Help Define a New Name for SBC

Written By Andrew Morrison
May 11, 2016

people standing atop straw bale wallThis may sound crazy at first glance, but I need you to help define a new name for straw bale construction. I recently sat with a LOT of straw bale builders, architects, and enthusiasts at the twentieth anniversary of the California Straw Builders Association (CASBA) and discussed the myriad of reasons as to why interest in straw bale construction continues to decline in the United States.

One thing that we could all agree upon is that straw bale construction has so much to offer the housing and construction industries and that we need to find ways to bring this amazing technology to the larger arena.

Many of us have been working hard for years to do just that; however, our efforts have not had the impact that we would have liked. Google shows a steady downward trend in keyword search results related to straw bale construction, and that trend has been moving downward for at least 10 years. This seems crazy to me because there have been so many improvements in the technology and advances in the cause.

For example, a straw bale house from Arkin-Tilt Architects was named the house of the year by Fine Homebuilding Magazine; we have a newly approved national construction code for straw bale construction; more and more architects, builders, and homeowners  are aware of the benefits of straw bale construction.  And yet, the downward trend continues.

So what can we do? My approach in this moment is to change the way we talk about straw bale construction such that it can be more accepted in the mainstream. After all, if you talked to people about building a house made of dirt, chopped straw, and cow manure, chances are pretty good that people would think you were crazy. On the other hand, if you mention that you intend to build an adobe home, people will be more likely to say: “cool!”. Same materials, sexier name.

So how do we refer to straw bale construction in a new way? We know it is super energy efficient, sound proof, and fire resistant. We know that it is made of natural materials and performs extremely well in high winds, earthquakes, and other natural disaster scenarios. We know that the thick walls are beautiful and provide high levels of carbon sequestration. We know so much, just not what to call it that makes it sounds as sexy as it really is.

We need a new name; one we can all get behind and present to the world in a new and powerful way. What ideas do you have? Please comment below with your ideas and share this article with anyone you think may want to help define the way forward for this amazing building technology.

Want to learn more about straw bale houses and how to build one? Want to do so for FREE? Sign up for our totally free 16 Day Straw Bale eCourse! Find out more HERE.

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139 Responses

  1. Two things immediately leap to mind:

    First, whatever you choose, it should emphasize the energy soundness and environmental awareness reflected in strawbale construction.

    Second, don’t despair about the downturn. All things have their tides. I heard a program on the radio recently that said that new home construction is down nationwide.

    Do what you love; love what you do.

  2. Change your life by using ‘LifeStyle Construction’ for yesterday, today and tomorrows homes.

    So a new name could be ‘Natural LifeStyle Construction’

    OR simply

    ‘LifeStyle Construction’

    Kind thoughts
    Arthur Argent
    (South Africa)

  3. May it make sense, that we have our unconscious code for “straw”. Consciously we understand that straw bale building is ecological, super energy efficient, sound proof, and fire resistant (when finished with clay). But unconsciously (from centuries) we have code that straw is easily burned, lightweight, fragile etc. We have told – not to play with a fire and straw.
    What if there is a way to focus not on content (straw) but on context or coating. For example here in Baltics we have strong and positive unconscious code for using “clay”. Every time I mention “clay”, people`s reaction is positive. Every time I mention “straw”, people`s reaction is suspicious or even fear (for a seconds). And mostly our reactions are unconscious, when we take decisions. And maybe mainstream unconscious code for “straw” is not positive.
    So what if there is a place for “The Clay Fittings House Building”. Or something related to coating/finishing. I`m not fluent in English, so locals may find more sexy name.

  4. Natural Easy-Builds
    Eco Homes
    One-with-Nature Homes
    Breath-able Homes
    Healthy homes

    I’m sorry to hear about the decline. I love your ideas. I don’t get a good response when I mention straw bale homes here (South Africa). People seem to think they aren’t durable or aesthetically pleasing. They’d rather freeze or fry in the traditional brick builds.

