CASBA

Now in publication!

CASBA's long-awaited book, Straw Bale Building Details: An Illustrated Guide for Design and Construction, is available for purchase! Please share the news and the publicity flyer below with your friends, colleagues, and your local bookseller. In the US and Canada you can order the book directly from New Society Publishers. ( which puts extra funds in CASBA's pocket to support continuing research and code work! )

Order from New Society Publishers

Download the flyer Author interviews Public event calendar

About the book:

Straw bale buildings promise superior insulation and flexibility across a range of design aesthetics, while using a typically local and abundant low-embodied energy material that sequesters carbon-an important part of mitigating climate change. However, some early straw bale designs and construction methods resulted in buildings that failed to meet design goals for energy efficiency and durability. This led to improved building practices and a deeper understanding of the building science underlying this building system.

Distilling more than two decades of site-built straw bale design and construction experience, Straw Bale Building Details is an illustrated guide that covers:

• Principles and process of straw bale design and building, options, and alternatives
• Building science of straw bale wall systems
• How design impacts cost, building efficiency, and durability
• Avoiding costly mistakes and increasing construction efficiency
• Dozens of time-tested detailed drawings for straw bale wall assemblies, including discussion of foundations, windows and doors, and roof interface options.

Whether you're an architect, engineer, contractor, or owner-builder interested in making informed choices, Straw Bale Building Details is the indispensable guide to current practice in straw bale design and construction.

This is a masterwork that belongs in the hands of anyone designing, building, or issuing permits for straw bale buildings.
---David Eisenberg, Director of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology and co-author, The Straw Bale House

This is the book I have been waiting for -- the complete guide to straw bale construction.
---David A. Bainbridge, straw bale building pioneer

Co-created by some of the greatest eco-architects and builders who have ever lived, it is highly readable, comprehensive, and absolutely relevant to the immense challenges of our time.
---Mark Lakeman, founder, communitecture, architecture and planning, cofounder, City Repair and the Village Building Convergence

…An unparalleled resource, representing three decades of cumulative wisdom from dozens of top architects, engineers and contractors.
--- Catherine Wanek, author and photographer of The New Strawbale Home and The Hybrid House, former editor, The Last Straw Journal, and co-editor, The Art of Natural Building

…A must have for anyone interested in building with bales.
---Andrew Morrison, straw bale consultant at StrawBale.com