Straw Bale Houses for Seasonal Workers in Virginia

I made contact with an architect in Virginia today about a project he designed for seasonal workers. In Leedstown, Virginia a farmers advocacy group is building four straw bale houses for seasonal workers.

It is a cooperative effort between a number of organizations and farmers. The homes will be dedicated to seasonal workers and their families for the next 20 years. The plan originally called for a multi family housing unit built of straw bales as well, but the concern was that volunteers could not be found to raise all the bales in time for the winter and the onset of the upcoming farming season.

I made a point to inform the architect of the added labor and headaches created by stacking bales on their edge rather than on the flat which was the plan for the buildings. I do not know if he will take my advice or not, but I felt obligated to let him know what I have learned from experience!

This is a great story of people coming together to create something of value using straw bales for those who need it. Check out the link above for the actual article in the paper where my conversation began. You can also visit Telamon.org to learn more about the Telamon Corporation, the non-profit organization that is spearheading the project. Their slogan is “serving the disadvantaged since 1965.”

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