Building experience

Twelve students in an architecture class are creating a building with straw, a material not often associated with buildings.

This unique fabrication process is common in the western states, but is not accepted yet in the Midwest, senior Dan Chase said. Students spent last semester researching the process of building a straw house, and over the summer professor Tim Gray received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, which made the construction possible.

The class spent the beginning of this semester drawing blueprints and receiving the proper approvals and building permits from the Delaware County Building Department as well as the Office of the State Architect, Gray said.

Gray said he hopes the building will raise awareness of straw bale homes within the Muncie community. The building will also be used as a research tool to help understand how to better integrate the straw house into the Indiana climate, Gray said.

Construction will continue through spring, and the class will present research and results at the P3 Award Competition in Washington, D.C. in April.

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