U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Energy Savers

Straw Bale Home Design Reading List

Some of the following documents may be available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

  • Elizabeth, L.; Adams, C., eds. (2000). Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

  • Steen, A. and B. (May 2001). "The Beauty of Bales: Straw Bale Homes Take a Bold Leap Forward." Mother Earth News (185); pp. 34-39, 104.

  • Steen, A. and B. (2000). The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes. White River Jct., VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

  • MacDonald, S.; Myhrman, M. (1997). Build It with Bales, Version Two: A Step by Step Guide to Straw Bale Construction. Tucson, AZ: Out on Bale, Ltd.

  • King, B. (1996). Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw Bale Architecture. White River Jct., VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

  • Brown, G.; et al. (June 1999). "Moisture in a Straw Bale Wall." Prepared for the American Solar Energy Society, Solar 99 Conference, June 12-16, 1999. Portland, Maine. pp. 533-535.

  • Lacinski, P.; Bergeron, M. (2000). Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates. White River Jct., VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.

  • Magwood, C.; Mack, P. (1999). Straw Bale Building: How to Plan, Design, and Build with Straw. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers.

  • Eisenberg, D. (1997). "Straw Bale Construction and the Building Codes." DCAT Working Paper. Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT). 26 pp.

  • Magwood, C.; Walker, C. (1999). Straw Bale Details: A Manual for Designers and Builders.Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers.