That is very true about the fire resistance. However, there is the
concern about fire inside the wall and the ability to isolate it
without it spreading throughout the structure. Same situation with old
stick-frame construction where vertical fire-breaks were not placed
inside the walls. Is there any concern or means of addressing the
worry about the fire going anaerobic?
As to the water damage from a sprinkler system, that is a big problem
with automated systems that open up every sprinkler in the zone
instead of just the ones triggered by heat. I'm no expert in this, but
I've seen where one head failed and it caused the entire system to
dump open. That happened here, recently as a result of the tornado.
The roof of a large hardware store got damaged when the HVACs got
blown off the roof and opened up big holes. The rainwater poured in.
They quickly patched the roof and a contractor was hired to do the
drying out of the interior. The heaters inside brought the
temperatures up high enough that the sprinkler system fired off. It
destroyed almost the entire store..
> This house is being built using traditional cob walls. (impervious to
> fire) Most problems around here with straw bale construction are caused
> by traditional cement plaster inhibiting moisture movement through the
> walls.
Good point. Wrong materials. Can you say "toxic mold?"
> Typical construction around here where there isn't a guaranteed window
> with no rain is post and beam with straw bale infill. This allows the
> roof to be on before the bales arrive. The bales are not load bearing
> which allows for a hybrid construction. e.g. interior walls are stick
> framed as are hard to bale gable ends.
Perfect! There have been several built around here done both ways. I
wouldn't do it any other way.
AG
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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