Straw Bale Construction

A Love of Straw Bale Construction

Living Shelter Design is one of only a handful of design firms in the Pacific Northwest with a solid background in straw bale construction. It was the catalyst that first turned our heads and inspired us to focus on ecological building design so many years ago, and the method has a special place in our hearts. As it’s affectionately said in straw bale building circles, we were “bit by the bale bug” and now carry a lifelong affliction.

Of course we approach it with reason, knowing this method isn’t for everyone or every location. But there’s something about it that sings to us and to others – perhaps you hear the song too!With over 20 projects constructed and more than a dozen hands-on workshops under our belt, we have the experience and knowledge to pass on to others and can help a straw bale project run smoothly. We’d love to help out with your project, or teach you to build with bales yourself.

We updated this post in 2024 to reflect the most up-to-date information about straw bale construction. To read our straw bale construction frequently asked questions, please visit our new blog post over on Board & Vellum’s website.

A very special announcement!

Great news! Living Shelter is joining Board & Vellum. 

We are so thrilled to finally be able to share this news with everyone — as of April 1st, 2022, Living Shelter Architects is joining the talented multidisciplinary design firm, Board & Vellum, forming the base of a new studio focused on sustainable practices, with Terry Phelan at the helm.

Living Shelter Architects (LSA) was founded in 1992 by Terry Phelan, and has been elevating sustainable design practices for 30 years. As Terry looked towards retirement, she began seeking ways to transition her firm to enable the team of dedicated designers at LSA to carry on the mission. 

Founded in 2011 by Jeff Pelletier, Board & Vellum (B&V) has grown into a mid-size firm offering integrated design services in architecture, interiors, and landscape architecture. In the past few years, the B&V team has been eager to accelerate their knowledge and growth into the world of deeply sustainable projects.  

Jeff and Terry were introduced in 2021 after admiring each other’s work for years, and the more the idea of teaming up was explored, the more natural it felt. Our firms share the same values, we are both very approachable and dedicated to excellent client care, and we are both passionate about delivering beautifully-designed, contextually-sensitive projects. 

Responsibility to sustainable practices has always been at the core of both Living Shelter Architect’s and Board & Vellum’s approach. Combining our talented and passionate teams, with credentials and accreditations like LEED, LFA, and CPHC, means we are more ready than ever to bring approachable sustainability measures to everything we do. 

LSA is also thrilled to have the larger platform that B&V provides to develop and deliver more educational content aimed at effecting change toward building resiliency at a wider scale. 

Current LSA clients can expect a smooth transition, as their familiar design team continues thoughtful services without change in scope, budget, or delivery timeline. And, we are excited to offer even more to clients who would like to increase the sustainability of their projects with an integrated design approach, and who desire more capacity in project type and size. 

That’s the big news in a nutshell! Now that the secret is out, we hope you’ll stay tuned — as our teams come together, we will have plenty more to share, starting with these personal reflections on this exciting news from Terry Phelan and Jeff Pelletier. (Or, visit the companion post at Board & Vellum.)

In the meantime, please join us in our excitement as we embark on this new chapter with the entire Board & Vellum team! 

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Teaming Up: More From Terry Phelan

Terry has spent 30 years building a career and business focused on accessible sustainable design. Now, as her retirement approaches, Terry is looking toward a future that protects her legacy while expanding the amazing work she and Living Shelter have started. Read more about Terry’s thoughts and perspective on this great news in Teaming Up: A Message From Terry Phelan.

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Teaming Up: More From Jeff Pelletier

Though we’ve long been dedicated to sustainable design, diving deeper into the world of green building was part of a more intensive plan we’d just started to flesh out. But things move quickly here at Board & Vellum, and we’re not afraid to make big changes when the right opportunities arise. Learn more about Jeff’s thoughts and perspective on this great news in Teaming Up: A Message From Jeff Pelletier.

Kitty City Breaks Ground

Pasado’s Safe Haven Kitty City project has broken ground!

The design of Kitty City presented several challenges. The site was topographically constrained in terms of buildable area. Finding the right spot for the building was a challenge, which led to the design decision to dig the building into the hillside. This design also solved the challenge of allowing the existing cat building to remain in service while the new Kitty City was constructed.

The location of the new building will wrap along the hillside to welcome as much sun as possible for our kitty friends. The wings of the building will face SSE and SSW, creating the opportunity for a highly efficient solar array to be located on the roof.

We had the most fun designing each cat room to bring in as much daylight as possible, while also giving the cats access to the outdoors through several 'catio' designs.

Using ship porthole windows between cat rooms will encourage play and provide access between spaces for the cats. These fun and playful details will help our kitty friends socialize and heal from the trauma they’ve survived. This important process of healing helps the cats move towards adoptability so they can start their new lives in loving forever homes.

Designing a space that can facilitate all this was extremely rewarding for our team, and we cannot wait to watch our kitty friends thrive!

Click the button below to learn more about the Pasado’s Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary, and their comprehensive approach towards the complex problem of animal cruelty.

Is 3D Printing The Answer To Affordable Sustainable Housing?

