Straw Bale Housing For Pakistan

Owais Mughal

This post is about alternative, cheaper and earthquake resistant housing for Pakistan. At ATP we’ve covered alternative building styles before when S.A.J. Shirazi wrote about using mud to build homes. A couple of my friends recently pointed out to me an earthquake resistant straw bale housing style that was practised in Pakistan (and also other countries) after the devastating earthquake of 2005. This project was started in Pakistan by a non-profit group called Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate building (PAKSBAB). These houses were built for the poor by using straw, an agricultural by-product, compressed and tied into bales, as building blocks.

Following photo shows a straw-bale house under construction in Pakistan. Photo credits: PAKSBAB.

This technique makes the structures earthquake resistant. The project’s founder is Darcey Dononvan who is a mechanical engineer by profession. The reason for us sharing this post here is to provide food for thought for alternate housing styles in earthquake zones – and Pakistan has quite a few of them. I also want to thank PAKSBAB for carrying out this project in Pakistan. Meanwhile, for other houses out in this area they can call upon companies like those metal construction ones. Also, if you’re looking to upgrade your home’s protection and aesthetic appeal, consider hiring a reputable metal roofing company to handle the installation.

The innovative housing approaches showcased by PAKSBAB in Pakistan underscore the need for durable and affordable structures, especially in regions prone to natural disasters like earthquakes. These alternative techniques, such as straw bale construction, not only provide low-cost shelter but also introduce resilience to an often vulnerable housing landscape. By making use of readily available resources like straw, the project offers a sustainable and accessible model for rural communities. This idea of turning overlooked materials into life-saving assets is a reminder of how adaptable and creative housing solutions can make a significant impact on the lives of people in disaster-prone regions.

For homeowners facing challenging circumstances in other parts of the world, the importance of adaptable housing solutions is equally relevant. Just as PAKSBAB found a way to repurpose resources for stability, homeowners with properties they no longer need have viable options to repurpose their investments as well. In this spirit, cash buyers can step in to provide relief, especially in cases where property maintenance has become a burden or when a rapid sale is necessary. If you’re in such a position, rest assured—We Buy Unwanted Properties swiftly and offer a practical solution for those looking to move forward without delays. This approach brings ease and efficiency to the selling process, transforming homes that might otherwise sit idle into opportunities for both sellers and buyers alike.

I found following video by University of Nevada, Reno at Youtube where Darcey is explaining her project in Pakistan as well as it shows the results of earthquake simulation.

February 5, 2010’s Science Magazine also mentioned this project. An excerpt from there goes like this:

Some engineers want to rethink the basic materials used in developing countries. Darcey Donovan advocates replacing concrete walls with load-bearing straw bales. Her nonprofit group, PakistanStraw Bale and Appropriate Building, erects 7.3-m-by-7.3- m houses in northwest Pakistan, which was ravaged by an earthquake in 2005. The bales are stacked and bound together top to bottom with a fishnet, which keeps them from slipping apart during shaking, then plastered over. Her team has built 11 houses so far, with six more coming. The design recently survived, with minimal damage, a violent test on a shake table, a large platform that simulates earthquakes. Because the tough, fibrous plantsused for straw are ubiquitous, Donovan believes the bale design could easily be exported, and her team is discussing traveling to Haiti.

References:

1. Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building (PAKSBAB)
2. Science Magazine
3. University of Nevada, Reno – Earthquake Engineering Simulation