Re: [Strawbale] Load Bearing Multi-storey Straw Bale Tower House Castle

[huffnpuff <huffnpuff@shoal....au>]

Dear Chris

Re the Castle and the weight of the walls with render.  We calculate the 
loads as if we were building a double brick wall.  This may be excessive 
but if you have 4 stories of double brick you have some load to bear, 
especially 60 feet high.

The problem with lime putty for such a venture would be the curing time 
between coats.  This may turn out to be longer than 40 days and 40 nights.

I also agree with RT regarding bales on edge and their compression.  We 
have built several  structures now with bales on edge,  and they seem to 
compress more than on the flat.  I do not have any hard data on this.  I 
also agree with RT when it comes to rendering, the first coat is 
extremely hard to set, however once set it behaves much like any other 
rendered wall.  One proviso that you start the base coat with a high 
clay earthen render and then gradually work out to pure lime putty and sand.

I do not feel that a pure lime putty/sand render from first to last coat 
would work under these loads that you propose to use.

Re the scaffold here in Australia we have to scaffold anything over 2.7 
metres high with a 26 degree pitch roof by law.  

Keep thinking

The Straw Wolf
http://strawbale.archinet.com.au
61 2 6927 6027