Time to Bale

Week of June 15-19

View at Picasa 22-Jun-2009 10:42, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 5.0, 4.7mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 64

Once the north wall was ready for straw bales, Chris and Jenn gave us a workshop to get us ready to bale and plaster.  The students learnt such valuable information as how to know a good bale when you see one, how to test if it’s dry enough, and how to tell clay from silt. Then the experts demonstrated how to size, dip, install and tinker with the first few to get us going.

Pushing the bales down a bit helps the clay plaster to soak right in. MVG View at Picasa Pushing the bales down a bit helps the clay plaster to soak right in. MVG16-Jun-2009 13:30, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 6.3, 5.8mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 64

Off we went, laughing, getting muddy and making something great together. In only a few days the builders had the whole north wall filled to the roof with straw bales and ready to plaster.  The easiest part is getting the bales stacked and in place, but making sure that they are as straight as possible and that the gaps between the bales are tightly filled with “baguettes,” or loose straw bundles with both ends dipped in slip just like the bales, can be the tricky bit.  We use big wooden mallets or “persuaders” to pound bales or entire wall sections into submission.   

View at Picasa 16-Jun-2009 15:21, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 5.0, 7.4mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 64

Another team was busy readying the earthen plaster for application on the finished bale walls.  As mentioned above, the bales were pre-dipped in clay slip for a better adhesion with the plaster which is made of local clay, sand and chopped straw made from left over bales.  The windows and door openings as well as the top plate, were covered with wire mesh to give the plaster a better surface than just finished lumber to adhere to and in those spots the plaster doesn’t have any straw fibre added. Earth plastering is so much fun and generally safe to work with, including skin contact and accidental ingestion. You can’t say that about many finishes in our building world today.

View at Picasa 25-Jun-2009 12:08, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 5.0, 9.8mm, 0.007 sec, ISO 64

In the mean time, other builders were busy elsewhere installing electrical wiring, boxes and sockets that will support the lighting and other electrical needs in the building, and covering the radiant tubing with sand and gravel in preparation for the pouring of the concrete floor.  It almost seemed like a shame to cover up all that hard work but the efficiency of the heating system will be reward enough and we have high hopes for the design of the finished concrete floor.  The team has put a lot of thought and effort into the design and it will be nice to see it come to fruition next week.

View at Picasa 16-Jun-2009 09:25, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 4.0, 4.7mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 640

Speaking of design, the week was also a spent making some final aesthetic and finish samples and decisions.  The sketches look both impressive and ambitious so hopefully we can pull it off and deliver a building that is not only sustainable but also pleasing to the eye as well!