WCG Straw Bale Greenhouse & Learning Center

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WCG Board Member, architect and straw bale builder Wayne J. Bingham designed the Greenhouse/Learning Center. The building program required that no garden space be lost and the structure be recessive and consistent with the Central City Historic District in which the garden is located. The Board also wanted the building to utilize sustainable, earth-friendly construction techniques. Wayne 's design is small in scale and is closely aligned with the residence to the east. It is a classic gable roof building with a flat-roof teaching pavilion to the north.

The greenhouse is constructed of earthen plastered straw bales. This technique provides superior insulation utilizing what is considered an agricultural waste product. The teaching shelteris timber framed with a clear roof allowing in natural light.

Because of its highly efficient design, the greenhouse does not require any supplemental heating or cooling. Even the ventilation fans are solar driven. This means that there will be virtually no additional costs to WCG to operate and maintain the building.

Straw Bale Resources

Wayne J. Bingham, Architect & Straw Bale Builder, www.wjbingham.com , 801-557-4212.

The Last Straw: The International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Building, quarterly journal, www.thelaststraw.org , PO Box 22706 , Lincoln NB 68542-2706 , (402) 483-5135.

A House of Straw: A Natural Building Odyssey, by Carolyn Roberts, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, VT, ©2002. (Home designed by Wayne J. Bingham.)

The Straw Bale House, by Athena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, David Bainbridge, with David Eisenberg, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, VT, ©1994.

The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes, by Bill and Athena Steen, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, VT, ©2000.

Built by Hand , by Athena Steen, Bill Steen, and Eiko Komatsu Photography: Yoshio Komatsu , Gibbs Smith Publishing, Layton , UT , ©2003.

Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods, edited by Lynne Elizabeth and Cassandra Adams, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY, ©2000.