No fear of huffy wolves
A housing estate constructed of straw is now being planned, following research that shows straw houses can’t be blown down by huffing, puffing wolves or, indeed, hurricane force winds.
A two-storey straw house constructed at the University of Bath moved only 4mm (0.16in) when subjected to a force exceeding four tonnes, equivalent to 120mph winds. The house was made from prefabricated panels that consisted of wooden frames filled with straw bales and covered with lime render.
The heating bills for this type of straw house, which has walls almost half a metre thick, are 80 per cent lower than for modern homes made from bricks and breeze blocks. The carbon footprint from the construction and materials is also far lower because straw locks in carbon as it grows.
Pete Walker, director of the university’s Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, said there could be a net carbon reduction if transport emissions were avoided by purchasing straw from local farms. “We hope the data will help strengthen the case for the mainstream building industry switching to using more sustainable building materials like straw,” he said.
“It can be difficult to get a loan for a straw house because of the perception among some building societies that they are not as strong. But we have shown that the BaleHaus design is robust and suitable for the windiest places, though that doesn’t quite include building one on top of Snowdon as a replacement restaurant.”
Source: The Times