Serious Straw Bale

Serious Straw Bale
A Home Construction Guide for All Climates
Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron

Edition: Paperback
Format: b&w photographs and illustrations, appendices, bibliography, index
Pages: 8 x 10, 384 pages
ISBN: 9781890132644
Old ISBN: 1-890132-64-0
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

With more than 100,000 copies sold, and straw bale projects underway in most regions of North America, we've entered a new era. Even building-code officials and insurance companies now look favorably upon straw bale buildings, with their extraordinary energy efficiency and wise use of agricultural waste for construction materials.

Bergeron and Lacinski's new book Serious Straw Bale is the first to look carefully at the specific design considerations critical to success with a straw bale building in more extreme climates-where seasonal changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity create special stresses that builders must understand and address. The authors draw upon years of experience with natural materials and experimental techniques, and present a compelling rationale for building with straw-one of nature's most resilient, available, and affordable byproducts.

For skeptics and true believers, this book will prove to be the latest word.

• Thorough explanations of how moisture and temperature affect buildings in seasonal climates, with descriptions of the unique capacities of straw and other natural materials to provide warmth, quiet, and comfort year-round.
• Comprehensive comparison of the two main approaches to straw bale construction: "Nebraska-style," where bales bear the weight of the roof, and framed structures, where bales provide insulation.
• Detailed advice-including many well-considered cautions-for contractors, owner-builders, and designers, following each stage of a bale-building process.

Serious Straw Bale is a second-generation straw bale book, for those seeking serious information to meet serious challenges while adventuring in the most fun form of construction to come along in several centuries.

Read a review...

"In service to the careful design and construction of straw bale buildings, Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron bring to bear their years of experience with bale building in cold, wet climates, focusing on the critical mix of issues related to material selection, moisture, insulation, air infiltration, indoor air quality, durability, affordability, and environmental impacts."
-- David Eisenberg, Director, Development Center for Appropriate Technology

About the Authors
Paul Lacinski is a partner in Green Space Collaborative, an environmental consulting firm offering integrated project management and innovative design services. He lives in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

Architect Michel Bergeron is a founding member of Quebec's legendary ecological design-build firm, Archibio. He is an author, designer, and builder. He lives in Montreal.