Straw Bale House Design - Gallery

• Straw bale house gallery: features samples from builders, owners, educators, and straw bale building workshops from around the country and the world. Please contact us if you would like to add other resources (free).

Straw Bale House Builders, Architects, Owners - USA Arizona American Thunder Construction Inc.  Builder Chino Valley. An Arizona Licensed General Contractor specializing in turn key Straw Bale Homes. Sol Source Architecture  Architect & Builder Sol Source is committed to architecture and construction that arise from the conscientious use of the Earth's resources. We strive for ecological responsibility in every facet and scale of our projects; believing that an integrated, holistic, evolutionary design and building process -- far beyond just picking "eco-correct" materials or applying 'faux-naturale' styles -- is the most effective means to that end. A House of Straw  Homeowner & Writer An incredibly sturdy, beautiful and well-insulated house that will last for many years and only cost $50,000 to build (land not included). The straw walls offer insulation from the summer heat, while the earthen plasters and floor give thermal mass to maintain an even interior temperature. A well-insulated ceiling helps, too. The south-facing sunroom provides all the house's heat in the winter. Book available at Amazon.com - A House of Straw: A Natural Building Odyssey The Canelo Project  Builder & Workshops A small non-profit organization, dedicated to the exploration and education of natural, local and artistic building techniques Workshops in straw bale, earthen and lime plasters, earth floors, and natural paints. Development of low cost houses in the US and Mexico. Cochise Stronghold   B&B Newly constructed and completed in 1999, the guest house was designed for maximum thermal efficiency and energy conservation. The design is "passive solar", to retain the sun's heat in the winter and provide "coolness" during the summer. This is achieved through orientation of the building to the south and careful calculations of window glazing ratios, roof overhangs for summer shading and insulation. The 2 foot thick, solid walls are made of straw-bales pinned with rebar, wrapped in remesh, quilted with wire, sprayed with 2.5" of gunnite (dry cement mix) and expertly plastered to a smooth finish on the inside. Sustainable building workshops. California Integral Design Studio   Architect Extensive experience and take joy in designing with alternative materials such as strawbale, autoclaved aerated concrete, insulated concrete forms and adobe. Hubbell & Hubbell    Architect The Hubbell & Hubbell team creates places that heal the soul and renew the spirit. We are a unique family-owned firm committed to integrating nature-centered art and architecture in environmentally friendly private and public spaces. Artist James Hubbell has developed projects all over the world for more than 40 years. Architect Drew Hubbell has pioneered the permitting of straw bales as a building material in the city and county of San Diego. DSA Architects   Architect DSA Architects offer a wide range of architectural services, from consulting to complete design services. They pursue sustainable design approaches, such as passive solar design, and their buildings incorporate resource efficient building systems like straw-bale houses pictured here.  Gallery Semmes & Co. Builders, Inc.  Builder & Workshops Located on the Central Coast of California, constructs unique and creatively styled, environmentally-friendly homes. By blending sustainable building and passive solar techniques, as well as the most current materials and technologies, these homes are durable, energy efficient, and, above all, a delight to live in. Design Forward  Architect Hands-on construction and workshop experience. Teach on-going sustainable design courses, led straw bale workshops, as well as organized workshops for others. A Straw Bale Diary    Owner Online diary of straw bale home construction with information and resources for owner-builders and those interested in green construction methods and materials. Using recycled, found, and salvage materials whenever possible. Passive solar design (thermal mass in walls, concrete floor; dual-glazed south-facing windows and doors). Active solar power (off the grid). Claiborne Churchill Strawbale Winery    Owner In 1995 Clay and Fredericka completed construction on their new and permanent winery building. This structure, a noteworthy example of environmental architecture, is a "straw bale building," the first of its kind in California. With sixteen-inch thick walls made of bales of rice straw, the winery is so well insulated that it maintains a constant cellar temperature, without the need for mechanical cooling or heating. Paragon Designs   Architect Paragon Designs offers a mix of efficient talents and skills for a full-service design and construction team. Services range from designing custom homes, restoration of historic homes, construction of small commercial buildings to management of both large and small-scale projects. Offering Graphic Design, Project Renderings, Environmental Design, Healthy Homes, Feng Shui Analysis, Historical Restoration, Cost Estimates, Development and Site Supervision. Berkeley Marina Shorebird Park Nature   Visitor Centre  One the first civic buildings to be built out of straw bale in the United States. Designed by DSA Architects with fellow architect Greg VanMechelen. Environmental features include: Straw Bale Exterior Walls, Passive Solar Design, Building Integrated Photovoltaics, Hot Water Solar Panels for Radiant Heating System, Natural Linoleum Floors, Interior Walls from compressed straw panels, Recycled and Sustainably Harvested Wood Framing Cabinetry from Wheat Straw particleboard, Countertops made from Recycled Glass. Colorado Madeen Architecture and Construction, L.L.C.    