Why use Straw Bailing ?

Building use allot of non-renewable materials and more than 40% of all energy consumed in the United States. Constructing a typical house requires more than an acre of trees, and generates four pounds of construction waste per square foot. The primary goals of environmentally sensitive building strategies are to minimize energy use and to minimize use of scarce natural resources. The Clayton Lake visitor center showcases materials and techniques, such as straw bale masonry walls, that are specifically designed to conserve natural resources.

Benefits
While providing the framework for a resource-conserving building, like this visitor center, straw bale construction brings a variety of other benefits. Some are practical:
* High insulation value minimizes future heating and cooling expenses
* Recycling of byproduct materials from other industries, including agriculture, minimizes waste
* Needless impacts of the environment are minimized
* They are relatively easy to construct with materials that are easy to work with.

Some Benefits are aesthetic:
* It blends with local landscape
* Walls are thick, soft and shapely
* The interior is quiet, yet brightly illuminated by indirect light.

History of Straw Buildings

Building with straw dates back to Neolithic times, about 4,000 years ago when straw was mixed with mud in "wattled" construction. Pioneers of the American plains built with straw - it was the moist abundant material available! Buildings of baled straw, however, were impractical until the invention of mechanical balers in the 1800's:
* 1850: hand balers
* 1875: horse powered balers
* 1885: steam powered balers
The first documented straw bale building was a one room schoolhouse built in Nebraska in 1896. Cows ate the building two years later ...

The most famous structure of this period are in Nebraska, but straw buildings were erected as far away as Alabama and California. They are also popular in this part of New Mexico at that time, but few structures survive. Construction of straw-bale buildings in the United States peaked between 1915 and 1930. They have enjoyed a revival since the 1980's. New Mexico is one of three states with prescriptive codes for building bales.

Did you know ?

* This building uses 650 straw bales stacked seven rows high
* Bales are covered with stucco to discourage cows
* Moisture is the mortal enemy of straw - wet straw gets moldy and breeds insects
* Bales are set off the ground to keep straw dry
* Bales are fireproofed with boric acid and borax, which also keeps bugs and rodents away.
Other resource-conserving features:
* Roof is 100% recycled rubber and plastic, molded to look like slate
* Roof insulation is recycled newspapers
* Foundation is constructed of recycled Styrofoam and concrete
* Natural day lighting for the interior
* Storm water is directed to nearby landscape.