An example of eco-construction: straw as a construction material
Key words: ecoconstruction, bioconstruction, renewable materials, ecomaterials, house, straw, study, characteristics
Straw is nowadays only a by-product of agriculture, which is best used as litter for animals.
Yet the straw was for a very long time with the land and the wood, the key material of the construction: thatch roof, mud, insulating floors and attics (from the cottage to the castle) and already, in the form of bales, a material of full construction in the United States from the end of the 19 ° century on the advent of the mechanization of cereal harvesting.
The rebirth of the straw bale construction dates from the 70 years in North America and the 80 years in Europe and France; she relied on several observations:
-Existing material in the form of "huge bricks" (no manufacturing)
-Material available everywhere (no transport)
-Material super insulation (energy saving)
-Breathable material (health of the inhabitant and the building)
-Renewable material and 100% biodegradable
Can we dream of a greener, more economical and more available material?
Unfortunately the straw does not have DTU necessary to obtain the decennial guarantees mandatory in France; it therefore remains very difficult to implement by a building professional.
But everything is changing: thanks to the will of a few like Samuel Courgey and the Mayor of the town of Montholier in the Jura with the support of the ADEME and the FFB, an in situ study on a house in France. straw bales is currently being conducted. It was preceded by tests in the CNBTP laboratories, the results of which are attached in PDF format.
I hope that soon the blond straw will replace the gray "breeze block" in the walls of homes and in the hearts of residents who will never be afraid of the "wolf" again.
Appendices: 3 photos of a straw eco-construction in Saint Lô and a photo of a house built in Montargis in 1921 by the engineer Feuillette (click to enlarge) as well as the .pdf file of the tests carried out by Ademe.
Download the Ademe dossier on the tests carried out on construction straw