AKRON STRAW BALE HOUSE: ARCHITECTURE FIRST, GREEN SECOND

Patricia Maher and Rebecca Johnson are building a pair of straw bale houses at 181 North Maple Street in Akron, OH.  Ms. Maher’s house, above, is the first to be constructed.

STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION

Straw bale construction typically involves stacking bales of straw like bricks to act as bearing walls, which are then finished with adobe plaster on the exterior.¹  Straw bale with adobe is not generally a part of the building tradition here in Ohio.  Though this building technique can be found in parts of the country with wet, cold climates, it is more often used in the hot, dry American Southwest.


AKRON STRAW BALE

In Ms. Maher’s house, the straw bales are employed in an unusual way.  The exterior walls are first framed conventionally, using wood studs, and wood siding for an exterior finish.  The 2 x 6 stud spaces are filled with a blown-in cellulose insulation made of shredded, recycled newspaper.  Then the building envelope is sealed on the inside with a one-inch layer of spray-on foam to prevent air leakage and minimize heat loss.  And finally, the straw bales are placed inboard of the wood studwalls and foam insulation. 

In the Second Floor Guest Bedroom, window header filled with cellulose 

and flanking walls with straw bale insulation are ready for application of earth plaster.

The thermal rating on the walls is an incredible R-59, per the builder, Calvin Smith.²  (The R-value for conventional studwall construction is about R-21 per DOE recommendations.)³  I was in the house on a recent day when the outside temperature was 35 degrees.  It was so warm, even without a furnace running, that the folks inside were comfortable working in tee-shirts.  The total heating bill for the house is projected to be about $300 per year.

 Earth plaster being applied to a curved window jamb.

The interior surface of the bales is finished with a 1-½ inch thick layer of ‘earth plaster’ made of clay, chopped straw, sand, and water.  The finished plaster surface can be integral stained or painted with a low-VOC, breathable paint. 

   

The exterior walls, including the straw bales, end up being almost two feet thick. So a really nice benefit of using this insulation method is that the windows and doors are set deep into the walls, with curved jambs, generous sills, and built-in window seats in some locations.  The thick walls provide a strong sense of enclosure and protection from the weather.  The thick insulation also results in a very quiet interior environment.

ARCHITECTURE & GREEN

The best thing about this straw bale house, as an example of Green Architecture, is that the house is Architecture first, and then Green.  The house does not sacrifice its architectural integrity in order to incorporate sustainable elements.  It doesn’t hit you over the head with its “Green-ness.”

 Gadget green house by William McDonough.⁴

It’s not “gadget Green” or “gizmo Green” as Miami Beach Architect Steve Mouzon likes to call this new generation of buildings that place so much emphasis on their sustainable features that they lose sight of creating quality, comprehensible architecture.⁵

Buildings do not necessarily have to wear their “Green Badge of Sustainability” on their sleeves, shouting to the world, “Look how sustainable I am!  Look how trendy I am!  Look at all of my cool sustainable features!”  They can, ideally, just be both excellent architecture and highly sustainable.  Neither has to be sacrificed at the cost of the other.  In fact, all good architecture should inherently be sustainable.  Sustainability is simply a reasonable, responsible way of building.

THE AKRON HOUSE EXAMPLE

The Akron straw bale house was designed by architect Joe Ferut, one of the best practitioners in Northeast Ohio, with the collaboration of its very involved and environmentally-minded owner.

Ms. Maher’s house does include many sustainable elements.  Besides the straw bale wall insulation, it features:

§      R-60 roof insulation

§      A long-lasting metal roof

§      A highly insulated, factory-engineered concrete panel basement wall system.⁶

§      It is built within an existing city, not in a new suburb.  This will reduce the amount of driving the owner will do, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.  Building on an infill site also conserves farmland and protects wildlife habitat. 

§     The house is located just 150 feet from the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.  Without having to get in her car, Ms. Maher can access a path for walking or biking north into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park or south to downtown Akron.

First and foremost, however, this is a well-designed house.  It has a simple form that feels familiar and recognizable.  Its high gabled roof makes for a memorable silhouette against the sky.  The house is sheathed in beautiful horizontal lap siding, with cedar shakes in the gables that add visual interest and character.  It is protected from the elements overhead by a dark brown standing seam metal roof. These are solid, durable, locally appropriate materials.  As architectural writer William Morgan puts it, the use of local building materials and methods gives “a respectful nod to . . . regional houses and barns, and, by extension, acknowledges a sense of place.” ⁷

The house has a generous and welcoming front porch, a gesture that will encourage socializing with neighbors. 

  Second Floor sleeping porch.

