Since the beginning of the 21st century, straw-bale buildings are reappearing in the world; however, their thermal performances were not thoroughly investigated up to now. The purpose of this study is to analyse the thermal behavior and energy performance of a straw-bale building in Switzerland. Using Pleiades+Comfie Software, building designs have been studied to understand the best way to mitigate overheating risks due to the low heat capacity of straw. Thermal-dynamic results and Life Cycle Assessment conclude that straw bale buildings can be a sustainable alternative in the energy evolution of building construction, due to their low embodied energy and excellent thermal performance.
Authors: Chaussinand, Adrien; Scartezzini, J.L.; Nik, Vahid, Nov 2015
Link: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1876610215023784
