Building homes from straw utilises carbon neutral methods of construction to create modern dwellings both efficient and environmentally friendly by design.
In Australia straw bale homesteads 60 years old dispute any bedtime story that a simple huff and puff will blow these homes down. Fine examples of straw construction are dotted throughout the older suburbs of Melbourne to see a few click here.
The prefabricated straw has also proven fire resistant by academic researchers at the University of Bath in the UK. Fire Safety tests exposing a prefabricated straw-bale panel identical to those used in building the BaleHaus (research home) to temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius.
To reach the required standard the panel had to withstand the heat for more than 30 minutes. More than two hours later – four times as long as required – the panel had still not failed.
The BaleHaus is part of a major new research project into how these renewable building materials can be used for homes of the future. The research work has been funded by the Carbon Connections Development Fund and the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board.
Researchers Dr Katharine Beadle and Christopher Gross from the university’s Building Research Establishment Centre in Innovative Construction Materials will be monitoring the house for a year for its insulating properties, humidity levels, air tightness and sound insulation qualities to assess the performance of straw and hemp as building materials.
The “ModCell” system used to build the BaleHaus consists of prefabricated panels made of a structural timber frame infilled with straw bales or hemp and rendered with a breathable lime-based system.
ModCell is carbon negative in manufacture. Furthermore, because of the high insulating properties of the panels, the BaleHaus minimises additional heating requirements reducing heating bills in housing by up to 85 per cent, and CO2 emissions by 60 per cent.
For updates on the straw-bale house including a recent report on straws wind resistance capacity to withstand hurricanes click here!

Inga Yandell
Explorer and media producer, passionate about nature, culture and travel. Combining science and conservation with investigative journalism to provide resources and opportunities for creative exploration.