RSS FeedJul 20 2009
Balehaus is an Innovative Step in Bale House Construction
Quite literally every week there are numerous developments and breakthroughs in sustainable housing, green housing and tiny housing that help demonstrate how different the future of living spaces is likely to be. One such development is the Straw Bale House Project from researchers at the University of Bath. Together with their students, these researchers are building houses made of straw and hemp. The purpose of these novel houses is to serve as an experimental platform to see how these buildings materials perform with a variety of tests.
It is true that bale construction is an ancient form of building that has been proven over time to be a viable way to build. Yet, the researchers at the University of Bath are helping bring this building technique into the 21st century. Part of what makes the Balehaus, as it is called, so interesting is that these experimental homes are being built with what is called ModCell. ModCell is a prefabricated panel that takes a wooden frame and fills it with hemp or straw bales. This structure is then sealed with a lime render. The thinking is that the end result will be a very environmentally friendly building material with a very low carbon footprint. In fact, the researchers are hoping that the Baelhaus may even have a negative carbon footprint.
The researchers responsible for the project, such as Professor Peter Walker, believe that straw is quite possibly the most environmentally friendly building material currently available. This is largely due to the fact that it is quite renewable and has great insulating properties. Bale homes that are built correctly have very low heating and cooling costs. There are a variety of other partners involved in the project such as White Design in Bristol and Integral Structural Design in Bath.
It is developments like the Balehaus at University of Bath that are leading the way in providing all of us with important alternative in the future of housing. When one considers how bale construction could contribute to lower construction costs and lower heating and cooling costs it quickly becomes apparent this ancient form of construction has a great deal of offer the modern world.
Quite literally every week there are numerous developments and breakthroughs in sustainable housing, green housing and tiny housing that help demonstrate how different the future of living spaces is likely to be. One such development is the Straw Bale House Project from researchers at the University of Bath. Together with their students, these researchers are building houses made of straw and hemp. The purpose of these novel houses is to serve as an experimental platform to see how these buildings materials perform with a variety of tests.
It is true that bale construction is an ancient form of building that has been proven over time to be a viable way to build. Yet, the researchers at the University of Bath are helping bring this building technique into the 21st century. Part of what makes the Balehaus, as it is called, so interesting is that these experimental homes are being built with what is called ModCell. ModCell is a prefabricated panel that takes a wooden frame and fills it with hemp or straw bales. This structure is then sealed with a lime render. The thinking is that the end result will be a very environmentally friendly building material with a very low carbon footprint. In fact, the researchers are hoping that the Baelhaus may even have a negative carbon footprint.
The researchers responsible for the project, such as Professor Peter Walker, believe that straw is quite possibly the most environmentally friendly building material currently available. This is largely due to the fact that it is quite renewable and has great insulating properties. Bale homes that are built correctly have very low heating and cooling costs. There are a variety of other partners involved in the project such as White Design in Bristol and Integral Structural Design in Bath.
It is developments like the Balehaus at University of Bath that are leading the way in providing all of us with important alternative in the future of housing. When one considers how bale construction could contribute to lower construction costs and lower heating and cooling costs it quickly becomes apparent this ancient form of construction has a great deal of offer the modern world.
