Here's a couple more to add to Bill Christensen's comments:
1) Potential environmental benefits: Low embodied energy. According to
one report, California burns enough rice straw in the fields annually to
build the walls for 40,000 strawbale houses - so you might get air
quality and carbon credits as well that you should be able to sell to
some steel mill ;-)
2) Very nice aesthetics - thick walls, soft organic forms, etc., (for
those who are so inclined)
CMHC has sponsored some testing - some interesting loading tests by
Ottawa architect Linda Chapman are about to come out, and a study of
in-wall moisture sensors can be found at
http://mha-net.org/msb/html/papers-n/strwmoist/strwmoist.htm
I don't think straw is a whole lot different from wood when it comes to
moisture - it's mostly cellulose (granted, in a different arrangement),
and it'll rot if you keep it much above 30% moisture. In Seattle,
firewood dries to about 16%, outdoors under cover.
Another good information source is the Surfin' Strawbale Links List at
http://mha-net.org/html/sblinks.htm
--------------------------------------------------------
Norbert Senf email: mheat@mha-net.org
Masonry Stove Builders mheat@hookup.net
RR 5, Shawville website: http://mha-net.org/msb
Quebec J0X 2Y0 fax: 819.647.6082
voice: 819.647.5092
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