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| Pomona
resident Esther Alvarez in her new addition at her home
with the main construction material consisting of straw
bales. She began focusing in 2005 on learning about this
type of construction and who could help her with it. (Frank
Perez/Correspondent)
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A
real house of straw
POMONA - Esther Alvarez loves cooking and wanted a bigger
kitchen for her West 11th Street home, but contractors told
her the remodeling project she wanted was out of her price
range.
Alvarez's
dream kitchen called for making it large enough to have a
center island and other conveniences. However, contractors
said it couldn't be done.
"Well,
you can make it smaller" is what Alvarez remembers one
of them telling her.
Then
she recalled a story her mother told her.
In
Mexico, Alvarez's grandfather once built two rooms out of
straw that were cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
"If
he could do it, so could I," Alvarez recalled thinking.
That
was 10 years ago.
Alvarez
is now Pomona resident Esther Alvarez in her new addition
at her home with the main construction material consisting
of straw bales. She began focusing in 2005 on learning about
this type of construction and who could help her with it.
(Frank Perez/Correspondent) on her way to having the home
of her dreams including her roomy kitchen, a new dining room
and a larger living room - an unconventional addition that
will use straw bales as part of the construction project.
Although
Alvarez began thinking of straw bale construction about 10
years ago it wasn't until 2005 that she began focusing on
learning about this alternative type of construction and who
could help her carry it out.
"I
started doing the research on contractors and architects,"
she said.
After
a long search she found Pasadena-based designer Lisa Swan,
who had experience working on straw bale and other "green"
construction projects.
The
project involved some challenges, Swan said.
"It
was an addition to an existing house, which is unusual. For
me it's a first," Swan said.
Alvarez's
project is not a typical straw bale building, said Greg Griffith,
a Pomona building official.
"It's
a hybrid," he said.
One
reason is the project combines a conventional building with
a straw bale addition. The second reason is the straw bale
addition has a structural frame.
"It
uses the straw bale for the insulating value and the frame
to comply with California seismic requirements," Griffith
said.
The
addition has wood and steel posts so the structure will withstand
earthquakes, Swan said.
Those
materials along with others will make the final product sturdy
and flexible in an earthquake, Swan said.
Using
straw bales in construction is not a new concept. It is a
material that was readily available in the Midwest in the
late 18th century.
"Really,
this is an old strategy that's seeing a resurgence,"
said Kyle D. Brown, director of the John T. Lyle Center for
Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona.
"We've
seen over the last five, six, seven years a definite increase
in the interest level," he said. "People have become
more aware of it."
Straw
bale "is a significantly better insulant than the common
insulating material," Brown said.
Straw
bale structures are also cost-effective because straw is relatively
inexpensive, Brown said.
Straw
has a long life and the plaster or other material used to
cover the straw contributes to that.
In
conventional construction projects walls are designed with
moisture or vapor barriers before they are covered over.
Such
barriers are not used in straw bale construction "so
the walls are breathable," Swan said.
The
lack of barriers keeps the straw from collecting moisture
but should it become wet it can dry quickly minimizing the
growth of mold, she said.
"We
encourage straw bale construction for people who have allergies
and respiratory conditions," Swan said.
Those
familiar with straw bale construction say the fact straw is
tightly compacted is part of what gives it its strength and
it is also what makes it difficult to burn.
Alvarez
said she expects her home to be completed by the end of the
summer and is looking forward to it.
"I
wanted a sustainable building, and straw baling is just the
best," Alvarez said.
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