Sustainablity Building Material

Straw Bale

A Sustainable Building Material

Studio Project:
Design a Hospital with 100 beds.
Ar. Nisha. K
School of Architecture, Faculty at Bharath University

hen the 4th year studio project was

awarded to the students (June 2011
December 2011) of Bharath University,
Nandhinee, a 7th semester student adopted a very
un-conventional approach. She decided to utilize
Straw Bale as a construction material sighting its
various advantages for the given project. This article explores the methods, advantages and disadvantages involved with this type of construction
and to spread awareness of such sustainable construction practices.
96 The Masterbuilder - April 2012 www.masterbuilder.co.in

Design Requirements:
-

Emergency Department - Outpatient Department

Orthopedic Clinics
- ENT
- Inpatient block
Diagnostic
OT complex
- Dietary unit
Laundry
- Central Sterile Supply
Other ancillary departments

Chief Design Considerations:

-
-
-
-
-

Calm and serene environment

Sterile atmosphere
Crowd control
Ease in maintenance
Suitable response to climatic conditions in
Chennai
- Sustainable use of available indigenous construction
techniques and materials

Sustainablity Building Material

Site given for the proposed hospital was odd shaped and
was challenging. Nandhinee came up with solutions for the
site layout and the internal planning with simple forms and
horizontal development. Nandhinees initiative into learning
Intelligent Approach to Sustainable Architecture from all
over the world narrowed on to Straw Bale Construction.

In times gone by, it was regarded as a useful by-product of

the harvest, but with the advent of the combine harvester,
straw has become almost a nuisance to farmers.
Bales may be square, rectangular, or round, depending on
the type of baler used. Properly built, straw bale structures
are fire-resistant, waterproof and actually pest free, with super-insulated walls. Bales of recycled materials like paper,
pasteboard, waxed cardboard, crushed plastics, whole
tires and used carpeting have been used and are currently
being explored for building.
Each year tons of straw remains as a by-product of the agricultural crops of wheat, rice, rye, corn and grass seed. This
straw is generally left to compost in the fields or is burned.
The burning of agricultural straw is a significant cause of
air pollution and contributes to global warming. The table
below indicates the quantity of agricultural byproduct available for use with India being the second highest producer
of rice straw and wheat straw in the world.

Straw bale construction technology

A brief introduction
People have used straw, reed or grass for construction
throughout history in places which lack common construction materials such as timber stone or brick. With straw
often being an agricultural surplus by-product and, its inexpensive, and an easily renewable medium. Straw is an
agricultural by-product; the dry stalks of cereal plants, after
the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up
about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats,
rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and basket-making. It
is usually gathered and stored in a straw bale, which is a
bundle of straw tightly bound with twine or wire.

Rank

Area

Rice Production (Metric Tons)

China

197212010

India

120620000

Indonesia

66411500

Bangladesh

49355000

Viet Nam

39988900

Myanmar

33204500

Thailand

31597200

Philippines

15771700

Brazil

11308900

10

USA

11027000

11

Japan

10600000

12

Cambodia

8245320

13

Pakistan

7235000

14

Republic of Korea

5804000

15

Madagascar

4737970

16

Sri Lanka

4300620

17

Egypt

4329500

18

Nepal

4023820

19

Nigeria

3218760

20

Peru

2831370

Because of the large quantity of straw available, and their

tensile qualities, many types of agricultural straw are ideal
for a wide array of products including paper, building materials, textiles and other fiber-based products. Where storage of agricultural straw was once a limiting factor in its
supply, modern harvest methods support year-round storage thus facilitating a ready and available supply of the
fibre.
www.masterbuilder.co.in The Masterbuilder - April 2012 97

Sustainablity Building Material

Rank

Area

Wheat Production (Metric Tons)

China

115180303

India

80710000

USA

60102600

France

38207000

Russian Federation

41507600

Pakistan

23310800

Canada

23166800

Australia

22138000

Turkey

19660000

10

Argentina

14914500

11

Germany

24106700

12

Iran

15028800

13

Ukraine

16851300

14

United Kingdom

14878000

15

Kazakhstan

9638400

16

Egypt

7177400

17

Brazil

6036790

18

Poland

9487800

19

Uzbekistan

6730400

20

Italy

6900000

Why Straw as a building material?

