With Public Performance Rights: $74.95 (cable access, free public screenings)
This film shows the recent development of building with strawbales in Germany. In interviews with owners, builders, architects and experts such as David Eisenberg, many relevant green building topics are discussed.
In the 1890s, pioneers of the sandhills of Nebraska found themselves building a new life on a treeless prairie, and from necessity began building their homes from bales of straw. Today modern - day pioneers are choosing straw-bale construction for its many advantages. There are now bale structures in nearly all of the 50 states of the USA and in many other countries as well. Building with straw bales is probably the only building technique developed originally in the United States and then coming to Europe.
Why build with straw? Straw is an annually renewable crop, available wherever grain crops are grown. It is indeed a waste product, much of which is currently burnt in the fields. The thick walls offer superior insulation value. With a natural plaster, straw bale walls breathe," and together with the sound absorbing qualities, provide a quiet, healthy interior environment.
Construction costs can be reduced as well: bales are cheap to buy and easy to work with. Stacked like huge bricks, straw-bale wall systems can be erected quickly without much building experience.
In Germany, we followed three house projects through different stages of building. Strawbale architect Dirk Scharmer explains his latest strawbale construction in different stages.
The German strawbale association organises testing of strawbales for construction. In Juli 2003 we filmed a fire test which shows: Strawbale walls don΄t burn...
CREDITS:
Director: Heidi Snel Producer: Heidi Snel Format: 4:3 NTSC or PAL Number of discs: 1 DVD Release Date: 2004 Run Time: 43 min Languages: English, French, Spanish and German
