Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: straw bale/straw-clay & co-housing

[Strawnet (Strawnet]

Roger Diggle   Porchlight CoHousing Group wrote:
"One of the architects here in Madison WI who has been instrumental
in getting cohousing started in this area is Lou Host-Jablonski of
Design Coalition.  He is very interested in straw-clay wall construction
and has recently built an addition on his own house to serve as a test
case for the local code authorities and a demonstration project.
Lou can be reached @ Design Coalition, 2088 Atwood Ave,
Madison WI   53704    (608) 246-8846"

Roger - Thanks for the info, I'll contact Lou as soon as I have a few spare
minutes.
I just wanted to share a little more info so . . .
Straw-clay is a very  interesting technique, usually used with timber frame
as in-fill panel material.  Very beautiful, breathable, and pretty
owner-builder friendly.  A friend in Fairfield Iowa, Robert LaPorte, teaches
timber-frame/straw-clay workshops.  Robert has built some very nice buildings
several of which I have seen, and I know a number of people who have taken
his workshops and speak highly of them/him.  Contact Robert at: RR1 Box 115F,
Fairfield, Iowa 52556, 515-472-7775. Also, he publishes a little booklet -
Moose Prints - A Holistic Home Building Guide.

Other resource info for straw-clay/cob construction: 

The Cob Cottage Company, PO Box 123, Cottage Grove, OR 97424, 503-942-3021.  

John Cruickshank, Going Concerns, Unltd., 5569 North County Road 29,
Loveland, CO 80538, 303-679-4342, e-mail: johncruk [at] delphi.com - sells a 
nice
booklet & plans for a timber frame, straw-clay solar composting toilet -
Sunny John - based on one they have and use built at a Robert LaPorte
workshop at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland.

Straw-clay differs from straw bale construction; in the former loose straw is
coated with a clay slip and packed into temporary forms in a timber frame or
post and beam structure, whereas straw bale construction uses whole or
partial bales stacked and fastened together for either structural or
non-structural walls.  I know much more about straw bale than straw-clay,
although I like them both.

All these more natural ways of building are valid and have their advantages
and disadvantages. I try not to turn any of them into a religion, and instead
look for where they are appropriate. I think knowing about all these
different ways of building is like painters having more colors on their
palettes. It means you can produce richer work and use what is most
appropriate at any given time or place.
David