Bales on the Res.

The feasibility of using strawbale as a building material for residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation
-Derek Esposito

Housing needs for residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation are immediate, yet a solution must be carefully sought-out in order to fulfill the vital requirements of affordability, appropriate technology, and cultural sensitivity. This study looks at the feasibility of using strawbale as a building material with regards to the preceding three areas.

Historically, tipis served as the primary shelter for the Lakota because they were mobile and made of durable natural materials. With the end of the buffalo as a major food-source, the Lakota have transitioned to housing with better insulation capabilities. Following this trend, strawbale would seem to be an excellent building resource, being locally and readily available as well as offering excellent insulation against the bitter winter cold.
Source: Leigh, K. and Tee, E. “Learning Partnerships,” in Winds of Change, 1997.

The recent growth in strawbale building has resulted in a multitude of organizations with an expertise in working with this material. Strawbale contractors such as Odisea or sustainable building non-profits like the Redfeather Foundation and Plenty International, among many others, could conduct training workshops on the reservation to teach residents how to build their own strawbale homes.
Resources: www.odiseanet.com, www.redfeather.org, www.plenty.org

Strawbale construction requires inexpensive materials and low-skilled labor. Since walls typically account for 15 percent of the total building construction budget, hiring a contractor for everything else outside of stacking and finishing the walls can reduce building costs by 8 to 9 percent.
Many builders have built low-cost strawbale houses ($10 - $20 / sf) using salvaged and recycled materials and strictly their own labor. In fact, one such house was built on the Pine Ridge Reservation recently. 300 locally-acquired bales for $1.25 apiece were used to build a 1200 sf house for $25,000.
Source: Myhrman, M. and MacDonald, S. “Build it with Bales.” and personal communication with Darwin Apple

With the advent of any type of industry, business opportunities result, and strawbale building is no exception. Farmers can reap added income from the sale of bales, an otherwise waste product. People who gain experience working with bales can lend their expertise and knowledge to future strawbale building projects. General laborers will be required to stack walls and to apply layers of plaster. Subcontractors will be needed to pour foundations, carpenters to perform the requisite framing work, electricians for wiring, and plumbers and HVAC installers to carry out the mechanical needs for the houses. Each of these specialties can be found among the many residents of Pine Ridge, creating much-needed work opportunities

Straw, the waste product of harvested grain, does not easily compost and when burned emits carbon monoxide and particulates. If the 200 million tons of waste straw annually produced in the United States was instead diverted into construction, a significant amount of wood could be displaced.
Replacing stud walls with strawbale walls and substituting a wood floor system with the slab-on-grade foundation typical of strawbale projects can reduce lumber use up to 50 percent.
Source: Elizabeth, L. and Adams, C. “Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods”

Testing has shown that strawbale wall assemblies achieve an R-value of R-30. This compares favorably to a 2 X 6 framed wall with properly installed insulation (R-13).
Furthermore, average total energy bills of gas and electricity for a 1,500 sf strawbale home is $30/ month.
Source: Colorado Strawbale Assoc. (www.coloradostrawbale.org)