There is also a wonderful screened sleeping off the Master Bedroom on the Second Floor.  A sleeping porch is a perfectly sensible strategy for dealing with the warm nights of summer in Northeast Ohio.  It is easy to imagine the pleasures of sleeping out in the fresh air, with the sound of the crickets or a light rain lulling one off into a peaceful slumber.

All of these elements add up to a house that is thoughtfully designed to suit the particular needs, values, and aspirations of its owner, while being mindful of the planet’s limited resources. That, indeed, is the definition of good, responsible Architecture.

NOTES

¹ For more detailed information on straw bale construction, see this website: http://www.strawbale.com  For information on durability in wet climates, see this link: http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/strawbale/where.htm

² For Calvin Smith’s specific information on the composition of the wall and roof construction, see this page: http://thecivicartcleveland.blogspot.com/p/akron-straw-bale-house-construction_17.html

³  From a DOE Insulation Factsheet:

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_08.html

⁴  Image is from an article by Alex Frangos, “The Green House of the Future”, The Wall Street Journal, 27 April 2009: 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124050414436548553.html

⁵ Steve Mouzon is an advocate of “The Original Green,” traditional solutions for sustainable building.  His website is  http://www.originalgreen.org/

⁶ For you tech heads (Steve!), more information on the basement wall construction system can be found at the Superior Walls website: 
http://www.superiorwalls.com/pages/products/xi-wall

and also in an press release about the straw bale house at

http://superiorwalls.newscactus.com/newsrelease-cid-1-id-30.html

⁷  William Morgan, Yankee Modern The Houses of Estes/Twombly (New York:  Princeton Architectural Press, 2010) p.18

OTHER RESOURCES:

Patricia’s blog about the house:  http://akronstrawbalehouses.tumblr.com/

Calvin Smith Builders’ website:  http://www.calvinsmithbuilders.net/

Architect Joe Ferut’s website:  http://www.ferutarchitects.com/index.shtml

Article about the house on WKSU’s website:

http://www.wksu.org/news/story/30767

Article about the house in the Akron Beacon Journal:

http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/breckenridge/mary-beth-breckenridge-building-a-house-of-straw-1.266653

LESSONS TO LEARN: A TALE OF TWO TOWNHOUSES

Buildings do not exist in isolation.  They are part of a larger community, and have a responsibility to make a positive contribution to the health and life of the street.

After traveling to many beautiful cities in the U.S., I have often wondered why Cleveland doesn’t have more of the interesting townhouses and brownstones that can be found in places like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City, and San Francisco. 

Townhouses are good for a city because they allow for more dense development than single family detached dwellings do.  This in turn means more inhabitants per acre, which can increase the viability of local retail, and also of transit, such as bus lines or streetcars.

I’m sure there is a historical reason that they are not more common in Cleveland, perhaps having to do with when the city was growing most rapidly, or the way lots were platted in Cleveland, or simply regional building traditions.  As I continue to study the city, I eventually may learn the answer to this question.

In the meantime though, I have found that if one looks hard enough, many great townhouse examples do indeed exist in Cleveland.

OLDER TOWNHOUSE EXAMPLE

Detroit-Shoreway Townhouses-West 65^th Street Elevation

Here’s a townhouse type that merits further study.  It is located on Bridge Avenue, at the corner of West 65^th Street, in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood on the near west side of Cleveland.  

Detroit-Shoreway Townhouses-Bridge Avenue Elevation

Its massing, materials, and detailing are pleasing to the eye.  The porches, steps, and bay windows make for an interesting elevation, animating the street.  The details are simple and well-crafted, without being particularly extravagant.

  

The corner tower element punctuates the street intersection well, bringing distinction to this row of townhouses.  No doubt the tower’s octagonal form makes for some nice interior spaces in this unit as well.

The porches are fairly small—6’ deep by 9’ wide—but they are still useful.  Their shape and design, with an angled portion adjacent to the bay windows, allows just enough room for a chair or a bench for sitting.  Addressing the street with small, inhabitable porches brings life, interest, and activity to the street.  In addition, when residents sit on their porches, they can make connections with passersby, strengthening connections in the community. Having people out on the porches also increases security in the neighborhood, by sending the message that residents are paying attention to what is happening on the streets. 

NEWER TOWNHOUSES

Newer Townhouses-Bridge Avenue Elevation

This group of newer townhouses was constructed several years ago on Bridge Avenue, at the corner of West 52^nd Street, just a few blocks east of the older townhouse group.  These newer units have some good things going for them.  The developers can be commended for choosing to build in the city, helping to fill in the gaps in the existing urban fabric.  These townhouses also feature interesting bay windows with brackets supporting them, and a nice tower element that makes an effort to address the street corner. 

The biggest problem with these units is the battery of garage doors that face the street, and the wide swaths of concrete driveway that accompany them.  The driveways interrupt the sidewalk in numerous places, and prevent the planting of street trees for shading and aesthetics. 

