Condition monitoring and durability assessment of straw bale construction

Condition monitoring and durability assessment of straw bale construction
Written by esba

The use of straw bales in construction projects is still regarded by many as a novel technique with significant perceived risks. Barriers such as finance, certification and insurance all contribute to further restricting wider adoption. In all of the above cases, long-term durability can be considered a prevalent concern. In particular, construction industry concerns regarding long-term durability remain a notable barrier to mainstream adoption. Demonstrating the long-term durability credentials of straw bale construction can hence be considered one of the most significant ways of broadening the use of straw bale construction within conventional construction markets. This paper presents a review of methodologies for condition monitoring, analysis, and interpretation of results for the short and longer-term assessment of straw bale buildings.

The review is supported by research completed at the University of Bath and will help to inform and support future studies whilst also providing new insight into assessment criteria currently being developed.

Authors:

  1. Thomson, Andrew
  2. Walker, Pete

About the author

esba

The European Straw Building Association is an independent European association, devoid of any profit making motive. The object of the Association is to promote and develop the use of straw, as a sustainable way of building in all the senses of the term “sustainable”: renewable, ecological, healthy, energy and climate efficient, social and economic.
The Association is a federation composed of organisations and people particularly concerned with the use of straw in buildings.