Straw Tech

Tags:: Architecture; Straw Bale

When Anders Stokholm asked his old friend Felix Jerusalem to design his family’s new home in Eschenz, a northern Swiss village on the Rhine River and Untersee Lake, the client and architect agreed that they didn’t want to disturb the ancient Roman artifacts buried in the property’s wet soil. But they did want something both modern and green. Jerusalem’s solution, the Strohhaus, beautifully merges the old with the new: The structure floats above the saturated ground on pilings—–referencing building methods used in the area thousands of years ago, according to Zurich-based Jerusalem. And except for its concrete core, the entire house is made from slabs of prefabricated, formaldehyde-free compressed straw. — Emily Gertz

The entire house is made from slabs of prefabricated, formaldehyde-free compressed straw.

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Colin Coe09.05.2011

I'm trying to locate a supplier in the UK or Europe for strawboard. "Invotek" appear to be importing boards for internal walls from China prior to setting up their own factory in the UK but have no interest in exterior quality walls. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.
Diana Budds09.05.2011

Thanks for your comment, Colin. Have you looked at our other articles featuring homes made from straw? I'd start with the architects who designed those who are likely to be very knowledgeable about sourcing the building material. Here's the link: http://www.dwell.com/articles/?catset5654=260587 Best of luck!
Samuel Foster09.16.2011

Hi Colin, I'm an architect in Edinburgh and faced the same problem as you when looking for Invotek's strawboard. We wanted to use it in a floor build-up but not to import it from China! As a result we ended up using Fermacell (compressed cellulose and some gypsum), which comes from Germany (http://www.fermacell-drylining.co.uk/). An alternative is Panelvent, a compressed wood sheathing board, also from Germany (http://www.panelagency.com/panelvent.html). Hope this helps... Sam Foster

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