Appendix AS – Strawbale Construction with Commentary

Appendix AR - Light Straw-Clay Construction with Commentary

from the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC)

Free Download  (please download only the Appendix or Appendices you need)

Appendix AS and Appendix AR as downloaded from this page are from the 2021 International Residential Code and Commentary as published by the International Code Council (ICC). These downloads are made available by agreement between CASBA and the ICC.

The complete  IRC and Commentary is available for purchase from the ICC here: 

The 2021 IRC without  commentary is also available as read-only (not downloadable) for free on ICC’s website at  https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IRC2021P2

Appendix AS and Appendix AR sometimes reference sections of the IRC, so access to the complete IRC is important for full understanding and full use. The IRC applies to one and two-family dwellings, their accessory structures and townhouses.

The IRC is a model code with no legal standing of its own, but it is the basis for the residential code in virtually every state and local jurisdiction in the United States. However, many jurisdictions have not yet adopted the 2021 IRC, and some may not adopt Appendix AS or Appendix AR. Jurisdictions that do adopt Appendix AS and Appendix AR may also amend them. Consult your local building department to understand which edition of the IRC is the basis for its current building code and whether Appendix AS and Appendix AR are included.

Project applicants who wish to use Appendix AS or Appendix AR for a project where the state or local jurisdiction has not adopted the 2021 IRC or the Appendix, can propose their use on a project basis with the local building official.

The Commentary describes intent, and gives compliance examples for the Appendix code requirements. This is especially helpful for design professionals, builders, building owners, and code officials with little or no experience with strawbale or light straw-clay construction.

Appendix AS and California

Appendix AS from the 2021 IRC is included with minor amendment in the 2022 California Residential Code (CRC) and was adopted by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for mandatory statewide use. The 2022 CRC took effect January 1, 2023 for permit applications dated Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec 31, 2025. If a local building department or official claims their jurisdiction did not adopt Appendix AS or otherwise refuse to use Appendix AS, please contact Martin Hammer (see below).

Appendix AR and California

Appendix AR from the 2021 IRC is included in the 2022 California Residential Code, for voluntary use by local jurisdictions. Unlike Appendix AS, it was not adopted by a state agency for mandatory statewide use, but it can be proposed for use on a project basis.

Other Editions of Appendix AR or AS(2015, 2018 and information re: 2024) can be obtained through Martin Hammer (see below). Past editions could be in force for current or past projects depending on the State or local jurisdiction and the project application date. The 2024 IRC and appendices have been finalized through ICC’s code development process and will be published sometime in 2023. They will go through State and local adoption in subsequent years.

Questions or Comments regarding IRC Appendix AS and Appendix AR can be directed to their lead author, Martin Hammer, at mfhammer@pacbell.net .

Appendix AU – Cob Construction (Monolithic Adobe)

Appendix AU is available for free download through the Cob Research Institute (CRI) at https://www.cobcode.org/code-download

Consider a Donation to CASBA

CASBA is happy to offer IRC Appendices for free download, but also encourages donations that help fund our ongoing agreement with ICC, and help allow CASBA members to periodically revise the appendices and advocate for other sustainable advances in the building codes. Please donate here https://strawbuilding.org/donate

We have a draft schedule available for the Spring Conference. Check it out, and don't forget to register!

We are incredibly excited to report the near-completion of our web and administration systems refresh!

We are now utilizing a service called Wild Apricot, which offers website hosting to clubs and non-profits, along with contact and membership management services. While the look and feel of our website has remained essentially the same, Wild Apricot will allow us to significantly streamline our administrative processes, and to communicate with our members and those interested in straw building much more efficiently and effectively.

New Features

Here are just a few of the things that we hope will improve your experiences with CASBA:

• Email management: Anyone on our mailing list -- both current members and people on our email list -- can log into their account to update and manage their email subscription settings.
  
  
• Member profiles:  Visible to members only, member profiles include things like your town/city and whether or not you currently own a straw bale building.  There is also a privacy option to make yourself "invisible" to other CASBA members if you so choose.
  
  
• Member Contact Form: Also visible to members only, the Member Contact Form allows you to be emailed by other members without initially revealing your email addresses. In this way, members can be contacted while still maintaining  privacy (Note: only the email sent from the form is private; if you respond to an email you will use your regular email program and will thereby share your email address).
  
  
• Group Membership "Bundles": We now have the ability to easily include the various members of our group memberships -- so the family or business colleagues associated with your membership can create their own accounts and receive emails if they wish. (If you have a group membership, see "To Log Into Your Account" below to add members to your "bundle.")

We will also shortly be launching a new straw building Forum (replacing our current Google group) for members to ask and answer questions of each other.

Your Status with CASBA

Many of our new features are "self-service," meaning you can log into the site at any time to manage your account and settings. While we have some people on our list who are simply interested parties, and have opted into our email lists, we of course encourage you to become a member (or re-up if your membership has expired). You can log in to see the status of your membership.

Log Into Your Account

To log into your account, you must first set up a password. Click the link below to receive a temporary password which will let you log into the site and create your own password.

http://www.strawbuilding.org/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest

Then use the form in the left-hand column of this site to log in.

As We Move Forward

As with any new software system, there is a learning curve and we know that we will likely run into a few issues here and there, and we appreciate your patience as we work out the kinks. All of CASBA's activities are managed by volunteers, so we hope you will forgive us some bumps and bruises in this process. And as always, we are grateful for any feedback so feel free to contact us with any comments or questions.

We look forward to providing you with even more straw building resources in the coming weeks and months!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsMjM1--8NTd1EN_aksfVNAjXIFZD1doP

See what CASBA members think -- view the results here!

Read this article by CASBA member Martin Hammer and David Eisenberg. Originally published in the February 2014 issue of the International Code Council's monthly on line publication Building Safety Journal

Straw bale as a construction material and building system has just taken an huge step into the mainstream.   After countless meetings, hearings, revisions, and hours of work, strawbale building will now be part of the national building code.

CASBA member John Swearingen of Skillful Means assisted pilot Heidi Porch in creating a straw bale dream home. Read the Sonoma Magazine article.

In Deerhorn Valley in Southern California, an artist's Straw Bale Studio rises from the ashes and doubles as a community center. A CASBA contractor was involved in its construction.

Read the East Country Magazine article and see pictures.