Building a strawbale house is above all: FUN! Working with such a feelgood material as straw was a very special experience. There is nothing cold or sharp or hard to it. Quite the contrary, it even invited us to have our midday nap on it in the warm autumn sun. And we must admit that building the shell went much to fast for our liking: it took only sixteen days from the first bale to the roof top! Then, mid July 2008 the apartments were ready after only 9 months of total building time.
Our strawbale house is said to be the first ever over 3 floors without any stabilizing construction such as wooden beams etc. Of course – that was one of the main reasons for constructing such an eco-building – the massive strawbale walls of 1,20m guarantee perfect insulation. This aspect was very important to us since we live in such a sensitive environment, and regular heating systems can be real climate killers. Now we don’t need a heating. Don’t worry – there’s the cosy little stove that will make you sit in your T-shirt after about 3 logs. And even the roof won’t let go of the heat: it is filled entirely with strawbales.
For the interior decoration we gave the straw a perfect match in air-regulating aspects: clay and wood.
Cant’t believe it? Watch Hanno Schwab’s ( http://www.atelierwernerschmidt.ch) video, and you’ll get an idea of it all.
Have fun!