Architect, Designer, Builder Alternative Natural Environmental Architecture. Sustainable, alternative, instinctive, handcrafted, breathable and healthy are descriptive terms that help define the Madeen Architectural approach. Building Materials Include: Adobe, Strawbale, Rammed Earth, Pumicecrete, Reclaimed Materials, Responsibly Harvested Lumber, & More. Designs Include: Passive Solar, Solar Photovoltaic Electric, Solar Hot Water, Radiant Floor Heat, Geothermal Heating & Cooling, & More. Fuentesdesign    Designer, Builder Natural architecture and straw bale zero energy homes. Located on a historic family ranch alongside hundred year old buildings, this zero energy straw bale refuge redefines the concept of the western homestead in the contemporary context of sustainability. Solar hot water for in-floor radiant heat augments passive solar design. Photovoltaics provide power, while earth from the well drilling was used for interior plaster. Arm of the Spiral  Owner Designers Builders Instructional DVDs Arm of the Spiral is featured in "Strawbale Home Plans" by Wayne Bingham and Colleen Smith. Informational DVD "You Can Do It -- Part One" looks at building from concrete slab preparation (with radiant floor heating) to the construction of the straw bale walls, including door and window frames (approximately 67 minutes). "You Can Do It -- Part Two: Gettin' Dried In" covers construction of Arm of the Spiral, a load-bearing straw bale home, from the bond beam atop the straw bale walls to steel on the roof (approximately 78 minutes). The Suncatcher Inn   B&B Strawbale, solar bed and breakfast. The Inn is situated with a spectacular view of the North Fork of the Gunnison River Valley and West Elk Mountains. Hot breakfast available: For meat eaters, homestead beef products are served which are raised organically and marketed locally. There is a different healthy meal for vegetarians. Ecobuilders   Builder Specializing in sustainable building techniques such as straw bale and earthship design as well as renewable energy systems such as solar electric and solar thermal, Ecobuilders is as much an educational leader as it is an industry leader. Ecobuilders has just released the first in a series of up-to-date and comprehensive instructional DVDs on building with strawbale. Merten Homes   Architect - Builder Merten Homes is a Green Builder specializing in the architectural design and construction of ultra energy-efficient homes. Our breath-taking designs feature environmentally-friendly materials and finishes, exceptional indoor air quality, low maintenance, solar power, and unsurpassed comfort – all of which help to promote and contribute to a healthy, natural living space. We research every product not only for its non-toxic, sustainable, or renewable properties, but how each product will then act in concert with our whole-building concept, and the environment. The Tuscan-Style strawbale home featured here is one of twelve built in Fort Collins. Kansas Chrysalis Farm   Homeowner We considered a wide variety of alternative building styles, including a passive-solar envelope home, an earth-rammed tire home (‘Earth Ships’), a home made of structural-insulated-panels, an earth-bermed home, a super-insulated passive-solar form of conventional construction, and a straw-bale home. Given the proximity of straw to our building site, coupled with the “Old World European” look that is accomplished with the wide window-wells and rough stucco exterior, we decided to build a straw-bale/post-and-beam hybrid. Michigan Deanne Bednar   Builder, Workshops The Strawbale Studio is an enchanting 600 square foot thatched roof studio here in rural Oakland County, southeast Michigan. The studio features strawbale (stucco covered) walls, a round log frame, earthen floor, fieldstone foundation, a loft, and beautiful artwork. We hope you enjoy reading about the history of the project and learning about upcoming events and opportunities. Nebraska Iain Nicolson Audubon Center  Visitor Center The Iain Nicolson Audubon Center, set along the beautiful Platte River, is one of the largest straw bale constructed buildings in the United States. This education/visitor center not only provides office space for the staff, but also has a classroom/conference room, educational displays, a viewing area of the river and much more. New Mexico Syncronos Design.  Publisher A web site, DVD video, and book about the design and construction of straw bale solar hybrid homes. Topics include passive solar house design, straw bale home design, thermal mass walls, earth plaster for adobe and straw bale, the use of natural materials, rainwater cisterns, LEED and large buildings, and much more. Landerland   Designer & Builder A former Seattle architectural and aerospace model maker / machinist, Tom Lander turned into a full scale home builder. Tom has built two quality straw bale homes and numerous straw bale buildings in New Mexico. He specializes in designing, consulting, and building for owner builders. Clayton Lake State Park   Visitor Center While providing the framework for a resource-conserving building, like this visitor center, straw bale construction brings a variety of other benefits. Some are practical:  High insulation value minimizes future heating and cooling expenses.  