Made from straw, a practically global resource strawboard is potentially a local material for all. Best viewed as an insulating ecological alternative to chipboard rather than purely as an insulator.
Description
Strawboard is made from straw waste that is pressed and then exposed to heat. Heated straw sweats out resins which create a natural binder. Strawboard can be sawn and painted and treated as a building material as well as an insulator.
Features
- Biodegradable.
- Renewable.
- Low embodied energy.
- Locks in carbon.
- Fire resistant. Highly compressed strawboard panels do not bear enough oxygen to be flamable.
- Strong. Stramit strawboard panels will bear 1100kg without deforming.
- Unstable? Potentially unstable in humid environments.
Performance
Cork boards at 120 kgs/m2 have a thermal conductivity or K value of 0.081 W/m.K.
(Watts per meter Kelvin ~ a lower value is a better result)
Cost
Consider for use in conjunction with other insulation. 18mm strawboard costs around £10 a square meter.
References:
http://www.stramit-int.com/applications.html
http://www.stramit-int.com/properties.html
http://www.plantfibretechnology.com/default.aspx?pageID=5&contentID=61
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