Straw is appealing as a building material for several reasons.
- In areas of grain production, straw is inexpensive.
- The quality of lumber is dropping, prices are unpredictable, and some suggest future supplies may be limited.
- Straw is a secondary waste material from grain production; its embodied energy should be fairly low.
- In many areas straw is still burned in fields, producing
significant air pollution. Regulations to ban straw burning are being implemented both to reduce air pollution
and to reduce the risk of accidents.
In some areas most straw is tilled back into the soil. While
straw provides few nutrients to the soil, it does add organic
matter and helps aerate the soil, there is a concern that
the agricultural soils would suffer if all of the straw was
harvested. However with careful management, intermittent
harvesting of the straw could be done without harm.
There is also evidence that too much straw may not be
good for soil. Straw is decomposed primarily by fungi and
that too much straw in the soil will throw off the balance
between soil bacteria and fungi, reducing soil fertility

98 The Masterbuilder - April 2012 www.masterbuilder.co.in

Off-field utilization of paddy and wheat straws continues

to get attention due to concerns regarding environmental
impacts from open field burning of the crop residues for
its disposal. The field baler is recent introduction in India
for recovery of combine-harvested straw for its utilization
either as animal feed or by paper and board making industries. The knowledge of straw availability and losses are of
paramount importance for determination of economics of
the system.
Characteristics
The thick walls (typically 21 to 26 inches (530 mm) when
plastered), result in deeper window and door reveals,
similar to stone and adobe buildings. Since the bales are
irregular and may be shaped easily, they are readily adaptable to curved designs, and when plastered, tend toward
a relaxed, imperfect texture and shape. If flat, straight walls
are desired, this can be achieved, as well, by the application of more plaster. Straw is very low in embodied energy
(Embodied energy is the total amount of energy which
is consumed in the manufacture and transportation of a
product, in this case, building materials.) compared to cement , steel or wood.

Apollo Infratech Pvt. Ltd.

Sustainablity Building Material

Properties associated with straw bale when used as a

building material can be listed as below:
- Acoustics- satisfactory sound insulation performance
- Insulation- A carefully constructed straw-bale building
has excellent thermal performance because of their
combination of the bales high insulative value and the
thermal mass provided by the interiors thick plaster
coating.
- Thermal mass- thermal mass on a diurnal cycle (Thermal mass reduces temperature swings due to daytime
warming and night time cooling, by absorbing and
then gradually releasing heat. This can result in a direct
reduction in the need for fuel or electricity to regulate
temperature, and indirectly in savings through lifestyle
adjustments: occupants of a moderate environment,
with only gradual temperature swings, are less likely to
use artificial heating and cooling.) Straw bale construction provides a means of thermally insulating buildings
at low cost and low embodied energy. The good thermal performance of straw bales is due to the high proportion of entrapped air within the straws and the bale

100 The Masterbuilder - April 2012 www.masterbuilder.co.in

Sustainablity Building Material

matrix. Straw bales around 450 mm thick will have a

U-value of 0.13 W/mK.
- Passive solar- Passive temperature control refers to
buildings designed to maximize the heating and cooling effects of the environment around them. They are
called passive because there are none (or few) parts of
the design that require energy to operate.