Recycling of byproduct materials from other industries, including agriculture, minimizes waste. Birkani Architects   Architect - Designer Birkani Architects has been in continuous operation since 1960's with offices in New York, Santa Fe and Istanbul, Turkey. Birkani Architect's practice includes planning, architectural design, interior design, structural design on wide, residential and commercial projects in New Mexico, California, Idaho, Nevada, New York and Turkish Republic and features many straw bale buildings. New York Secret Base Design    Architect A New York and California licensed architecture firm, affiliated with Laura Lee Intscher, Architect. Pictured here, Main Base is located in Vestal NY, and has a structural straw shed and steel frame straw bale infill main house. It is the first project built by Secret Base Design in cooperation with a local contractor. It has several cutting edge eco friendly features. Oregon The IronStraw Group   Workshops & Education IronStraw Group is a 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to helping people build affordable environmentally friendly strawbale homes. IronStraw Group is passionate about its mission of Stronger Communities through Straw Building; the construction of low-income & affordable housing; and the education & promotion of straw as a standard building material including the development of Certified Contractors' Programs. A. C. Morrison Construction   Builder - Education  Andrew has a passion for straw bale construction that is matched only by his desire to teach his knowledge to others. Andrew is the creator and builder of the Straw Bale Village, a community of 15 straw bale homes in the National Historic Landmark City of Jacksonville, Oregon. He is a skilled, licensed General Contractor with experience in designing and building both conventional and straw bale homes. "The Straw Bale House Blog" is the official Blog of www.StrawBale.com, a world leader in straw bale education, hosted by Andrew Morrison, a Southern Oregon based contractor specializing in straw bale construction. Organicforms Design    Architect - Designer This home is located in the beautiful and pristine Colstien Valley on the Oregon/California border. There are beautiful views of the surrounding valley as well as striking views of Mount Shasta. The home design was initialized by the client, and Organicforms Design provided construction documents, design consulting and modifications such as the south facing clerestory windows taking advantage of the passive solar opportunities that this beautiful site provides. The owners have documented their construction process in a blog: http://straw.gorogue.com/Site/Blog/Blog.html Tennessee Ecoville Architechs   Architect Katey Culver, permaculture designer ecoville architechs offers a full range of planning and design services, including new homes, remodels, historic restoration and interior design. Also consulting services for your energy efficient home, permaculture site and alternative energy options. Washington, D.C. Helicon Works.   Architecture, landscape and interior design Including Feng Shui or intuitive energy balancing. Designing a comprehensive renewable energy system - exploring the nuances of creating net-low or zero energy homes. Detailed green specifications for all components, insuring healthy homes and reused/renewable/local materials. Straw Bale House Building - Canada Ontario HarvestHomes   Designer Builder We offer full construction services with an experienced work crew. We have built cabins, large multiple-story homes and light commercial buildings using both load bearing and post-and-beam styles of straw bale construction. We are available as exterior wall systems sub-contractors. Or we can do the full nine yards — from design and foundation pouring to finishing and fine cabinetry. We are also happy to work alongside you and any other volunteer help you choose. Saskatchewan Green Planet Homes  Builder Builds ecologically sustainable homes specializing in straw bale houses in Alberta and Saskatchewan. "Straw bale construction and ecologically sustainable renovations." Green Panels, prefabricated straw bale panels. Camel's Back Construction  Designer Builder Architect Writer We believe that straw bale building is the most environmentally sound, efficient and attractive way of constructing homes to match the demands and expectations of modern life in our northern climate. These ideals of reduced environmental impact, energy efficiency and aesthetic beauty are the central motivation behind the building that we do. Gallery Straw Bale House Building - EU amazonails®   UK    Design, planning, building A not-for-profit social enterprise, specializing in environmentally sensitive building - especially strawbale construction, low impact foundations and natural materials training groups of people in the use of such wonderful and renewable materials as straw, lime and clay. We also help with design, planning and building control permission; can offer full construction drawing services, demonstrations, workshops, presentations and mentoring for self-builders.     Straw Bale House Building - Australia Victoria Unicorn House  Designer Builder Award winning Energy Efficient and Environmentally Sustainable Design and Building firm located in Daylesford, Australia. Working with strawbale and other sustainable materials to create comfortable and beautiful homes. (also previously trading under the name Imagine Strawbale Constructions) MillDuck Strawbale Bed & Breakfast  Homeowner & B&B Designed by Unicorn House, this StrawBale House & fully self contained Bed & Breakfast was inspired by Country Style Magazine. won the 2002 Master Builders Association Award for the "Most Energy Efficient Home" in the North West Region of Victoria along with the "Best Custom Home" award in its respective price bracket. Straw Bale House Building - Resources   See also our Straw Bale Building Category StrawBale.com A step by step system that shows you exactly how to build a straw bale house

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