Project might bailout bale construction's image

Straw's reputation as a building material took a hit with "The Three Little Pigs" and went downhill from there, at least in Minneapolis. That's where a highly publicized straw-bale house was condemned and demolished several years ago after the straw began to rot and produce mold.

Now straw is getting another shot. After seven months of negotiation with the city, Sunny Day Earth Solutions, a "one-stop eco shop" in southeast Minneapolis, has received a permit to construct a straw-bale garage that will also serve as a training, demonstration and data-collection site. Ramy Selim, Sunny Day's founder/owner, hopes the building will help dispel misconceptions about straw-bale construction.

Properly handled and installed, straw has many virtues, he said. "It's probably the best, most environmentally friendly material out there. It's an annual growth product -- a waste product of farming. It has phenomenal insulation value." And it results in "gorgeous buildings," he said, with thick walls that evoke Southwest adobes.

Straw-bale construction is enjoying a resurgence in other parts of the country, and Selim believes it's viable in Minnesota, as well, provided that builders avoid the mistakes that doomed earlier projects.

"The last few were complete failures," said Pat Higgins, building official with the city of Minneapolis. But Sunny Day's building has features that make it an improvement over previous straw-bale projects, he said. The design includes an overhanging roof to protect the straw-filled walls. Moisture and temperature sensors are built into the walls to help track the building's performance in various weather conditions. And the straw is not load-bearing, so if moisture is detected, the straw in that section can be removed without affecting the structure itself, Higgins said.

Sunny Day collaborated with builder Mark Morgan of Bear Paws Design and Construction and architect Lucas Alm of ALM Design, who also teaches at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture's College of Design. Alm will supervise the building's data collection. The straw-bale garage, which will include other green features such as active and passive solar, salvaged materials, LED lighting and sustainably harvested lumber, will be open to the public this Saturday.

"We're trying to get straw bale back on track," Selim said.