – when you find your survey and review of the earthen building standards and world codes I would love a copy please. 

Does anyone know or could anyone advise of the contact details in Austria for the developers of the straw bale screw? I will be visiting Germany on the 26th of May and would like to pay them a visit to discuss how to get the straw bale screw into Australia.

Just to update you all on what has been happening in this part of the world – we are nearly finished our education centre and we wish to encourage green builders of any type to utilise our facilities to host their courses and workshops. Drawing inspiration from what has been happening with Earthbuilding in New Zealand and their progressive and inclusive attitude towards all natural builders we also hope to encourage cooperation between all natural green building modalities. So please, check out our Strawtec facebook page and like us, have a look at our pictures and help us get the word out there of our new education centre facilities!

Lastly, I would like to advise that James Henderson from Clayworks should become a GSBN member. He has worked with Bill and Athena Steen and has run a number of workshops both with me and independently. If anyone can support this call it would be appreciated. James will be going back to America to live and work there and we wish him all the best getting back on his feet there. If you have not yet seen it, James has recently written a rendering book which I highly recommend titled “Earth Render – The art of clay plaster, render and paints”. 

Thank you all,

Regards

Frank Thomas

Strawtec
ABN:210 3009 6559 Builder Lic: 115643C
Ph: +61 (0) 2 44435282 Mobile: +61 (0) 408415806
e-mail: strawbales at bigpond.com
web: www.strawtec.com.au
fb: www.facebook.com/strawbales

From: Bruce EBNet 
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 9:49 AM
To: Global Straw Building Network 
Subject: Re: [GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codes

Today I found & sent to Andy Horn the paper I did six years ago reviewing all the earthen codes and standards -- a preparatory phase for then rewriting the ASTM standard. 

I anyone else wants a copy, just give me a holler.

Thanks,

Bruce King
www.ecobuildnetwork.org
(415) 987-7271
Skype: brucekingokok
Twitter: @brucekinggreen 
http://bruce-king.com/

On May 11, 2014, at 3:12 PM, Graeme North <graeme at ecodesign.co.nz> wrote:

  Hi Martin 

  would you mind sending me the light straw clay codes -guidelines too please?

  thanks 

  Graeme 

  On 12/05/2014, at 2:22 AM, martin hammer <mfhammer at pacbell.net> wrote:

    Hi Andy,

    In a separate e-mail I will send you the following:

      a.. Strawbale Construction appendix, as approved for the 2015 International Residential Code 
      b.. Light Straw-Clay appendix, as approved for the 2015 International Residential Code 
      c.. Adobe section of the 2012 International Building Code (Section 2109.3) 
      d.. Appendix Chapter 71- Earthen Material Structures – Tucson / Pima County, Arizona 
      e.. Clay Straw Guidelines – State of New Mexico 
      f.. Light Straw Clay Code – State of Oregon 
      g.. Light Straw Clay Code – City of Porland, Oregon

    I think you have ASTM E2392 / E2392M – Standard Guide for Design of Earthen Wall Building Systems (that David Eisenberg initiated around 2001, and Bruce King lead the revision of in 2010)

    I also have 12 US Straw Bale codes (State, County or City), the Belarus SB Code, the New Zealand SB BRANZ Bulletin, the Denmark Halmhuse document (mostly in Danish) which I understand is a de facto code

    I also have a few codes or code related documents on bamboo.

    As far as I know, most if not all of the above codes or official guidelines are in effect (or in the case of the first three are, or will soon be, in the “International” model codes)

    So I will e-mail you the bullet point items, and if requested I can do the same for any other item I mentioned (except possibly the ASTM Standard which strictly speaking is not transferable).

    If anyone else is interested in any of the above, please let me know.

    Note that today is Mother’s Day (at least in the US) (Happy Mother’s Day everyone!) and Bruce may have a full day planned with his lovely wife Sarah, which could affect his ability to respond before your meeting tomorrow.  I have a full day planned for my lovely wife, . . . but she’s not awake yet (!).

    Best of luck with your meeting.

    Martin (is it Code in here, or is it me?) Hammer

    On 5/11/14 6:07 AM, "Andy Horn" <andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za> wrote:

      Dear Bruce
      Sorry to push you, but please will you send that survey of earthen building standards and codes that you said you did about 6 years ago.

      I am busy agitating the powers that be – and meet with a group of stakeholders tomorrow including our Standards Bureau - and so really need as much info as I can get my hands on.

      Thanks Graeme for your update about the New Zealand codes and their technical committee. 

      Any other inputs are most welcome.

