Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw-Bale Architecture

Straw bale and rammed earth construction are enjoying a fantastic growth spurt in the United States and abroad. When interest turns to action, however, builders can encounter resistance from mainstream construction and lending communities unfamiliar with these materials. Buildings of Earth and Straw is written by structural engineer Bruce King, and provides technical data from an engineer's perspective. Information includes: special construction requirements of earth and straw; design capabilities and limitations of these materials; and most importantly, the documentation of testing that building officials often require.

Bruce King, P.E., is a registered structural engineer in private practice in San Rafael, California. He is the author of Design of Straw Bale Buildings: The State of the Art (2006), Making Better Concrete: Guidelines for Using Fly-Ash for Higher Quality, Eco-Friendly Structures (2005), and Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Straw Bale and Rammed Earth Architecture (1996). He is founder and director of the nonprofit Ecological Building Network (ecobuildnetwork.org) and co-founder, with his wife Sarah Weller King, of Green Building Press (greenbuildingpress.com). He lives in San Rafael, California.