We recently had the pleasure of raising some organic straw bales at Blue Dot Farm using our Bales On End Between Studs (BOEBS) construction system. This system uses conventional stud framing with plywood sheathing to allow for flexibility in the choice of exterior finishes that can greatly reduce the cost of a straw bale building. The bales went in quickly in this system, pushed between the studs as carbon sequestering thermal insulation. 

This workspace is aiming to be a low-carbon structure with straw bale walls, salvaged steel sash windows, and  a compacted gravel foundation with a concrete cap, cutting the carbon emissions of the foundation by about 70%. Kudos to Verdant Structural Engineers for developing this detail. Permitted last year, it is now  transforming into reality! Tim Weed led the musical entertainment with such classics as “Turkey in the Straw” and “Building for my World."