Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw-Bale Architecture

by Bruce King

Straw bale and rammed earth construction are enjoying a fantastic growth spurt in the United States and abroad. When interest turns to action, however, builders can encounter resistance from mainstream construction and lending communities unfamiliar with these materials. Buildings of Earth and Straw is written by structural engineer Bruce King, and provides technical data from an engineer's perspective. Information includes: special construction requirements of earth and straw; design capabilities and limitations of these materials; and most importantly, the documentation of testing that building officials often require.

Genres: Architecture

169 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Bruce King is a registered structural engineer in private practice in San Rafael, California. He is the author of Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Straw Bale and Rammed Earth Architecture (1996) and Design of Straw Bale Buildings; The State of the Art (2006). He is founder and director of the nonprofit Ecological Building Network and co-founder, with his wife Sarah Weller King, of Green Building Press. He lives in San Rafael, California.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on alternate building materials that is easily understandable for the independent thinking owner/builder as well as technical data for the engineer.