Chouinard didn’t want it to be this “giant modern-house-on-a-hill thing,” he says. Instead, he wanted to show how you could build something that looked like a standard suburban home, but outperformed one in every way.  Photo 6 of 8 in The Founder of Patagonia Just Built a Straw Bale House. He Thinks You Should, Too

The Founder of Patagonia Just Built a Straw Bale House. He Thinks You Should, Too

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Chouinard didn’t want it to be this "giant modern-house-on-a-hill thing," he says. Instead, he wanted to show how you could build something that looked like a standard suburban home, but outperformed one from a sustainability standpoint.