Straw Bale (Wikipedia Article):
From Wikipedia
Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both. This construction method is commonly used in natural building or "brown" construction projects.
Advantages of straw-bale construction over conventional building systems include the renewable nature of straw, cost, easy availability, naturally fire-retardant and high insulation value. Disadvantages include susceptibility to rot and high space requirements for the straw itself.
Cob based (Wikipedia Article):
From Wikipedia
Cob, cobb or clom (in Wales) is a building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms and has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements.
For the above types of housing, reclaimed/recycled materials will be used where possible to cut down on costs as well as environmental impact. All properties (when possible) will also have community gardens so that those who live there have the ability to supplement their food with freshly grown and healthy produce. A chapter of our project will deal with the hunger issue facing the world.
In some rare cases we may have to resort to building 'stick built' housing. If such a case comes, we will do our best to use as much reclaimed/recycled products as possible to build.
All housing labor will come from volunteers which can include the future owners of housing. In some cases housing will remain owned by the project and rented out (at a low cost) to cover upkeep expenses (such as taxes and maintenance of property).
At this early stage of project development there is still much that needs discussing. The above may change slightly over time.
