Earth, Straw and More in the 21st Century

Earth, strawbale and other ‘alternative’ or ‘natural’ building materials are predominantly the domain of owner-builders and ‘do-it-yourselfers’; few architects include them in their palette. As a result, there is little information about their performance and potential. By investigating their history, their properties, current practice, and new developments, the role that these materials can have in providing a self sufficient and energy lean housing stock can be better understood.

Min Hall has been practising architecture in the Nelson region for three decades. Her work has received a number of awards, and has appeared in national magazines. Min was a member of the inaugural NZIA Environmental Group, and was the NZIA representative on the SANZ committee that drafted the 1998 Earth Building Standards. Currently she has taken time out from practice to carry out academic research at Victoria University into the performance and potential of ‘alternative’ building methods. Min Hall also teaches part time at Unitec School of Architecture.