This is also nothing new, straw has been used as an insulation material for a very long time, even in "modern" buildings.
It's just nowhere near as effective as glass wool, for example.
this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
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glass wool
Is that the same as fiberglass?
Also "forbidden cotton candy"
Yep
Kinda but not really, they're both made from glass fibres, but are a very different product that serves a very different purpose. Fibreglass typically comes in a flat cloth, and is used with resin to create something structural.
In the US we generally use fiberglass to mean both. But specifying glass wool would be more clear tbh.
Would also match nomenclature with Mineral Wool Insulation.
I worked on a few buildings where they used straw balls lenght wise. They had meter thick walls and it's very efficient. One of them only had a tiny wood stove
When you have a meter... I think anything will work as insulation
I mean at that point a meter of air gap alone would be amazing insulation.
just an air gap is not that good as convection will move the air around decreasing its effectiveness. Most insulation is just a way to try to keep the air in place while the air is doing the actual insulation
Thats not efficient in terms of space though, you'd lose a lot of floor area that way.
Grand designs did an episode on the construction of one. It has a beautiful smooth interior look once its rendered
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Wtf is going on with that white border?
Someone took a screenshot, pasted it into MS Paint, and then forgot to crop it.
Source: personal experience lol
why would you ever want to do that
Sometimes people add stupid stuff to a meme and I just want an easy way to crop it.
MS Paint for me is just an easy crop tool that I can add text to if I want. I understand it's a garbage tool but it hasn't changed in 20 years so I don't need to learn anything new lol.
Use lightshot. It's free and good.
Enhance!
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In all seriousness though: Pretty sure this is referring to using straw as insulation, not structural elements.
Haybale homes have been around for ages, mum said they popular in the the 70s with the earth loving movement, and I recall them getting popular on pinterest again in 2012ish with the eco house movement.
You stack the bales, run insulated cables and plumbing as needed, then render over the whole lot.
Seems like it could be a disaster if you get a leak of any sort.
People lived that way for thousands of years. You do a bit of yearly inspection and maintenance. It's literally slapping mud on the wall to fix it, not too bad.
It just seems like getting a small leak that you don't know about would cause a mold nightmare. Hay costs more than fiberglass insulation, so I guess I don't see the benefit.
I think the newer developments compress the straw more than older bales, though I'm not actually familiar with older hay bale homes.
I forsee many issues with mould
I'd be more worried about fire. High temperature plus a bit of moisture from, say, a leak, will cause hay piles to spontaneously combust.
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The cob or other earthen plaster incorporates clay or livestock manure which add hydrophobic and polymeric properties, which then air-cures to seal out moisture, and it's thick so if it gets wet it has to get really wet to penetrate the hay. Ideally these also have large overhanging rooves to sheet away rain.
Nope. Look closer and you will see that those wooden support beams are totally also made of hay
My guinea pigs would love if my home was made out of straw.
My revolutionary idea is live in trees.
To all the comments saying this is just straw insulation: it's more than that.
Compressed straw as building blocks is a thing now. Apparently it's strong and fire retardant too, though I don't know how much treating and cladding it needs above just being compressed.
Usually the straw block is made with a big motorised machine, but I've seen a hand-operated straw block press, with a great big long pole as an enormous lever. And the building made from its produce: a two storey building with conference hall and kitchen/accommodation. I think only the conference hall half was made with the straw blocks; the other half is interlocking bricks (like Lego 1-by-2s) also made on site.
I worked on one of these years ago in the mid-atlantic. It was a fucking disaster. I'm sure they are great in the desert.
In the middle of the Atlantic?! No WONDER it didn't work, what were you thinking?!
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Doesn't using straw in roofing or insulation spread bed bugs? I remember reading how the little monsters used to spread in medieval Europe that way, and in their straw mattresses.
Hay is treated and these houses do get walls. Hay is just used for insulation, nothing more and this image posted is not representative.
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Image Transcription: Twitter Post and Reply
designboom, @designboom
future homeowners in france are now looking into "straw houses"
designboom.com/architecture/s…
[A photograph of a building interior with straw lining the walls. Two large windows are present on the wall.]
HOOD VOGUE is tired of poverty, @keyon
Y'all don't read classic literature.
Apropos to nothing in particular, there are some cool developments in hemp building materials over the recent years.
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