“An appendix on Light Straw-Clay Construction was also approved for inclusion in the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). To date only the states of New Mexico and Oregon have a section on Light Straw-Clay Construction in their building code. The proposal received a 6-3 approval vote at Building Committee Hearings in Dallas in April 2013. After public testimony and immediately before the vote, one committee member encouraged approval, commenting, “This is the future.”
code approved
Code-approved Strawbale Building Systems
“The current code approved method for straw bale construction that can resist wind and seismic forces is not shown in the International Residential Code, IRC or the International Building Code, IBC.
However, it is shown as an appendix to some state residential code such as Oregon Residential code, appendix R, Straw-Bale Construction. The provision of this appendix is applicable to single family detached structures and related accessory structures as defined in Section R101.2, utilizing straw-bales in the construction of wall systems. So, if someone wants to build a straw bale home without the need to hire a licensed Engineer or Architect, he/she will need to check with their local building department to see if they have adopted the appendix.
Modern Natural Blog
I really like to see blogs that document owner-builder home building projects. People often come up with new and interesting ideas. This particular project is a merger of earthship and earthbag concepts.
“The House
to my knowledge this house will be the first legally permitted earthbag house in washington state.
wait, why do i want to build a wierd dirt house?
two main reasons: earthbag buildings are 1. incredibly strong and 2. incredibly affordable to build.
Comments from a Building Inspector and Engineer
Question to Building Inspector: We are looking at moving to rural Livingston Parish, Lousiana and planning on building our own earthbag home within the next year… Any help in this regard would be greatly appreciated. Building Inspector: I have viewed the website for earthbag building that you mentioned and it is very interesting, however, the … Read more
Engineer-approved Earthbag Plans
We’re very happy to announce what is perhaps the greatest news ever for earthbag building. Nabil Taha, Ph.D., P.E., has developed an earthbag building design to meet building codes. This is a huge step forward for earthbag building and we feel very honored to have Nabil’s support. Nabil Taha is the President of Precision Structural … Read more