Straw-bale Construction Advancing in New Mexico

A blanket “experimental permit” has raised non-load-bearing straw-bale construction to a new level of respectability in the home building industry. Non-load-bearing straw-bale construction relies on a timber frame to carry structural roof loads. The bales are stacked on the outside of the frame or between framing members (infill system). This system differs significantly from load-bearing, “Nebraska-style” straw-bale building in which roof loads are carried directly on bale walls (see EBN

Vol. 2, No. 3).