building workshops
and locations
History
of Strawbale Building
Some
benefits of Strawbale Construction
How
to build a straw-bale wall
Strawbale
- Cool in summer, warm in winter
Insulation
against the movement of heat
Test
of insulation against heat movement
Fire
Resistance
Sound
Insulation
Test
of insulation against sound
Indoor-outdoor
living spaces with strawbale
Web
links and other References
Passive solar straw bale studio at
'The Food Forest'
Strawbale studio on right and
'eco-gazebo' in background
Lance Kairl, principal tutor for
the workshop with
Annemarie Brookman
In this two-day Course based at The Food Forest we take you through the theory, and design of straw bale building as well as actually building part of a strawbale structure. We’ll discuss load-bearing versus pole frame structures, various wall shapes, foundations, plastering options, floors - earthen concrete and wood.
Pricipal tutor for the course is Lance Kairl who has been building for more than 10 years and knows the straw bale scene intimately.
The Course
This 2-day intensive course will
present you with an opportunity to assess the opportunities for straw bale
buiding in your life, whether you wish to build your own home, construct
a chook shed or just decide if straw bale is the right medium for your
project.
You will learn through lectures,
practical activities, case studies, videos, slides and a wealth of printed
material.
In past workshops we have built
an extension to the homestead at The Food Forest, a commercial coldroom,
an 'eco gazebo' and a studio , an indoor outdoor food preparation entertainment
area and a beautiful sculptured garden wall using this extraordinary medium,
so we can demonstrate how versatile and effective it is.
Topics
*Basic construction techniques
*Load -bearing vs pole frame structures
*Design principles and site assessment
*Doors and windows
*Natural finishes
*Floors, foundations and roof options
*Fire, Termites and Rodents
*Building regulations and Council
approvals
*Costs
The Tutors
Lance Kairl is South Australia’s
most experienced straw bale builder. He is also passionately committed
to helping people to gain the skills to build their own dwellings through
workshops and on-the- job assistance. He has been in the building trade
for well over 10 years and brings a fusion of the knowledge of conventional,
energy efficient and alternative design and construction to each project
he undertakes. His business, ‘SA House of Bales’, is involved in the construction
of a number of houses with owner-builders. Lance’s dry sense of humour
and unflappable nature are welcome assets in the often frantic times of
house construction.
Gerald Wittman runs an engineering firm which has amassed a great deal of information about the structural performance of strawbale walls. His role is to prepare a soil report, check architectural drawings and make suggestions about the ways in which a building of a particular shape or form can be constructed in a structurally sound manner at the least expense.
Bohdan Dorniak owns an architectural firm which has designed many strawbale houses. Bohdan has had extensive experience with strawbale building so his plans are buildable with this particular medium. He has a number of projects in progress around the State. He is also one of the founding members of AUSBALE, the Australian Strawbale Building Associaton.
Graham Brookman has experienced
land use all over the world and his search for ecologically sustainable
farming systems led to the Permaculture model devised by Bill Mollison
and David Holmgren.
Graham has put the model to the
test and teaches his findings in an energetic, interactive and practical
style. He is a qualified horticulturalist, teacher and Permaculture designer.
Having designed a state-of-the-art
composting toilet and reedbed system, his next project was a straw-bale
cold room, big enough for the Food Forest’s little tractor to drive into
with bulk bins of fruit and nuts. The success of the cold room and subsequent
structures has convinced Graham that straw bale construction is the ideal
building meduim for Southern Australia.
Annemarie Brookman teaches, runs
an organic market garden, and a busy family. She has observed buildings,
crafts and cuisines in many countries. Her passion for visually beautiful
and natural fibres and structures and her skills as a designer are expressed
in a direct and practical manner. Annemarie is qualified in Art,
Craft and Permaculture design.She has done more finishing of strawbale
walls than anyone else at The Food Forest and designed a uniquely cheap
and maintenance-free passive-solar slat system to allow winter sun
into the extension of the homestead.
The Venue
The Food Forest today is the result
of the vision of owners Graham & Annemarie Bookman, and is a remarkable
15 hectare Permaculture Farm. From its buzzing biodiversity come over 160
varieties of organically grown fruit and nuts, wheat and vegetables, honey
and carob beans, as well as free range eggs, nursery plants and timber.
When the property was purchased
in 1983, it was not much more than a bare barley paddock;only a few towering
River Red Gums remained along the river from the time the Kaurna Aboriginal
people camped in their shade and gathered food from the land.
Today, there are thousands of native
plants and a number of endangered wildlife species such as Brush Tailed
Bettong help to manage the orchard floor and form part of the complex ecosystem
within a 1.5km cat and fox proof fence.
The homestead was built within
the first few years of white settlement of South Australia and much of
the history of the farm has been retained. The old barn has been transformed
into a Learning Centre for the presentation of courses and workshops. Visitors
can also enjoy the ‘loo with a view’, a unique composting toilet and reedbed
system which will transform human by-products into reeds for thatching,
rich compost for fertiliser and golden bamboo for furniture and for structural
work. The Cob Oven shows the ancient craft of building with special mud
mixtures.
The homestead at The Food Forest
was built with thick rock walls and tiny casement windows. This dark and
‘defensive’ building has recently been extended using passive solar design
and a fusion of strawbale, massive rock and highly insulated galvanised
iron to create a light, spacious and sustainable living space. Water at
the house is solar heated. The severe demarcation between inside and outside
made by the early settlers is inappropriate for our Mediterranean climate
and has been revolutionised by extending the paving of the verandah into
a strawbale-walled, vine-covered outdoor food preparation and entertainment
area featuring a cob oven for making pizzas and bread, a barbeque and a
raised herb bed.
The trellis over the area also
incorporates polycarbonate cladding which allows natural outdoor sunlight
to flood the area but cuts out 99% of the harmful UV rays which kill and
make life miserable for many people in Australia. Together with the strawbale
wall to the south west it provides shelter against wind and rain.
The area is also shaded by trees and is adjacent to food gardens.
A photovoltaic system of 30 thin
film amorphous silicon modules is being installed early Sept, providing
electricity to the house, farm and grid.
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