[GSBN] Supporting main beam on load-bearing straw

[Rikki Nitzkin]

Hi all, 

Don’t know if you remember, but in June I posted a thread "[GSBN] Load-bearing straw bale idea <http://sustainablesources.com/pipermail/gsbn/2017q2/003601.html>”  about a couple here in Spain that wanted to rest the Main beam of a gable roof directly on Load-bearing Straw bales. Most people were against the idea, but it seems it had never been done. 

The decided to go ahead and try it. The house is only 1 story and 40m2 so it wasn’t a big risk.

The bales were extremely dense:  120-165 kg/m2. They built a second, two bale long roof-plate, attached with stakes and well tied down. The roof was finished with ceramic tiles and 20 cm of cellulose insulation (it barely gets below 0 celsius there). The house is still being finished,  although the roof was completed in the summer. So far, the walls have only compressed about 2 cm. If it has any problems, I will let you all know.

Here are some pictures: 
    
   

The same couple is hoping to have the possibility to do laboratory testing on Load-bearing SB next year, and want to know: given the existing tests that have already been done, what kind of testing would be most useful to the global knowledge?: testing of the bale itself?, load bearing walls: with or without paster?, uniaxial compression?, etc.

any ideas for them?

thanks, Rikki
Lérida, Spain

p.s. Thanks to CASBA for inviting me to lunch on Thursday… love these international exchanges!


Rikki Nitzkin
Strawbale Building and Clay Plaster:
education, consulting, and building
www.tallerconco.org <http://www.tallerconco.org/>
https://www.facebook.com/TallerConCo <https://www.facebook.com/TallerConCo>
tallerconco at gmail.com
(+ 34) 657 335 162


Coordinator & Professional Member of:


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