    1. This really speaks to the need for better international marketing of this amazing technique. Thanks for the feedback Caroline. I think we can have an impact and turn things around both for the industry and for the planet as a result!

  5. Hyper-Insulated Affordable Housing or HIAH Buddy 🙂 or Just Hyper Insulated Homes.
    We’ll think of more ideas, but that is what comes to mind right now and builders want to build what’s cheap, easy, affordable… I think schools should start having the new generation use this as a study subject…

  6. I am still enamored with the thought of Straw Bale housing, but I see the dilemma. Here are some ideas:
    Biomass Cube construction
    Post-Combine Cubes
    BROW Block Construction (Barley, rye/rice, Oats, Wheat)
    Wolf Proof Block Construction (Can’t blow this straw house down)
    Yellow Brick Construction
    Sun Yield Bricks

    Just a few ideas…

  7. Eco-Block Construction. A Carbon Negative, super insulated, fire resistant, structurally superior way to build, that is healthy for you and the planet.

  8. Clay Bonded Fibre – CBF.
    Fibre Reinforced Clay – FRC

    Actually, my wife’s concern with straw bale is not the name, it is the pictures we find on the web. Most, not all, are quirky, wobbly walled, shabby looking with mismatched furniture from the 80’s. It is hard to sell that. There are some that look square and decently decorated, but they don’t tend to put a lot of pictures on the web. While I admit, I’m partial to the hobbit house look, that will not be what I build. (For Marital Harmony reasons)

  9. “Sexy Fiber”!

    Seriously, just leaving out the word “straw” and calling it Bale Building might be sufficient.

  10. I have a few suggestions, but first I’d like to contextualize them. Straw Bale Construction is an amazing technology, and love the idea of using nonstandard materials that both outperform traditional building materials and also have a smaller impact on the environment. Having said that, it would be great to take this renaming opportunity to start playing the long game, so to speak, and ally straw bale construction with other methods that use natural fibers in place of the standardized and traditional materials. With that in mind, I have three names that could be played with to find that best-fit, broad name.

    1. Load-Bearing Fiber Construction
    2. Structural Organic Fiber Construction
    3.Natural/Organic Fiber Structure Construction

    What do you all think?

  11. Field Compound Stack/Blocking Construction
    Natural Fill Construction
    Natural Build Construction
    Eco-Density Construction
    Natural Thermal Density Construction

  12. Great Idea Andrew! It really should be a mainstream construction method. Perhaps it should be called something pointing to it’s holistic potential. Where are we going with it?

    In my view, a straw bale house should be designed as a net zero energy home; off-grid, generating it’s own heat and power and further; collecting water and growing food. It makes total sense to design-in a greenhouse for passive solar heating and growing greens etc. Everything about it should be sustainable; straw bale is a perfect fit.

    How about something like: Sustainable technical fiber wall construction; Fiber-fill tech. construction; Insulated Lime Adobe. Fiber-fill Neo-Adobe. I’ll keep giving it some thought; it’s a cool challenge.

    A start would be finding a substitute for straw and bale. I once mentioned the merits of straw bale to an acquaintance I took a survival class with and he looked at me strangely and slowly backed away. (Three little pigs?) Good luck with it.

    Greg

  13. LIEF- Low Impact Eco Friendly or Low Impact Earth Friendly.

    LEE- Low Embodied Energy.

    WAM- Waste Agricultural Material.

  14. Who is your target audience – different words resonate with different segments of society.
    Engineers, tree huggers, environmentalists, builders: none of them think the same.

    Sustainable Straw Construction

    1. Good question Sean. That’s the challenge. I think we need to find something that will resonate with as many folks as possible. It’s really about the consumers though. If the consumer demand goes up, the industry folks (engineers, designers, builders, etc) will follow suit and get involved.

  15. Grimm or Grimming — Brothers Grimm wrote Rumpelstiltskin. He is the one who said he had a daughter who could “spin straw into gold.” That’s how I see Strawbale construction, “spinning straw into gold.”

