
Fall, 2017 - Catastrophic fires destroyed thousands of structures in Northern California. Straw bale walls performed well. Projects above, Arkin-Tilt Architects' straw bale projects, house on left survived. Studio on right, wood portions of building destroyed, while straw bale walls survived.

Straw Bale Code

Supporting Documents

This page is a repository for supporting documents for Appendix S - Strawbale Construction, which is included in the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC).

A Code Change Proposal for this appendix was submitted to the International Code Council (ICC) on January 3, 2013, with final revisions made on Feb 27, 2013. The proposal was approved with a 9-1 vote by the IRC Building Committee at the ICC Committee Action Hearings in April 2013. On October 4, 2013 the proposal received final approval at ICC's Public Comment Hearings. In May 2014 Appendix S was published in the 2015 IRC.

On this page you will find testing reports, research papers, professional and academic journal papers, support letters from licensed design professionals, and other references. This page was established on Dec 26, 2012. (Most recent update - June 4, 2014)

Please direct all inquiries to Martin Hammer: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 510-525-0525

Strawbale Construction Appendix for the 2015 IRC:

IRC 2015 Appendix S - Strawbale Construction
Text of the Strawbale Construction appendix as it appears in the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). Commentary and illustrations for Appendix S will appear in the 2015 IRC and Commentary publication (expected availability July 1, 2015).

Support Letters from Licensed Design Professionals

**Support Letters for Proposed IRC Appendix R - Strawbale Construction**
Support letters from 2 Structural Engineers, 4 Civil Engineers, 1 Professor of Civil Engineering, 5 Architects