Natural Resource Construction is growing into a full-service design, manufacturer, and build firm using straw bale SIPS as walls and eventually as floors and roofs.

A straw bale SIP (Structurally Insulated Panel) is essentially a compressed box of straw (for insulation) wood (for structure) and plaster/plywood. These panels are assembled and secured together to compose all the components of a wall. It is our belief that this is a superior method of construction for this region and time, which I will briefly outline.

Home construction has for most of human history consisted in using materials which can be found within the region of construction and in using methods that are appropriate for the climate and challenges of that area. 

In the last hundred years, housing in the United States and elsewhere has turned away from utilization of natural, locally available materials in exchange for the efficiency and uniformity that dominates the construction industry today. This is not without reason of course: codes and standards of building have been widely implemented which, when viewed in the best light, has made homes safer and allowed us to attain a replicable standard across continents. Widely available products such as drywall or cinder block have allowed construction to speed up dramatically, and made labor easier overall. I understand these benefits and more that come with the mainstream construction industry today.

However, despite these benefits there are many problems that need addressing. Homes have become reliant on increasingly chemicalized and globalized processes. The rooms we sleep in often have a multitude of glues, paints, binders, treatment agents that contribute to poor health and environmental damage. Even “green building” practices which aim to reduce energy usage in homes often rely on these same materials. With all this uniformity, in addition to health elements of craftsmanship and beauty have also been lost.

I see straw bale SIPS as one part of the answer to the problem of modern construction while still working within the existing frameworks that do work well.

Straw is available locally in most regions of the US. It is a good insulator and is inexpensive when compared with other natural insulation types such as hemp or wool. When plastered and sheathed, it is heavily fire resistant, and at 14 inches thick, it beats the insulator value of a traditional 2x6 stick framed wall by at least double. I link scientific articles to back up these claims on a separate page.

Strawbale SIPS can be made to work with conventional wall finishes such as drywall, and work well with more natural and old methods such as earthen and lime plasters.

With the addition of air-barriers and a rainscreen, these SIPS meet the standards of high performing modern green building, using old materials. They can be made to look similar to a modern home (but with thicker walls,) or they can be plastered as other strawbale homes are. 

Being pre-designed and manufactured in a controlled environment, and arriving at the jobsite as large building blocks, these SIPS can be assembled by contractors or skilled DIYer’s without much additional knowledge.

Strawbale SIPS have the capacity to take natural building out of the realm of the exception in construction, and into something much more widely applicable and available.

It is for these reasons and more that I and the Natural Resource Construction crew are focusing fully on designing, manufacturing and assembling straw bale SIP homes. I hope that you will consider and implement this technology in your home build, and I will be happy to discuss with you any questions you may have.