Stroh House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10. 9.07
There is a lot to like about Swiss architect Felix Jerusalem's Stroh House. It is built from prefabricated strawboard panels; the panels are protected from the weather by translucent corrugated plastic, a very thin and inexpensive siding that shows the straw below; the plan is very simple and clean; the detailing is really precise; it floats on piles instead of digging up the entire site; I love that clean interior with the suspended fireplace. The site has more information and videos, all in German.
One English article says :This experimental structure uses solid panels composed of compressed straw and wood particles to form the main structure of the house, alon gwith a small concrete core. The straw is low cost, environmentally friendly and a high quality insulator.
The exterior is additionally clad in translucent panels, which provide a vew of the straw panels and give the wedge shaped structure a futuristic sheen.
The house's simple formal structure focuses attention on the new materials, fulfilling the architect's intention of seeking out new low-cost building methods with broad applications.
I want one!
Its a great design and has nice features, but straw insulation is very hard to get to pass inspections in america as of present due to its high flamability. ... Just thought yall might want to know.
If people like this, they should stop bemoaning trailer houses, because this certainly looks like a cheap version of one of those (from the outside).
And while the straw is supposedly protected from the elements, what would keep this place from exploding into flames at the slightest provocation?
Switzerland has strict building regulations, so the will burst into flames at the slightest provocation.
I suspect that the material has been impregnated with bohrsalt. Which is an enviromental friendly fire retardent.
sigh... Compressed Straw is less combustable than dried wood, as it has less air space inside to feed the fire. This is an old argument for using straw as building block. I find it funny that most poeple are afraid of straw, but live in a matchstick house.
Search strawbale building in google...
I think this looks decent and I love the idea of creating a sustainable sandwich panel.
However, I have a feeling this would not pass US building codes, nor come even close. Fire rating would be a huge issue, and thermoplastic (I'm guessing this is polypropylene skins) gets soft and non-structural around 250 degress F.
My other concern is the panels would fade horribly in UV, thus shorting the lifespan.
I am all for green SIPs, and I think the building industry is close to some great products.
Plastic panels are green?
Also, in my experience any house design which allows air to circulate under the floors is going to spend a ton more on heat than one whose foundation is in the ground.
DDP is correct. Highly compressed straw is less flammable than dried lumber. As DDP said, there is less air for combustion within the material. And as one other mentioned, it could be additionally treated with a fire-retardant chemical - just like most lumber for 'match-stick' homes is. So if construction lumber manages to 'pass' fire ratings, this stuff should have no problem.
I like the design of this house. Very simple, yet very elegant. And good passive solar principles incorporated.
TJ: Those look like fiberglass panels to me, which can be UV-stabilized.
Hudson: Plastic (or fiberglass) panels can be green, if they’re part of a well-designed assembly. It’s important to weigh the overall performance of the wall against any possible disadvantages of individual components.
Also, the pier footing system uses a small fraction of the building resources that a continuous strip footing does. Again, you have to look at the big picture: if the floor is well-insulated, it’s probably a net gain. (Pier footings have the added advantages of less earthwork, improved indoor air quality, reduced probability of mold growth, decreased radon risk…)