Comments on: ModCell Construction…Way Cool

By: Finlay White

Finlay White — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:25:46 +0000

Reference to Jeff Kayina’s question
HI Jeff,
I work for ModCell, so hopefully can answer some of your questions about pre-farication of straw bale panels.
We have now been involved in a number of schools, Colleges and University buildings (9 so far with another 3 to start in early 2012) together with commercial, and residential. This includes just completing a 2,900m2 business centre and we are about to start building 20 new homes. See http://www.modcell.com/projects/ for projects.
By prefabricating the panels we are able to assemble the the buildings in a very short period of time on site. An 800m2 school building had the structural panels installed within 7 days. This is ideal and allows for a much shorter time on site than traditional methods of straw bale construction.
By prefabrication the panel it also goes a long way to removing concerns developers have about using straw including: Fear of fire risk, our panels have been awarded a 2hr15min fire certificate.
Manufactured using modern methods of construction and offering factory controlled quality standards.
Building control are happier knowing the panels are all of uniform quality and standards.
By having a panel that is replicable we are opening the way for the use of straw to become mainstream. We are in talks with four of the top five supermarket chains in the UK. We haven’t approached the fifth one yet.
We are approached from countries all over the world on an almost daily basis to use our panels (which are patented). We are looking to expand outside the UK in the coming months via Licensing, Franchising and/or Joint ventures.
I hope the above goes some way to answering your question. If you need more information or just want to chat then drop me an email (assuming it OK to do this) at finlay@modcell.com
All the best, Finlay

By: Andrew Morrison

Andrew Morrison — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:29:38 +0000

Hi Jeff. Prefab panels can be great in the right situation. I have to admit that I am not the expert when it comes to prefab. You would be better off contacting the ModCell guys directly. I like what they have shared with me, although it is certainly not for the owner/builder.

By: Jeff Kayina

Jeff Kayina — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:11:38 +0000

Hello, I’ve been doing some research regarding strawbale construction and have particularly noticed the trend of prefabricated strawbale construction here..
What are the actual benefits and limitations of prefabricated strawbale construction compared to in-situ load bearing and in-fill forms of straw bale construction?
And how would these relate to different building sectors..e.g Schools, office buildings and domestic sector houses on the other hand?
Where can I find more info on this?
Thank you.

By: Andrew Morrison

Andrew Morrison — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:10:47 +0000

Hi Ellen. That’s probably a better question for the ModCell folks to answer. I have been in touch with them for some time and they have specific plans to build here in the States although you are correct that most of their work has been done in the UK to date.

By: ellen smith

ellen smith — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 04:04:44 +0000

Do you build in the US. Everything seems to be in UK. I am very interested in building a passiv haus standard straw bale home. Thank you.

Ellen Smith

By: Andrew Morrison

Andrew Morrison — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:22:59 +0000

Hi Lauren. With the proper engineering, you could definitely build a large structure like that. Let me know if you want to move forward and I can recommend some architects/designers and engineers.

By: Lauren Brimmer

Lauren Brimmer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:11:18 +0000

Hi. Great site. I’m wondering just how large a Southern California straw bale structure can be….big enough to build a gymnasium, for example (court is 94 x 50 feet, or 29 x 15 meters, plus perimeter)?
Thanks!

By: Craig White

Craig White — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:12:43 +0000

Bill

Thanks for the challenges, below are some answers, I hope:

The ModCell frame uses less lumber than a stud frame wall of the same depth. The ModCell system takes the lumber and moves it to create a structural ‘picture’ frame into which we infill with straw and lime render. We end up using 13% less timber for the same surface area of wall.

SIPs are excellent solutions and can deliver high R/U Values. However they result in a thermally lightweight building, which is great in winter but not so good in summer. Thermally lightweight buildings tend to over heat in summer requiring air conditioning to be engaged.

ModCell is also thermally massive. Thermal mass slows down the response times of a building to overheating. The research at the University of Bath shows that ModCell has a thermal lag of 13 hours. This combined with the lime render and solid timber means that a BaleHaus stays cool in summer as well as warm in winter.

Soya foams still use polyurethane, the soya is a small part of the agent that catalyses the foam reaction. Polyurethane (PU) is mainly used in insulation and soft/foamed products. It uses several hazardous intermediates and creates numerous hazardous by-products. These include phosgene, isocyanates, toluene, diamines, and the ozone-depleting gases methylene chloride and CFCs, as well as halogenated flame retardants and pigments. The burning of PU releases numerous hazardous chemicals such as isocyanates, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, PAHs and dioxins.

The straw used in ModCell is a by product of the agricultural industry ie it is not grown to perform as an insulating material. For example, in the UK 3m tonnes of straw is generated as a by product every year. It used to be burnt in the field, now outlawed, and today is predominantly used as animal bedding.

Even if every new house in the UK were to be made using ModCell, it would only use 1/5th of the available straw each year. The figures for wheat production in the US are of an order of magnitude higher!

Soya crops, if not sustainably managed, can have serious environmental impacts. The whole food/biofuel debate, for example.

So why use ModCell?

It’s carbon negative in manufacture.
Reduces heating bills by up to 85%.
Reduces CO2 emissions by 60%.
Uses local skills, labour and material.
Creates homes that are beautiful, affordable and sustainable.

The cost of ModCell in the UK is market driven. The enormous timber framed market in America would mean the unit cost of ModCell would be less than in the UK!

We hope to be coming to the US soon to find partners to work with.

Watch this space!

Best regards

Craig White
ModCell

By: Bill Moore

Bill Moore — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:21:32 +0000

While I love this idea, I keep asking myself what’s its advantage over SIPs? If you look at the amount of lumber used for the ModCell framing, you’ve easily got the equivalent of a standard stud wall, one you could insulate with soy-based iso insulation.

I see the advantage of carbon sequestration, but I need to better understand why I would want to do this from both an environmental and economic perspective.

By: Finlay White

Finlay White — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:21:05 +0000

Hello Andrew and fellow straw bale construction devotees
Some news about ModCell.
We are currently building a two storey BaleHaus at the University of Bath. The building is constructed using ModCell pre-fabricated straw bale panels. We are reusing the panels previously used for a TV project we were on involved with last year. This was called ‘The House That Kevin Built’ (THTKB). Kevin is a well known TV presenter here in the UK. Anyway, the ground floor of THTKB is now the first floor of the new building. I think this clearly shows one of the advantages of pre-fabricated straw bale panels. The new house, the BaleHaus, is being constructed to allow us to continue our research. There are over 85 sensors in the BaleHaus that will record data on the performance of the ModCell panels and the environment within the house.
At the time of writing we are in week two of the build. We managed to build the main structure and roof of the building within 4 days. Now we are waiting for the glazing and timber cladding to arrive and be installed. If you are interested there is a live strawcam showing the build as it progresses. go to http://www.modcell.co.uk to find out more. This includes photos of the build as well as the strawcam link.
Regards
Finlay