In addition, the garage doors present a blank and uninviting face to the street.  They also limit the width of the front porches, making them not very useful as actual outdoor ‘rooms’ that can accommodate chairs for sitting.  And finally, the wide concrete driveways mean there are no front gardens or other elements that could be a source of interest or pleasure to the pedestrian. 

In terms of character, life, and security, these newer units do not give as much back to the street as the older townhouses do.

And it didn’t have to be this way.  That is the frustrating aspect of this newer construction.   The lot where these units are located is deep enough to allow access to the garages form behind the units.  If the garages were in the back, the front façade of the building could have been unmarred by the garage doors, and could instead have had more interesting elements facing the street, such as larger porches.

Detroit-Shoreway Townhouses-Bridge Avenue Elevation, looking west. 
Which sidewalk would be more interesting to stroll along?

Much can be learned from the existing architecture in Cleveland, and applied to new construction in order to yield more positive outcomes.  Following some simple design strategies, like “porches in front, garage doors behind”, can make a big difference.  By making more thoughtful choices, we can bring strength and vitality to our neighborhoods, and consequently improve the quality of life for all city residents.

SOME CORE PRINCIPLES

Epworth-Euclid Church
Bertram Goodhue with Walker & Weeks, c. 1928

§ Every place in the world is unique culturally, historically, and climatically.  Its architecture and  urbanism should support, protect, and reflect these qualities.

§ Our cities should be environmentally sustainable.

§ A neighborhood should have vitality, stability, and should encourage a sense of community.

§ Neighborhoods should be diverse in all aspects, including age, race, and economic level.

§ The structure of a city should help foster the realization of social and economic justice in a society.

§ The structure of a city should encourage the maintenance of physical health by its inhabitants.

§The form of a city should foster independence for all, including children, the disabled, the aged, and those of less means.

§ Public institutions, such as schools, churches, and libraries, are centers of neighborhood life.

§ Streets and public spaces within the urban fabric are the physical manifestation of the spirit of the community.

(Thank you to Professor Oscar Machado of the University of Miami for requiring that his students articulate their ideals in writing.)

FIRST POST

Fine Arts Garden Fountain

Why start a blog? 

I admit that I have been resistant to starting a blog.  I don’t even like the sound of the word.  It doesn’t sound like a place for thoughtful and enlightened discourse. And isn’t there enough noise and chatter on the internet, and in the world, already? 

But I am concerned about the state of Architecture and Urbanism in the City of Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio.  And I believe there is a need for more community discussion on the issues of what we build, what we preserve, what we destroy, and how we inhabit the land on which we live.

I write a lot of letters about these issues.  I write to the Plain Dealer editorial page, and to the Cleveland Landmarks Commission, and to the Mayor, and to . . . you get the idea.  And I figure, if I am making the effort to write these mini-treatises, then the world may as well hear my voice too.  I can try to do that through this forum.

Why “The Civic Art: Cleveland Architecture and Urbanism”?

I have a true passion for vibrant cities and neighborhoods.  I love that feeling of strolling down a great shopping or residential street in Philadelphia, or Madison, WI, or even in Ohio City or Cleveland Heights, and feeling the history of the place mixed with the vitality of the present.  These great streets have been inhabited over time, and they are still beloved by their residents.  It is a pleasure to just be in an authentic, thriving neighborhood.  I would like to be able to experience that more often in Cleveland, and in more parts of the City.

As an Architect and Town Planner, I try to make the world better by using the tools that I possess.  Namely, by trying to create or preserve good architecture and good neighborhoods.  By reclaiming and reviving our neighborhoods, we not only gain a place where people want to be and want to live; we can also begin to address many of the pressing issues that face our city and nation: sustainability, global warming, resource conservation and stewardship, energy independence, social justice, intolerance, public safety, access to local food, and health and wellness.  More about how better, more pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighborhoods can address these issues is to come in future posts.

What to Expect to Find Here

§   Commentaries, critiques, essays on timely and significant topics in Cleveland Architecture and Urban Design.

§      Copies of the aforementioned Letters to the Editor on such issues.

§      Links to important articles about Architecture, Urbanism, and City Life.

§     Photo studies of notable architectural and urban typologies to be found in the City of Cleveland and beyond.

The Way Forward

Cleveland is a great and beautiful city, yet it also faces many challenges.  By leveraging its many great assets, Cleveland has the potential to create a more sustainable, more vital built environment.  This city can be a harbinger for the rebirth of older rust-belt cities, demonstrating the way forward to long-term urban rebirth and re-vitalization.

Those in the design professions have both a significant role to play and a real responsibility to help make our world and our communities into better places to live. I intend to engage in this endeavor as well, through my work and through these words.