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

Bruce King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 1996

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Chelsea Green's The Rammed Earth House and The Straw Bale House chronicle the possibilities and realities of straw bale and rammed earth construction. Buildings of Earth and Straw fills in the gaps for professional builders, contractors, engineers, inspectors, lenders, and architectural students. It includes special construction requirements of earth and straw, design capabilities and limitations of these materials, and documentation of testing data for use in addressing the concerns of officials. This book offers the nuts and bolts of rammed earth and straw bale building techniques, and why they are so spectacular, durable, and earth-friendly.

Review

"Bruce King has produced a book that is both long overdue and quite timely. While I find most technical books to be dry, uninteresting, and difficult to read, Bruce has managed to provide technical information in an accessible and entertaining manner. Although parts of his book will admittedly require engineering training to understand, even the uninitiated builder will find a wealth of usable material here."
Bob Fowler, FAIA, PE, PBO past Chairman, International Conference of Building Officials, founding member, International Codes Council

"A revolution in environmentally friendly house construction is arriving. In this book, Bruce King explores the details and methods for building durable and safe earth and straw houses."
Sim Van der Ryn, Architect, Educator, Author of Ecological Design

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Ecological Design Press; 1st edition (January 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964471817
• ISBN-13: 978-0964471818
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest structural engineering book I have ever read., August 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw-Bale Architecture (Paperback)

This book is definitely the funniest structural engineering book I have ever read. It is also useful for the professional, intelligible to the general reader, and attractively illustrated. King includes California's straw bale code, a comprehensive wish list for further testing, and a useful list of references for both stabilized earth and straw bale. Included are equations for the engineer who is ready to start designing right now, and a glossary for the lay reader who isn't quite sure of some of the terms. A valuable book which is also enjoyable to read. This is not always true of engineering texts!

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Technical information on the mentioned building methods., June 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] Perry Sponseller (Henderson, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw-Bale Architecture (Paperback)

This book educates the lay builder of "earth and straw" about the technical side of the mentioned building methods. This technical lingo is explained clearly for the person's understanding. This book bridges the gap between building inspetors and the "alternative" builder by increasing the technical knowledge of basic building structures and forces.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Earth, Straw, Yehaa!, December 16, 2002

By 

Scott Knudsen (Air Ronge, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw-Bale Architecture (Paperback)

Learn how to build with earth, and straw. The one thing I didn't like about the book is that there are no photo's of finished projects.