Comments on: HOK’s LEED Gold-certified Straw Bale Building

By: Nation's First Hempcrete House Makes A Healthy Statement | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:48:22 +0000

[...] to a breathable wall system — Hempcrete is actually less like concrete and more like infill straw bale, as it is non-structural. The insulating quality is r-2.5 per inch, and it has the unique ability [...]

By: Inhabitat » HOK Unveils London Olympic Stadium’s Hemp Facade

Inhabitat » HOK Unveils London Olympic Stadium’s Hemp Facade — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:12:53 +0000

[...] to be dismantled and passed on to the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games, possibly Chicago. HOK’s design, with eco-friendly materials and an overall lower embodied energy application, marks a new approach [...]

By: Scott Peterson

Scott Peterson — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:10:29 +0000

Transportation is far from the only issue. We built the first straw bale in our city and the embodied energy / appropriate technology table was complex. I’m not sure about the UK, but for our site in California here are just a few of the considerations you might look at.
1. The straw here cannot carry any loads, they are a wall substrate that provides extreme client satisfaction regarding insulation, sound attenuation, and pleasingly deep walls. Our’s was a pole-house with raised floor (hidden behind a field stone skirt) not a “strawbale house” as most refer to it. “Strawbale houses” may require more framing investment than conventional frames.
2. Conventional grain production: if the straw is not burned in the fields, are pesticides required as a replacement procedure? In temperate climates what are the water issues re sustainable grain production.
3. Organic grain production: I asked the largest organic grain producer in CA at a conference if folks were knocking on his door for organic bales. Mr. Lundberg replied “no way, not a single straw leaves the fields in an organic [closed loop] system” So, straw is only considered a “by-product” by conventional ag-industrial technology. Hmm, some food for thought.

By: Neece

Neece — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:49:13 +0000

Not only is the building beautiful, it’s functional and green and eco friendly! That’s fantastic!

By: oneshotexhibition.org » Finding a Needle in a Strawbale Stack in LA

oneshotexhibition.org » Finding a Needle in a Strawbale Stack in LA — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:43:38 +0000

[...] article on the website Inhabitat wrote about the facility received the first LEED-certified award in LA [...]

By: Weston Blaney

Weston Blaney — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:40:14 +0000

@Pete: certified sourcing for straw in the US? not that I know of, but LEED will allow one to document the source of resource extraction and the source of manufacture. Each of these can earn the project one point if the location is within 500mile radius of the project site. This theoretically supports local economies and reduces GHG emissions.

Off-topic: Some arguement could be made that shipping by sea is more efficient than by truck (I’d have to check sources on that) and that supporting developing economies elsewhere in the world is a good thing, too. If the project site is near a major seaport, a lifecycle analysis might be worthwhile relative to “local” materials.

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:16:15 +0000

I was recently working on a BREEAM assessment (UK equiv of LEED) of a straw bale building, and came into difficulty with the ‘responsible sourcing of materials’ credit. There is currently no certification system for straw bales in the UK to ensure their sustainability (and there are some instances when they could be potentially unsustainable e.g. travelling long distances).
So my question is, is there any system of certification or criteria for the sustainable procurement of straw bales in the US for LEED, or is it just assumed?

By: eric

eric — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:01:32 +0000

for more info on straw bale: http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/strawbale.html