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Before
we look at what or how to build with straw it is important to look at why.
It
is not simply a choice that is more desirable because it happens to have some
rustic back-to-nature qualities. The qualities or values come first. It is a search
for the kind of alternative that reflects particular values that leads us down
this path. The values, themselves, are not simply chosen from a set of alternatives
either. They come from a deeper place. They reflect an attempt to do something,
in this case building, as a reflection of how the Earth does things. We do this
because we know that the Earth's way can be sustained and we are beginning to
understand that a disregard for how the Earth works cannot. Some of you will understand
reasons for building with straw instinctively, but to make sure we're all on the
same page, I want to clarify some assumptions that are fundamental to this approach.
My hope is that we can develop a greater appreciation of strawbale construction
in addition to showing how to go about it
1.
The Earth is a closed system of matter and energy(sun). All that we make or do
remains in this system, either as an element in a biological cycle, or if it escapes
that loop, as pollution. There is true for stuff we build with. (biosphere) [McDonough]
The Earth is an underlying foundation for everything.
Earth is a model for
what is sustaining
2. Everything is connected. When you try to isolate
a bit of the universe, you find it comes hooked on to everything else. This can
be an asset or it can be a liability
Implicit connections are accountable
as embedded costs. (plywood example)
Relationships of elements require attention
…when you build something you cannot merely build that thing in isolation,
but must also repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world
at that one place becomes more coherent, and more whole, and the thing which you
make takes its place in the web of nature, as you make it. (see site) [Alexander] 3.
When we design or plan or create we are making decisions about connections and
relationships, and about what is sustaining and what isn't. Regardless of our
awareness or ignorance, embedded costs exist in an Earth-system that IS. Allow
intuition and common sense to guide decision-making. Earth-wise decisions add
integrity and strength to the underlying foundation of our building practices.
Choose
your choices… 4.
Our buildings continue to shape us after we have finished shaping them. How we
go about sheltering ourselves impacts us in socially and deeply personal ways,
as well as environmentally. If Earth-wise values and ideals are integrated into,
and thereby expressed in our surroundings it can't help but contribute to well-being.
The
more qualities we integrate the better. The more functions and positive values
a building element has, the more well-being there will be. [Responding
to some questions will help to make the implications of this and the other assumptions
more concrete. My intention is to identify some high standards for building, and
see how strawbales stack up.]
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