- Availability and cost- Straw is an agricultural waste

product, a by-product of grain harvesting. Many different kinds of straw are baled and can be used for construction. Cost depends upon time of purchase(harvest
months) of the bales, how far they need to be transported, and type of bale - whether its wheat straw, flax
straw, or rice straw. Different waste products have different values for farmers and some are less usable than
others for agricultural purposes.
- Types-Bales are rectangular compressed blocks of
straw, bound by strings or wires. Straw bales come in
all shapes and sizes. Rectangular bales are the only
bales suitable for building.
- Resistance to pests- Straw bales are thick and dense
enough to keep out many kinds of pests. As well, the
outer layer of plaster makes them unattractive or impenetrable to animals and insects. Finally, because
straw contains little nutrient value to most animals and
insects, it does not attract pests. Plastered surface with
no openings prevent the structure from infestation.
- Resistance to fire- Although loose straw is quite flammable, once packed into a bale it is too dense to allow
enough air for combustion. By analogy, it is easy to light

www.masterbuilder.co.in The Masterbuilder - April 2012 101

Sustainablity Building Material

- Design and construction challenges- Straw-bale buildings must be carefully designed to eliminate the possibility of moisture entering the walls, especially from
above. Successful designs often incorporate roof
overhangs that are wider than normal and roof shapes
and detailing that minimize the risk of water splashing
against walls
- Structural Capabilities of Bale Walls-The bale assembly
can do a number of things, depending upon the structural design of the building:
- Holds itself up, be self-supporting and resist tipping.
- Keep out the wind; inhibiting air/moisture infiltration.
- Resist heat transfer (insulation)

- Reduce water intrusion and migration, store and transfer moisture within the wall.
- Keep the assembly from buckling, under a compressive load.
- Keep the assembly from deflecting in a strong wind.
- Keep the assembly from bursting apart in an earthquake, when pushed and pulled from all directions.
- Hold the plaster at least while its curing.
- Keep the plaster from cracking after it is cured, from
shrinkage or movement.
- Transfer and absorb loads to and from the plaster.
- Support the plaster skins from buckling.
- Support the roof load (compression).
- Reduce damage or failure from high winds (ductility).
- Reduce damage or failure from earthquakes (ductility).
- Stop bullets and/or flying debris.
Finishes

a single piece of paper on fire, but difficult and time

consuming to burn an entire phone book. In construction it is critical to have, at a minimum, a plaster coat of
plaster on all surfaces of the wall.
- Structural properties- Load-bearing straw-bale walls
are typically used only in single-storey or occasionally
double-storey structures. A basement is uncommon.

102 The Masterbuilder - April 2012 www.masterbuilder.co.in

Straw-bale walls are most typically plastered on the outside

with lime, clay, or cement and lime mix. Inside surfaces are
typically lime, clay or plaster board (gypsum). Structural
analysis has shown that the straw-bale/stucco assembly
behaves much like a sandwich panel, with the rigid stucco
skins initially bearing most of the load and adding considerable strength to the wall.
Disadvantages
- Requires technical know-how for electrical and plumb-

United Steel & Structurals Pvt. Ltd

Sustainablity Building Material

ing installations and execution .Short term training

workshops can create awareness to common man and
labour regarding installation and maintenance of the
structure. Job specific and site specific detail suggestions by the designers will increase the popularity of this
material.
- Typical failure of straw-bale homes involves frame walls
set against straw-bale walls without a mortar coat. A
spark from an electrical short or an error by a plumber ignites the hair-like fuzz on the exposed bale. The
flame spreads upward and sets the wood framing on
fire causing the wood framing to burn. The typical fire
results in little fire damage to bales, but extensive water
damage due to the fire suppression activities.
Further innovations and improvements in this field of Sustainable construction practices is thus encouraged from the

104 The Masterbuilder - April 2012 www.masterbuilder.co.in

future architects so as to make use of this abundantly available resource efficiently in rural and suburban context.
Picture Courtesy
www.ko.wikipedia.org

Authors Bio
After graduating from BMSCE- Bangalore in 2003, Nisha has
worked as Designer Architect for 2.5 years at KOD ArchitectsBangalore, to gain immense knowledge and work experience
in the field of Architecture and Interior designing. Later she
travelled in and around Ohio, United States and was exposed
to Construction techniques and practices there. Back in India being a Design guide (at School of Architecture, Bharath
University) to enthusiastic students who constantly demand
attention to develop their innovative ideas to be molded into
reality, is a challenge which she had decided to take up. The
author can be contacted at nishakrajan@gmail.com