apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I had no idea you could really make a real house of straw! I thought that was just for little pigs and huts.

What an attractive little house with a sensible floorplan - I hope we see more homes like this in the future.

I understand that mice can be a major problem with bale housing. Are special measures necessary in urban environs to keep the famously resourceful city mice away from all that warm nesting material?

Is it truly energy efficient? One of the biggest misconceptions about adobe houses are energy efficient. They only have R-Values of 5 or 6.

may sound silly but could it be a problem for people with hay fever, allergies? and is it possible for mold to form in the hay? just a person with allergies wondering.......

My brother-in-law and wife are in the process of building a straw bale house. It is truly efficient, and would have less problems with mice than a traditional house because the straw is packed so tightly there would be not room for them to build their home. There also is no more issue with mold. If you let moisture get trapped or let it in then you may have issues... just as in a traditional house. We, like many people have packed ground-up recycled newspapers in our walls for insulation, don't know why people would be more concerned with straw. I haven't heard the hay fever issue brought up before, interesting question.

I too like the floor plan. Very well thought our for families of our times.

I think that they are efficient if done right - the walls here, from the photos, look a bit thin. And they are sealed, so no allergies or mice.

"Is it truly energy efficient? One of the biggest misconceptions about adobe houses are energy efficient."

Um - It's not adobe, it's straw bale...
...and what makes it a good insulator is the extra deep walls containing the insulating air pockets contained within the hay fibers.

And although adobe and other earthen wall structures may not be good insulators, they can be incredibly energy efficient when used as thermal masses that passively absorb the sun's heat during the days, then gives off the heat at night when it's cold.

love this post and the idea of straw bale or rammed earth or even adobe in urban settings. i first saw this architect's work when tooling around mcgill/montreal architects' sites looking for an architect for a remodel that fell through. thanks for the re-introduction.

Georgeous architecture and walls. Love the casual decor. A.

In answer to the allergies question...yes and yes. I worked/lived in a straw bale house for awhile, and suffered awfully from the combination of the hay and the mold.

Perhaps it was not as well constructed and that's how the mold got in, but do not believe the people who say that the outside material keeps you from being allergic to the hay. It doesn't.

good to see ancient technology getting used in a modern setting...though they should have gone with an updated thatched roof as well

the interior looks like a moroccan berber home