  16. Modular Cellulose Building Unit Construction or MCBU Construction

    Concrete Blocks are Concrete Masonry Units or CMU
    Concrete Bricks are Concrete Unit Pavers or CUP

    Kind of makes sense….

  17. Fiber Block Building (FBB)
    Fiber Block Construction (FBC)
    Cellulosic Unit Building (CUB)
    Cellulosic-Unit Construction (CUC)

  18. Allwin construction (cuz it’s win win win on all levels: all win = Allwin). Who would turn that down? Who would chose any other option which would automatically (and cheekily) be implied as “mostly win… but with some tradeoffs?” No, I’ll take the Allwin construction please! 😉

  19. Any time I try to explain the concept of using straw bales to build a house I am met with a quizzical look….but if I say that the straw bales are used as “building blocks”, much like using cinder blocks to build a wall, it clicks with listeners.

    So how about simply “bale block” or “natural bale block”?

  20. I can’t think of a name but maybe part of the decline is due to the “building department” in the towns/cities. We would love to have a straw built home but have already been informed that our local building department wouldn’t allow it.

    1. Thanks Carmen. I think you have a solid argument to change that approach because of the 2015 IRC Appendix S. This is the straw bale specific code section that was adopted into the national “model code.” Most jurisdictions have not yet adopted the 2015 code, but it is at least something you can point to and ask “why not?” of your local officials.

  21. Interesting to read your post. I had been wondering the same thing for a while now…why hasn’t straw bale construction taken off? Used to be that every year there was a new book or publication coming out about SB construction.

    How about natural cellulose building block, or natural cellulose block, or NCB construction for short. Advertise it as a “high performance home utilizing NCB construction techniques” Really just means a straw bale home.

    Or you could just call the straw bales insulation, and say “Conventionally built home using NCI (natural cellulose insulation) blocks”

    And can I just give HUGE props to you and all the other experts in the field who helped to get SB construction written into the building code! Who would’ve ever thought? Let’s not let their efforts go to waste!

    1. Thanks Justin! I have to extend those props to others for getting the code passed. I was not directly involved in that effort. Martin Hammer lead the charge and had a great team.

  22. Cultivation Construction – Cultivating new ideas and thoughts on green building. Cultivating Communities around the globe.

  23. I think the difficulty in attracting people is not so much the name, it’s in the willingness to build a house yourself. That is what my problem is – it’s just such a big feat for myself. If someone could build it for me it would be much more appealing, or even if I was just the lackey working under someone, that would help.
    So as much as I love straw bale buildings, I doubt I’ll ever get one because I just can’t build one myself.
    That said I do like the names people are coming up with.

  24. Besides the Applegate home example of $20k most strawbale houses are reported to be way more expensive to build than standard homes. In this economy people would rather take a natural material that is free or cheap than say pay top dollar for scrap products (straw) and add extra supports and chicken wire increasing cost majorly…. Even if that doesn’t make sense to us it is an economy of maximizing what you get for your dollar. Adobe technically avoids all those extra costs. There is the difference. Strawbale needs to be better engineered for user simplicity. You shouldn’t need a contractor or engineer to make a house (no offense) Maybe flatter bales people can pretreat with cob mixture and a simple lift system for diy. (Think cookie bar with chocolate on top then stacked tile like). Don’t get me wrong, I would love a strawbale but not until I can diy it to code cheaply.
    New name… Too expensive for this girl.

  25. Hello – My name is Kevin Davis – I have been a fan of yours’ (straw bale) for over 20 years. I have even thought about ways to make them universally accepted.

    I believe this can only come with a method that would get approval of some federally recognized organization’s i.e., DOT – UL etc.. I do not know the ones for construction trades and standards.

    Without this approval – It will be hard for insurers – to insure – and engineers to know what they are dealing with as far as load strength etc.

    The only way to do this is to be able to build ‘Blocks’ that are uniform and consistent.

