Building with Straw Bale

Timeless, Beautiful, Efficient

Straw has been used as a building material since ancient times. When mechanical hay balers were introduced in the 1850’s, this building technique was further developed in the great plains region where timber was scarce and straw, an agricultural waste product, was found to be an inexpensive and extraordinarily insulative material. Indigo principal architect Jon Hammond built one of the first modern straw bale buildings in North America in the early 1980’s, a studio in the foothills of California’s Coast Range mountains. Since then, Indigo has led the way in bringing this local material into the mainstream of construction, using it for public safety buildings, animal shelters, landscape features, and their own adaptive-reuse office in Downtown Davis.

Straw bale architecture and construction is a method of building that uses rows of stacked bales encased in reinforced plaster. The resulting structure is lightweight, durable and can function as a standalone structural element or as a highly efficient insulating barrier. Most importantly, straw bale construction is as energy efficient as it is beautiful, with more than twice the thermal insulation of standard construction. 

Straw bale construction makes buildings quiet and comfortable. It can be used to create many styles of architecture – from traditional to Mediterranean to modern. Molded into smooth, curving forms it evokes the grounded feeling of ancient stone and adobe buildings. Alternately, it can form clean lines and planes for modern design expressions. Indigo has effectively used straw bale construction on private residences, municipal buildings, transit hubs and as sculptural landscape features such as garden walls and benches. We love designing with straw bale, a truly versatile material that boasts super-insulation and carbon sequestration.

Facts about Straw Bale ARchitecture

• Straw bale construction is affordable and versatile

• Straw bale construction makes buildings super energy efficient

• Reinforced with metal and clad in stucco, straw bale buildings can be highly fire-resistant

• Straw bale buildings are naturally pest-resistant without the use of chemicals

• Straw bale is an agricultural waste product, meaning that we are using a waste material to create beautiful buildings and sequester carbon!