This straw bale wall encloses a movie theater and workshop area for the BOOM Festival in western Portugal. I joined a group called BambooDNA to construct two 300' diameter structures made almost entirely from bamboo. They needed sound isolation for the movie theater, so I was asked to join to help lead that portion of the bamboo build-out. Twenty volunteers from over a dozen different countries helped me slap local clay and sand on the wall and had a lot of fun in the process, even without the english language. Even though it was intended as a temporary structure, the organizers ended up liking this project so much that they decided to keep it for a local drive-in theater.

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This octagonal strawbale building was created for the Suscol Intertribal Council of California. I joined Bob Theis, Tracy Theriot (Tactile Interiors) and Yoshi (Tactile Interiors) along with dozens of Native American volunteers and an intertribal Americorps Program. We inherited the structural frame from another designer and then added an gravelbag foundation, custom strawbales, heavy straw-clay sculpted windows and nichos, and earth plaster. The roof is insulated with natural sheep's wool and earth plastered as well. The roof is also a living roof with concentric rings of local stones retaining several sections of it. Since this intertribal land is home to many sacred dance ceremonies, the building will primarily be used for a changing and waiting area. The elders will finally … Read More »