    I have put on paper – two machines that can not only do this – but would make it accessible to anyone that can build with Lego like blocks and rent a backhoe.

    I am a disabled Veteran – that now have plenty of time to give – to this dream of mine.

    I actually came up with this when I was with the 62nd Eng. Bn. at Fort Hood Texas.
    and came across a portable cement mixing truck – built on a 2 1/2 ton truck chassis.

    Further refined while working with the DoD at Ft. Carson CO. building ‘shoot houses’ to train our SF troops for geographic specific targets (real mock ups of real targets.)

    A little about me:
    I am 57 – Navy 6 yrs (cross trained as a machinist) Army 2 yrs. DoD 8 yrs. Welder and RETS Mechanic (Remote Electronic Target Systems). As a welder for 4 yrs. I designed and built deployable target systems for Special Forces (SF) to deploy with them. To keep them current in their shooting accuracy and qualifications. I have been an armature engineer since age 15 – and well qualified in low voltage electronics.

    To be able to advance the marketability of ‘known strength’ construction bales is a passion of mine.
    I may not have a name yet – But I do have a plan to make them much more accepted and usable. Please contact me if you are interested.

    Thanks for your time.
    Kevin

  26. Modular Bale Building (MBB) – This helps portray the efficiency built into the system and hints at the sustainability of the material.

    To be honest, I think rebranding is a bandaid. I work in architecture so I have some thoughts that come with a little insight in the industry.

    Why does Autodesk programs exist in 90% of the design firms even though it is an inferior product to other design software tools? Why does each grocery store have an aisle of sodas that are basically nutritionally worthless? 1) They get there message out to people when they are young (free tutorials, free samples, lots of marketing) and 2) they are very profitable to many people in the supply chain. The strawbale movement needs to get in front of design and construction students early on in their high school or college education. Many students are looking for opportunities to build and design REAL things and I believe strawbale affords them this chance better then most. When these young professional get into the field, they will help push the movement forward. Secondly, the supply chain. You know the building world is filled with regulations and warranties and insurances. Most architects (and many owners) will not build with product that they can’t get warrantied or have well know building standards backing it up. They are stretched so thin on margins that most of the time it isn’t worth it to try a whole new construction type (to them).

    So I think there are a couple of ingredients that are still missing. Early education – Get them while they are in school – design contests, give aways, internships, summer workshops. Professional Standards – I know that there has been a great amount of work done here, but there is still more to do. If there was a way to get a sales professional to help an architect with detailing and specs on there first building or two, this would make a big difference.

    The electric car is about 20 years behind schedule, but its finally seeing daylight. I think strawbale will find its day, it will just take time and energy from many smart and dedicated people. I really want to see this movement succeed and I can’t wait for my chance to build a strawbale home myself! Cheers,

  27. I believe part of the reason that Straw bale building has declined is because Tiny House building is the “in thing” for alternative building (I believe Andrew can vouch for this). How many TV shows cover Tiny homes versus Straw bale? Many of the same people who would build a strawbale home are the ones building or buying a Tiny home.

    That said, I will still build a straw bale house because I love the feel of them.

  28. When I started exploring alternative construction methods, I dismissed this form of construction out of hand as soon as I saw “strawbale”. It sounded flimsy (three little pigs doesn’t help), and it brought to mind mucking out horse stalls as a kid. Now that I’ve learned more about it, I’m a convert and love talking to people about it!

    Based on my own experience, I definitely feel like this method of construction is getting a bad rap because of the “straw” component in the name.

    I like some of the suggestions already posed, particularly “eco block” or “eco biomass” construction.

    I would suggest “thermal biomass” home/construction. While encompassing a variety of bale types, I think it’s still sufficiently specific to differentiate it from other construction methods. The name sounds solid, efficient and reliable.

    “Thermal biomass” also rolls off the tongue easily enough for general uptake.

  29. What about Super-Insulated Adobe? People already know what Adobe is and have a general picture of what those types of homes look like. In my mind, straw bale is very similar, just with added insulation.

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