Auburn University scientists and faculty are looking to use technology to address this widespread issue. The team is focusing on bio-resin development as a feedstock for 3D printing.

This sustainable resin derived from renewable forest biomass and other waste resource such as cross-contaminated timber, would reduce construction waste and the negative impact on the environment caused by disposing composite materials at the end of their life.

The process involves converting biomass into chemicals and nanomaterials to improve the sustainability of the resin, with the end goal of building sustainable affordable housing through a 3D printing process.

Biomaterial 3D printed building components such as wall panels, can be customized and shipped to the site to be used in construction. However, unlike comparable composite materials, these sustainable 3D printed components allow for end-of-life recycling.

Is this the future of sustainable construction? We are super curious to find out!

Learn more in the Daily Commercial News article.

Building with Hemp Block is Lego for Adults!

Hemp blocks are life-scale and made from a sustainable material called hempcrete (Very unlike it’s small plastic counterpart!)

Hempcrete is essentially a mixture comprised of hemp herd (the inner core of the hemp plant) and natural lime. Hemp is rapidly renewable resource. In fact, hemp grows so quickly that it can be harvested in just 90 days, unlike with traditional lumber where a tree can take 20+ years to reach maturity. Lime is also far more environmentally friendly than concrete, it re-absorbs the CO2 that was released when it was being manufactured. Additionally, hemp sequesters 1.6x its weight in CO2 wile the plant is growing.

Between the CO2 absorbed by the hemp as it grows, and the lime re-absorbing the CO2 during production it is considered a carbon-negative material. It even exceeds the passive house standards for energy consumption.

In addition to its environmental benefits, building with hemp block is easier and more practical to work with than traditional concrete or hempcrete because you don’t need to wait for it to dry.

The hemp and lime mixture is cast around a structural frame, giving it the load bearing capacity of high performance concrete. Hemp block has all the benefits of a concrete wall, but with half the weight, 10x the insulation value, and absolutely no VOCs.

Each block weighs only 25 lbs, and stack and interlock together making it fast and easy product to work with. Unlike traditional masonry, hemp blocks are self-leveling, just stack up the wall and its ready to go!

Additionally, each block has pre-cast conduit holes every 5.3” to make it easy to run electrical while you stack. This product contains no sand, so it can be easily cut onsite with a band or reciprocating saw.

Hemp block prices similarly to conventional building materials but has far superior performance. This modular building block is a great insulator and has a 2hr + fire rating that maintains 100% of its structural integrity.

We’re excited to start using this building block in upcoming projects. Take a look at this video to see how it works!

Frequently Asked Questions on Passive House Buildings

Welcome to part two in our series on Passive House buildings. If you missed the first article, you can read it here. 

We’ve already described the many benefits Passive House provides, here we’ll answer the common questions we receive about this building standard.

How Do Material Selection and Design Complexity Affect Passive House Construction Costs?

It’s important to work with experienced Passive House builders, as the unique details and construction sequence could potentially increase labor costs for those unfamiliar with all the ins and outs. Living Shelter Architects is very supportive of the increasing interest in Passive House and we’ve worked with several builders who are now experts in this process. Troy Howe, a Passive House-certified architect, leads our design team on these projects to ensure everyone is up to speed.

The use of local materials is another great way to keep costs in check due to reduced shipping distances—and it supports the local economy!

Is It Possible To Estimate (Before Construction) How Long It Will Be To See The Investment Pay Off In Lower Energy Bills?

Yes, this is possible. Passive House employs a program called the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP). Through the energy analysis of the building with PHPP, the electrical demand can be calculated for different building envelope options. The cost of additional materials to achieve higher energy efficiency can be compared to the long term cost of the additional loan amount to see if it pays off.   

Should You Be Concerned About Moisture And Mold Problems?

No, you shouldn’t be concerned about this with a Passive House building. Mold and mildew develop where moisture infiltrates building components: walls, ceilings, etc. One of Passive House primary aims is eliminating the migration of moisture through the building envelope.  

This is achieved with a continuous air barrier around the building. Moisture developed inside the home, through occupant breathing or cooking on the stove, is handled by the continuous running heat recovery ventilator (HRV) unit. If you’re building in a warm and humid climate an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) unit is recommended to address humidity.

Is A Passive House Residence Automatically Considered A Healthy Home? 

No, not by our definition of a healthy home. Material selection is crucial for creating a healthy home and Passive House does not specify the types of materials to use in order to achieve its standards. The types of materials selected are the key to a healthy home, and working with a designer that understands the options and how to integrate these selections into the overall goals is of great value. Living Shelter Architects focuses on using materials that have low embodied carbon, have little to no off-gassing, and have reduced impacts on the environment—all elements that comprise a healthy home. 

What Are The Benefits Of Passive House Buildings?

You may have seen the term Passive House used here and there, but since it’s a quite complex and often misunderstood approach to construction, we wanted to write a two-part series diving more deeply into it for our readers. Full disclosure — Living Shelter Architects is supportive of the increasing interest in Passive House and we even have a Passive House-certified architect on our team, Troy Howe. If you still have questions after reading, you are always welcome to contact us!

What is Passive House?

