With today‟s emphasis on sustainable building construction, straw bale construction methods have received renewed attention in the United States. With any new or unusual building product or method, building codes play an important role in their acceptance. This paper looks at straw bale construction and how building codes have affected its implementation. The lessons learned with this specific construction method can be extended to other types of non-conventional construction. Several specific issues concerning straw bale construction are addressed as this construction technique is attractive in developing countries where affordable housing using local raw materials is essential. In these areas, where building codes do not exist, experimentation with new techniques is often easier and product or method development can occur much faster.
Author: Tatum, Mark C
