Most of the unusual materials and technologies used in the Straw Bale House were chosen not because they are novel or to impress award judges but because they are cheap and accessible; the novelty lies in thinking to use them in this context.This wonderful rambling farmhouse of a building is set beside one of the country's busiest railway lines - where the East Coast line approaches King's Cross, yet inside there is a calm that belies its setting and the eccentricity of the form. Cement bags buffer the office from noise, while the walls incorporate straw bales and gabion cages of recycled concrete. Designed by Sarah Wigglesworth with Jeremy Till as their family home and office, it interested Kevin McCloud who included it in the first series of Grand Designs, drawing public attention to the hitherto dry and academic subject of sustainability. It also challenged the polite manners of contemporary modernism. Search “straw bale” from 10 Wildly Innovative U.K. Homes of the 20th Century That Outshine the Rest

Search “straw bale”

Most of the unusual materials and technologies used in the Straw Bale House were chosen not because they are novel or to impress award judges but because they are cheap and accessible; the novelty lies in thinking to use them in this context.This wonderful rambling farmhouse of a building is set beside one of the country's busiest railway lines - where the East Coast line approaches King's Cross, yet inside there is a calm that belies its setting and the eccentricity of the form. Cement bags buffer the office from noise, while the walls incorporate straw bales and gabion cages of recycled concrete. Designed by Sarah Wigglesworth with Jeremy Till as their family home and office, it interested Kevin McCloud who included it in the first series of Grand Designs, drawing public attention to the hitherto dry and academic subject of sustainability. It also challenged the polite manners of contemporary modernism.