Passive House is the most stringent energy conservation standard for the assembly of building envelopes in the world. Passive House offers the opportunity for buildings to be resilient, healthy, economical, and environmentally-friendly.

Despite the word “house” in its name, Passive House is not just for residential buildings. The German term PassivHaus actually means “Passive Building” in German. Since residential buildings are where this rigorous building standard was first employed, English-speaking countries translated the German term to Passive House.

How Does Passive House Construction Differ From Regular Construction?

The seminal building elements in a Passive House are: 

1. a continuous insulation envelope 

2. a continuous air barrier 

3. thermal bridge free detailing

4. high performance windows and 

5. a heat recovery ventilator

These are essential to achieving much lower energy consumption than standard construction. Standard construction typically does not have either of these because it is only targeting the code minimums allowed. 

What are the benefits of Passive House?

• Very low energy consumption with the potential of being off-the-grid with the addition of green energy systems, such as solar panels.

• Very high indoor air quality by substantially reducing unintended air flow through the building envelope and focusing all air flow at one intended location through an HRV with air filters.

• Substantial reduction or elimination of moisture in the building envelope that may cause mold and mildew.

• Elimination of the heat stratification in typical homes. The air temperature at the ceiling is almost the same as at the floor.

Are Passive House Homes More Expensive To Build?

Passive House homes may have a 10% - 15% additional cost over standard construction. This additional cost significantly reduces when a Passive House experienced builder is engaged to build the home. There is also a breakeven point as buildings get larger where the additional cost is the same as standard costs.

Can You Turn An Existing Home Into A Passive Home?

Yes, you can! The PassivHaus Institute in Germany recognized the significant need to upgrade the existing building stock. They accounted for this in the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) calling it the EnerPHit certification. However, the EnerPHit approach does not achieve the stringent Passive House standard of new construction.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Passive House series, which will cover materials, why PH standards alone don’t automatically mean a healthy home, and how Living Shelter combines healthy materials with PH assembly to create healthy buildings. And, as always, contact us if you have any questions or are considering a project. We’d love to help!

Pasado’s Safe Haven: Dog Towne and Kitty City

We’re honored that our work for Pasado’s Safe Haven directly helps them with their mission to provide lifelong sanctuary and caring adoption options for animals that have been subject to abuse and neglect. And we’re excited that Dog Towne was completed in 2020, and that Kitty City will break ground in 2021! 

Dog Towne

The new Dog Towne design is an efficient use of space providing a 35% increase in canine capacity to meet a growing need. The new Dog Pod cottages all have three private kennel rooms, each connected to a private yard space, with a small center support room for staff. The Pods are situated away from the main road, creating a calm long-term living environment for the dogs as they heal from physical and emotional trauma before being available for adoption. A new one-way walking trail sets into the surrounding wooded hillside, providing safe daily exercise and enriching sniffs. 

Kitty City

Our design for Kitty City will double Pasado’s current capacity for cats with large, light-filled spaces and flexible configurations to accommodate large-scale rescue intakes, along with dedicated rooms for special needs cats. The design program features hygienic surfaces, climbing structures and outdoor “catios” for enrichment. 

Seasons Greetings and Reflections

Writing this as we near the end of what has been a very unusual year, we are moved to reflect and attempt to process all that’s occurred, what lessons were learned, and what we dare hope for in the new year. One word comes to mind – Resilience. Why?

Resilience means despite all the unexpected, unprecedented and constant flux of this past year, we are still here, moving forward with projects and plans for the future. We began 2020 thinking it to be the year of clarity of vision. Of course, we were all taken by surprise by the waves of uncertainty that happened. However, in reflection, we realize that while the vision shifted we kept returning to a place of clarity. 

We learned to appreciate the wisdom of staying grounded and to engage in daily practices to balance the inner and outer realms of our lives. In doing this, the importance of connection and being true to what each of us finds dear became crystal clear. We were also reminded what a beautiful region we live in, and how being in nature in any weather can be a homecoming. 

Despite all of the ups and downs, Living Shelter Architects has been fortunate in having good work most of the year. Being flexible was a key element in our success. 

Our entire team was already set up for working from home once a week with cloud-based file sharing; we simply had to switch from once a week to full time. We quickly adapted to online meetings and are learning to use new tools to make collaborating remotely more fruitful. Terry continued to work in the office, and when appropriate Juanita came in once a week to help digitize the older files toward the goal of being paper-free. Interestingly, we found that team communication improved as we made check-ins a scheduled priority.

Looking back at 2020, there are many moments for which we are thankful. We are most grateful for the amazing people in our lives, including you. We saw family, friends, and neighbors all stepping in to support each other as needs arose. That is a sign of resilience, too. These people and the place in which we are fortunate to live helped us all to be present in the face of constant change and will carry us through another year. We look forward to seeing you there. 

We wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Home Style Green Podcast

Our founder Terry was recently the guest on Home Style Green, a podcast hosted by Matthew Cutler-Welsh from New Zealand. It is interesting to consider how much is shared in the residential green building world between our regions, literally on opposite ends of the earth. Listen in to this fun and enlightening exchange from July 2020.