May 11-24 was in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture working on the straw bale home of Tetsu and Yukiko Ito. The home was designed by Professor Goichi Oiwa (大岩先生) of Slow Design Research Group (
スローデザイン研究会).
Roughly 80 straw bales were used for the south and east first floor walls.
Workshops were held May 14-15 and 21-22. Many people attended including Hiroaki Yoshimoto of the NPO Toyama Straw Bale House Association (
富山ストローベイルハウス協会).
Greg Lasigan, a farmer and Anglican priest from the Philippines, was an incredible contribution to our team. A real pleasure to work with. Sometime in the near future, we hope to work together on a model home for the Philippines using mainly bamboo, mud, straw, and unmilled lumber.
Bales stacked and ready for plaster
Tetsu's nephews did much of the first thin mud layer
Soil from Nagano Prefecture
Chibana-san prepares the split bamboo and rope base for plastering over wood.
Architect and arborist Ryokawa-san prepares a mix of long straw and clay for shaping the wall.
Minami cutting straw
Greg shredding straw with a weed-whacker
Shredded straw
Architect Kitamura-sensei applies a cut straw and mud mix to flatten the wall.
The last coat of the scratch/base coat is applied with a trowel
Exterior scratch coat
Bamboo lattice (竹小舞) and earthen plaster for the interior
Apply the first coat by hand and follow immediately with a trowel.
Group shot from the last day of the workshop
Roughly 80 straw bales were used for the south and east first floor walls.
Workshops were held May 14-15 and 21-22. Many people attended including Hiroaki Yoshimoto of the NPO Toyama Straw Bale House Association (富山ストローベイルハウス協会).
Greg Lasigan, a farmer and Anglican priest from the Philippines, was an incredible contribution to our team. A real pleasure to work with. Sometime in the near future, we hope to work together on a model home for the Philippines using mainly bamboo, mud, straw, and unmilled lumber.
Bales stacked and ready for plaster
Tetsu's nephews did much of the first thin mud layer
Soil from Nagano Prefecture
Chibana-san prepares the split bamboo and rope base for plastering over wood.
Architect and arborist Ryokawa-san prepares a mix of long straw and clay for shaping the wall.
Minami cutting straw
Greg shredding straw with a weed-whacker
Shredded straw
Architect Kitamura-sensei applies a cut straw and mud mix to flatten the wall.
The last coat of the scratch/base coat is applied with a trowel
Exterior scratch coat
Bamboo lattice (竹小舞) and earthen plaster for the interior
Apply the first coat by hand and follow immediately with a trowel.
Group shot from the last day of the workshop
