By Athena Swentzell Steen and Bill Steen
While enthusiasts of straw bales praise the exceptional energy efficiency of bale buildings, and the wise use of resources and affordability, straw bales have excited builders and homeowners for another reason. People love straw bale homes because they are so often extraordinarily beautiful and inviting.
In the past two decades, the bale-building renaissance has attracted some of our most gifted architects, artisan builders and crafts people. Certain qualities of straw as a material -- and the hands-on process of constructing walls with a completely natural substance -- have appealed to both very experienced builders and those who find this to be a uniquely accessible form of creating shelter. The characteristic thick walls and wide windowsills of straw bale houses, the possibility of incorporating curves and even arches, and the rousing experience of family "wall-raisings" have become well-known. Combined with older styles of plastering and earthen floors, these very contemporary buildings have a timeless quality that's easy to recognize yet hard to achieve with conventional manufactured materials. These are buildings with personality-plus!
Athena and Bill Steen, co-authors of the original Straw Bale House book, have now created a book that celebrates in gorgeous color photographs the tactile, sensuous beauty of straw bale dwellings. Their selection of photos also demonstrates how far bale building has come in a very short period of time: In addition to handsome homes, small and not-so-small, this book shows larger-scale institutional buildings, including schools, office buildings, the Real Goods Solar Living Center and a Save the Children center in Mexico.
In addition, this book includes an introductory essay by the Steens noting the key lessons they have learned in years of building with bales: insights into the design and construction process, and critical advice about design elements that ameliorate the impacts of moisture, weather and wear-and-tear over time. Each photograph is also accompanied by narrative text highlighting a given building's special features and personal touches.
128 pages, 2000
Table of Contents
Preface
INTRODUCTION: DESIGNING A BEAUTIFUL HOME
STRAW AND HAY: THE TEST OF TIME
Fawn Lake Ranch
The Different Types of Straw Bale Walls
The Martin / Monhart House
Chuck and Mary Bruner's House
The Feuillette House
Traditional Mexican Straw Homes
The Right Straw
ARIZONA
Pam Tillman's House
Julie Harding's House
An Arizona Ranch Chapel
John Poseley and Margaret O'Donnell's House
The R-Value of Straw Bales
The Canelo Project: Bill and Athena Steen's Home
Matts Myhrman and Judy Knox's Retrofit
Retrofitting Existing Buildings
Bob Cook and Friederike Almstedt's Guest House Retrofit
Recipe for Casein Paints
TEXAS
Amy and Frank Meyer's Straw Bale Addition
CANADA
The Sivananda Yoga Center
The Brisette / Panfili House
The Warburton House
Auberge á la Croisée des Chemins
Finishes for Straw Bale Walls
MICHIGAN
Straw Bale Studio
MEXICO
The Save the Children Office Building
Recipe for Clay Paint or Alis
Casas que Cantan: A Women's Building Project in Mexico
Myra Valdez's New Home
Elizabeth Nuzum's Studio
NEW MEXICO
The Swentzell's Guest House
Nöel Bennett's House
Moisture Guidelines for Straw Bale Houses
Steve and Nena MacDonald's House
Sue Mullen and Oscar Davis's Residence
The Lama and Colombo House
Recipe for Blended Gypsum Plaster
Ginna Sloan's House
The House Built by Bob Munk
Carol Anthony's Cloister and Sanctuary
COLORADO
Paula Breymeier's House
Roofs for Straw Bale Houses
CALIFORNIA
Laurie Roberts and Lane McClelland's Studio
Straw Bale Vault and Cob Office: Permaculture Institute of Northern California
Ken Haggard and Polly Cooper's Residence, Guest House, and Architectural Studio
Natural Conditioning and Thermal Mass
Heidi Schlect and Sterling Keene's Greenhouse Cottage
Jan Edlstein's Meditation Room
Ferrous Sulfate Color for Cement Stucco or Lime Plasters
David Warkentin's House
Real Goods Solar Living Center
Michelle Landsberger and Debrae Lopes's House
East Bay Waldorf School
Eugene DeChristopher and Nan Ayers's Cottage
How much Does a Straw Bale House Cost?
John Hammond and Sayako Daikiri's Straw Bale Cottage
The Hermitage at Santa Sabina Retreat Center
Frog Hollow Farm
Joan Crowley and Gene Schott's House
KEEPING CURRENT WITH STRAW BALE BUILDING DEVELOPMENTS |
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