      Kind regards,
      Andy Horn

      <image.gif>

      From: GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com [mailto:GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com] On Behalf Of Bruce EBNet
      Sent: 12 March 2014 11:17 PM
      To: Global Straw Building Network
      Subject: Re: [GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codes

      I did a complete survey and review, about 6 years ago, of earthen building standards and codes around the world.  Be glad to share it, but am super-swamped for the next week and It will take a bit of digging to find.  Since then, I know of several efforts to develop cob standards, not to mention Martin Hammer et al recently bringing straw bale into the International Building Code.

      More soon,

      Thanks,

      Bruce King, PE

      <image.png> <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 <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org> 
      (415) 987-7271
      Skype: brucekingokok
      Twitter: @brucekinggreen 
      http://bruce-king.com/

      On Mar 12, 2014, at 2:10 PM, Graeme North <graeme at ecodesign.co.nz> wrote:

      On 13/03/2014, at 2:15 AM, Andy Horn <andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za> wrote:

      Hi all

      While this is not specifically about straw bale building, my question ultimately will relate back to getting a straw bale code along with other natural building codes established for the Southern part of Africa.

      I am trying to motivate our South African standards body to look at standards for earthen buildings at the moment, of which incredibly despite numerous earthen buildings (mostly informal or traditional), we don’t have any. As one might guess amongst other reasons the cement, steel and brick industries are still very much in control in this country.

      South Africa is part of a process amongst SADC - The Southern Africa Development Countries - to harmonize its various standards between its  trading partners.

      Zimbabwe have a rammed earth building code and this standard, after much effort, last April has been adopted though this “SADCSTAN” process for all member states. This was after 8 out of the 10 voting countries voted in favour of adopting the standard. So we now have an official standard (SADCSTAN/TC1 SC5-001 SAZ724 Standard Code of Practice for Rammed Earth Structures ) for the SADC region that is meant to be published in each member state by each of its various standards bodies.  

      Unfortunately despite heavy lobbying by interested people, our standards board – SABS – representing South Africa did not vote in favour of the code and are now refusing to publish the standard locally. As such I have started a process to try and get them to rethink their position.

      As part of the detailed motivation form that I have to fill out as the official route to get them to look at adopting a standard, I am being asked:

      QUESTION 1: What other (earth) building codes, regional or national or international – that include rammed earth – besides our Zimbabwe rammed earth building code are there?

      So far I know of:

      - the New Zealand Earth building codes (NZS4297-1998, NZS4298-1998, & NZS4299-1998,  )

      - the USA Tucson Pima County earth building code  (1997 Uniform Administrative Code Amendment for Earthen Material and Straw Bale Structures)

      Tucson/Pima County, Arizona "APPENDIX CHAPTER 71 - EARTHEN MATERIAL STRUCTURES”)

      - the German earth building codes: National Material Code for Prefabricated Earth Products DIN 18945 till -47 (blocks, masonry mortar, plaster)

      (I still need to investigate and contact Craterre-EAG in this regard and perhaps UNESCO)

      QUESTION 2: What international or foreign national technical committee’s working in this field are there?

      Earth Building Standards 

      Standards New Zealand Committee BD/083 is currently revising the three earth buildings standards. (Engineering, Materials and Workmanship, and Deemed to Comply)

      Currently they cover mud brick, pressed earth brick, and rammed earth with a nod to poured earth, cob, earth plasters and earth floors. 

      They will now fully cover mud brick/adobe, cob, rammed earth, pressed earth brick, poured earth, internal earth brick veneers, earth floors and earth plasters.

      The range of densities of earthen materials they will now include will be between 800 and 2000 kg/cub.m, with walls between 280 and 500mm thick

      Getting our SABS to adopt the rammed earth code would be a major foot in the door for us to get our corporate minded authorities to re-consider earth and other natural materials as a viable and sustainable way to build.  

      However, this would I believe just be the start of a drive to push for codes for all natural building and appropriate technology type codes... including the ICC’s straw bale and light straw clay standard of course as well as others like cob, adobe, wattle and daub, earth bag, sandbag, urbanite, stone, bamboo, bottle walls, cordwood, earthen plasters etc. So....

      QUESTION 3: In addition to codes on rammed earth, I would be interested in knowing about any other natural building codes that may exist.....so please send any links or info you know of that you think will be of help.

      Perhaps to stream line things in your responses you can add a prefix:

      1 - Earth building codes

      2 - Natural building Technical code committees  

      3 - Other natural building code

      I am looking forward to your many - I hope - inputs and once I have compiled as complete a list as possible, I will email it back for everyone.

      Many thanks

      Andy Horn

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