Straw bales are an excellent building material which are earthquake and fire resistant, have a high insulation value, are inexpensive, attractive (once finished with plaster), and easy to work with.
Straw bale barn in progress that we built at Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota.
Expert builders came for one weekend, showed us what to do, and we were able to complete the walls. Nobody who worked on this project had built a structure before or were building experts. Needless to say, it doesn’t take a lot of expertise.
Bales were tied to the 1X2’s you see in the above photo holding the bales in place. (6x6 Poles were used for structural support.) Framing was sustainably harvested pine. One could use bamboo or other renewable materials as well.
Plaster was made with lime, protecting the bales from water.
This particular building project was unable to be completed because of a variety of extenuating factors but everybody that worked on this project are now able to install straw bale walls themselves, and several other buildings were built through inspiration from this one.
Straw bale homes resemble adobe homes and can be quite beautiful.
One can install standard structural beams and support, and use straw bales to fill in the walls, to get permitting approved where strawbale homes are not approved yet. There is a movement to get this form of building approved anywhere in the US.
Pros:
Inexpensive.
Easy and fast to build (compared to many forms of natural building).
Fire and earthquake resistant - straw bales have little oxygen in them so don’t burn well.
Very good insulation.
Lasts a long time if properly protected with plasters.
Renewable materials.
Cons:
Must have access to straw.
In hot, humid climates, or if straw gets wet, there is a risk of mold.
Not as long lasting as properly built earth homes (but longer than most modern stick-built structures).