Straw Bale Houses Gaining Popularity in Japan

All across Japan, people have started building houses made of straw. A special feature of these houses is their thick, gently curving, warmly textured walls. Japan's first authentic straw house was constructed in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture in January, 2001, followed by a nursery school built in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu and a cafe in Tokyo built of reeds harvested from Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. More straw buildings are scheduled for completion in 2003.

The straw used for building these houses is composed of the dried stalks of plants such as rice, kaya (miscanthus reed), other species of reed, etc. Compressed and bundled into straw blocks or bales, they are stacked up to make a wall. Coating the walls with clay and plaster makes them resistant to fire and water. Because the walls are as much as 40 - 50 centimeters thick, the straw-bale insulated room is so quiet that not even the sound of rain is audible, and only one space heater suffices to keep it warm even in a severe winter.

Straw bale houses have been drawing public attention as ideally environment-friendly housing, because they can substantially decrease energy consumption for air conditioning. Consumption of wood materials for construction is also cut by one third compared to conventional buildings. Additional energy savings are also expected in the field of material transportation. Straw is harvested every year and most straw has been discarded in the past. Straw-bale houses made from natural, non-chemical materials can also be returned to the soil after demolition.

Straw bale houses have boomed in the U.S. since the 1990s, and in fact, straw has been long used in Japan as a useful material in daily life. When programs about straw houses are broadcast on TV, audience ratings jump, reflecting high public interest.



Posted: 2003/10/14 08:09:15 AM
Japanese version