Habitat for Humanity Straw Bale residence
The Straw Bale House was designed and constructed by University of Arizona School of Architecture students during 2001-2003. The students worked during studio to design the dwelling through a competition process, then continued to produce the construction documents. Professor Mary Hardin supervised this effort and took the documents through the permit process. The house was constructed during the 2002-2003 academic year by SOA students enrolled in the Design-Build studio and Design-Build Workshop. Habitat for Humanity Tucson provided the funding and finished the house by completing the cabinets, drywall, trim and painting.
This dwelling was designed for a family of four and has 1120 square feet of conditioned space. It also has two sheltered outdoor patios (one south and one north), thus increasing the livable space all year round. The construction system (inspired by Paul Weiner) used a post and beam system with bale infill, thus reducing the amount of wood used but avoiding load-bearing straw bale walls, which can settle unevenly when used with a rectangular roof plan. The window and door openings fall within the post and beam module, thus eliminating the need for structural lintels and headers.
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