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Building
a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook,
by Nathaniel Corum.
The Red
Feather Development Group "educates and empowers
American Indian nations to create sustainable solutions
to the severe housing crisis within reservation communities."
This book focuses on their efforts in using straw bale construction
to meet those goals. Like shipping containers, recently
straw bale has seen an increased interest by architects
interested in sustainable means for housing and other building
types. The biggest impediment to both uses tends to be restrictive
local building codes, but once that obstacle has been overcome,
this book becomes an excellent -- though not exhaustive,
as the author explains -- resource for building a straw
bale house. Each of the ten chapters delves into the different
aspects of construction, from foundation and site work to
interior walls and finish details. The text is very clear
and concise, not requiring a degree in architecture to understand.
Mainly, the book exhibits the trial-and-error learning that
has come from the group building many houses over the years,
trying to find the optimal means of constructing with this
sustainable material.
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