The 2nd St L.I.F.E. Project
Learn about the Low Impact Straw Bale Demonstration Project in Carbondale, Colorado
Next Week's Timber Framing Workshop - New lower price
Come join this rich learning experience, now at a lower price.
Bales, Visits and Details at the 2nd St. LIFE Project
Exposed soffit using 1 x 6 T&G Aspen
Mark Jensen of Redfeather Development from Bozement, MT visited the project just as the bales were being finished. Redfeather works to build straw bale homes for Native American families living on tribal reservations. We got to visit over dinner and compare notes on design, working with tribal communities and on doing demonstration projects as Mark is getting ready to do his own loadbearing straw bale home in Bozeman.
This is a simple jig that helps us create angled bales for the top of the wall. The grinder has a 4" chainsaw blade on it called a Lancelot blade which I find is ideal for custom cuts and for trimming bale walls.
The third graders from the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork came to learn about straw bale building and try their hand at building a simple wall. They learned about foundations, framing, insulation, plaster, and about the running bond pattern used in bale walls.
The third graders organized to design their curved wall and then to place the bales in a group effort.
An Energy Star Open House at the 2nd St. LIFE Project - Oct. 28th
Perimeter insulation is installed
Bio-based closed cell spray foam at R6.8 from NFCI, specially formulated to be used at high altitudes, is sprayed only at the perimeter at this stage of the construction. Areas that will be closed off when the bales are completed are insulated before bale work is completed. 1/2" drywall is installed to cap bale wall and create sealed wall system after plaster.
Straw going in on the west wall of the 2nd floor
Internship Openings
The 2nd St. L.I.F.E. Project is offering internships for straw bale building, plaster and other phases of the project. Opportunities to do product research, marketing and education are available. Learn more about the project at on this blog and learn more about Laura's work and GreenWeaver at http://www.greenweaverinc.com. Interns receive curriculum packet, textbooks and have the advantage of participating in upcoming workshops which include a natural approach to high performance design, low carbon building materials, tadelakt, adobe floors and more. Looking for detail oriented, bright workers who are fun to be around. Interested in those who are serious about taking their sustainable building, natural building, artistic education further. Interns will be assisted in finding their own housing in the Carbondale, CO area.
Contact us at info@greenweaverinc.com.
We've had many visitors to the project, including
- David Eisenberg, Director of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology
- Tom Myers, Chair of the International Residential Code B/E Committee for ICC and Building Official for DOE's Solar Decathalon
- Bob Gough of the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy
- John Schofield of Schofield Construction
- Matthew Harris and other staff from Solar Energy International
- Ian Woofendan, author and Senior Editor of Home Power Magazine
Today we had students from Carbondale Community School, Laura Kirk, Principal of DHM Landscape Architecture and Brian Fuentes of Fuentes Design in Boulder, CO. Laura had hosted a design charrette for the project last year.
And that's just to name a few. It's a very visible project so people stop by daily to learn more.
Laura Bartels, founder of GreenWeaver and the general contractor, details a jig to be made for trimming bales for the electrical chase.
