FWD: Rebar Use in SB

[Mark Piepkorn <duckchow@mail2.greenbuilder.com>]

Forwarded Message, plus responses showing that options exist

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From: Wayne D. Nelson
Subject: Rebar Use in SB

An interesting note from my trip to Oak Ridge National Labs in Tennessee
last week is that one high school student calculated the amount of steel
used in rebar pins in a strawbale house and found it to be 3/4 of the
amount of that used in a steel frame wall house. I thought if a steel post
and beam frame is used as well for straw bale and chicken wire it may have
more steel than a steel frame house.

Wayne Nelson
Construction and Environmental Resources

Habitat for Humanity International
 - Building houses in partnership with God's people in need

121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709 USA
912-924-6935  http://www.habitat.org

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From: "Jeff Ruppert" <jruppert2@uswest.net>

We haven't used rebar as pins in about 4 years.  We are even eliminating
pinning in some of our buildings altogether and getting it approved by the
building officials.  We prefer to use exterior pinning where we need it at
all.  It's easier!  We use bamboo when we do.

Thanks,

Jeff Ruppert, P.E.
Odisea Engineering, Planning and Design
2814 15th St.
Boulder, CO 80304
303/881-2905
jruppert2@uswest.net

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From: Harald und Margit Wedig

Hello Wayne,
I think these calculations might be a bit exaggerated! Maybe a zero slipped
to the wrong place, this can happen to theoretical people. Yet as
strawbalebuilders me and many others didn't like the idea of all these iron
pins inside our strawbale walls either. Many of us use nowadays bamboo,
willow, hazelsticks or other organic material as an interior or exterior
skeleton with great success.
Harald Wedig