Rice-hull bagwall construction
Encyclopedia
Rice-hull bagwall construction is a system of building
, with results aesthetically similar to the use of earthbag
or cob
construction, in which woven polypropylene
bags (or tubes) are tightly filled with raw rice
-hulls, and these are stacked up, layer upon layer, with strands of four-pronged barbed wire
between, within a surrounding "cage" composed of mats of welded or woven steel
mesh (remesh or "poultry wire") on both sides (wired together between bag layers with, for example, rebar tie-wire) and then stucco
ed, to form building walls. Advantages (compared to earth-bag or cob) include less weight to handle/process, far better insulation values (around 3 - 4 per inch), use of an agricultural-waste product and the sequestration of CO2
. This building approach was originally innovated and tested by Don Stephens, in the northwestern U.S. in 2005.
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
, with results aesthetically similar to the use of earthbag
Earthbag construction
Earthbag construction is an inexpensive method to create structures which are both strong and can be quickly built. It is a natural building technique that evolved from historic military bunker construction techniques and temporary flood-control dike building methods...
or cob
Cob (building)
Cob or cobb or clom is a building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive...
construction, in which woven polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
bags (or tubes) are tightly filled with raw rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
-hulls, and these are stacked up, layer upon layer, with strands of four-pronged barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
between, within a surrounding "cage" composed of mats of welded or woven steel
Chicken wire
Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock. It is made of thin, flexible galvanized wire, with hexagonal gaps...
mesh (remesh or "poultry wire") on both sides (wired together between bag layers with, for example, rebar tie-wire) and then stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed, to form building walls. Advantages (compared to earth-bag or cob) include less weight to handle/process, far better insulation values (around 3 - 4 per inch), use of an agricultural-waste product and the sequestration of CO2
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
. This building approach was originally innovated and tested by Don Stephens, in the northwestern U.S. in 2005.