The CEC has inaugurated its new exemplary building realised in the project UP STRAW.
This new building of 400 m2 is the demonstrator of innovative techniques: half logs and straw, 3D prefabrication and without foundations.
The architectural firm Hélium 3 and the contractor Mobic offered us a guided tour of the site.
The walls of the building are made of raw wood for its internal and external faces with the use of machined spruce half-logs, and compressed straw for the insulation (121 m3).
This building is the first tertiary building of this size in Belgium to benefit from 3D prefabrication.
Finally, the installation of the building on screwed steel piles allowed a construction without concrete, preserving the ground and its permeability, and the possibility of a deconstruction without impact on the grounds.
An audience of around 200 professional and institutional guests attended the opening ceremony. Read More
📽On friday 26th around 120 architects, builders, students, crafts people, journalists and people interested in green building watched 20 catchy and informative shortfilms about how to build with straw.
🏗 The event was organized by the German carpentry Grünspecht in Fribourg and promoted by UP STRAW. Read More
At the symposium, building decision-makers and construction experts can inform themselves about the topic of building with straw, about current large-scale projects and the latest building techniques with straw. Read More
On November 27th, around 140 building decision-makers, building experts and people interested in building met online to find out about building with the renewable building material straw. On November 28th the participants could also join the online presentations at the annual meeting of the German Straw Bale Building Association for free. Read More
Authorities from the church, the government and state administration were among the 40 guests who attended the topping-out ceremony of House St. Wunibald in Plankstetten. The Bavarian Minister of State for Finance and Home Affairs, Albert Füracker as well as all other speakers praised the wood-straw-building, its construction method and its sustainablity. Read More
In the cornerstone ceremony the Bavarian Minister of State for Housing, Construction and Transport, Mrs. Kerstin Schreyer, praised the straw-insulated building as a trend-setting example of climate-friendly construction in Germany and Europe. Read More
The info day "Experience straw bale building" including a live bale pressing action planned for Saturday, March 21st had to be canceled due to Corona. Nevertheless the pressing of more than 2000 straw bales took place successfully.
With the bales South Germany’s biggest straw insulated house will be built this summer in the Benedictine Abbey of Plankstetten (Bavaria). The monks are constructing a general purpose building with 30 guest rooms, a kinder garden and parish offices.
It took several days to transform about 400 m3 of ecological straw from the monastery fields from big bales into bales right sized for building. For this purpose the prototype of a mobile press machine was brought from Austria to the Abbey.
The company Sonnenklee had developed it over three years. The machine produces between 1,5 and three tons of straw bales per hour (10-25 m3 per hour depending on the bale size). With this press house builders can get straw bales from their regional farms and produce them at any time in the year customized to the format needs of the carpentry in charge.
The planned public event "Experience straw bale building" was of high interest for journalists, building professionals and lay builders who already had announced to come. Therefore the pressing action was filmed and a video podcast will be published shortly on the building project and the straw bale production. Read More
The Clos Perrain, 1st chai in Gironde, in loadbearing straw, to use this technique. This is to meet the requirements of biodynamics: no emission of volatile substances likely to pollute wines, thanks to an optimum level of insulation.
> 172m² straw walls, 570 straw bales
Among the guests there were professionals in the wine sector but also contractors in the construction sector.
Beautiful visit that ended with a wine tasting offered by the winemaker! Read More
This event was in collaboration with the world famous Glasgow School of Art. Barbara Jones talked about UP Straw, differing straw bale building techniques, using straw bales in load-bearing walls, and cement-free foundations. Q&A followed.
Free, but ticketed. Held in the Reid building lecture theatre.
Barbara Jones, FRSA, is well known internationally as a pioneer of straw bale building and designer of innovative foundations (including using car tyres). She has been designing and building with natural materials for 20 years; including forming part of the Straw bale tour of the USA in 1999, organised by Judy Knox and Matts Myrhman, that brought European straw bale pioneers to the US. Barbara has also developed a uniquely empowering method of practical training on building sites. She was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in Construction in 2011, and a Woman of Outstanding Achievement Award in 2009. Her practical skills include strawbale building, clay and lime plastering, carpentry and roofing. Read More
The School of Natural Building and UP Straw were part of this major event. Over 3 days Futurebuild welcomed 27,000 industry influencers and shapers to drive real change. A world class knowledge programme, an exhibition of 450 innovative brands and a host of networking events came together to create an unmissable experience. . Read More
