Most houses are built with construction equipment like bricks, wood, insulation, steel and other materials. Tuesday, Pittsburg State students built a house of their own without those materials. This house was built with hay bales.
The hay bale house was constructed not as part of the construction technology department, but rather as a part of the Family and Consumer Sciences department. It's all part of Denise Bertoncino's curriculum.
"We're doing this for several reasons. For one thing, there's alternative ways to do things," Bertoncino said. "We're also concerned about resources. We can't cut down trees forever. This is also teaching teamwork. If you look back in history, groups come together. These students are getting experience."
Bertoncino got the idea from doing her research. She said she was reading the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. While doing research on one of the concepts in the book, Bertoncino ran into John Lipscomb.
Lipscomb's Web site, www.survivalistseeds.com, notes that he has built more than 60 straw bale houses.
"Three weeks ago, he talked to the students about a straw bale house," Bertoncino said. "So we decided to build a structure. It's an alternative to wood frame construction."
Construction included hay bales built up with rebar and dowel rods providing further support. The "house" has a door and a window, too.
Following the hay construction, the students wrapped a wall in chicken wire and spread plaster and stucco over the chicken wire to provide insulation and protection. Even Duane Whitbeck, FACS chairman, took part in the activity.
There is a reason for the use of hay bales in construction. Whitbeck said a typical home has an r-value (insulation factor) of 30. A properly built hay-bale house can have an r-value of roughly 48.
Further, hay bales have soundproofing benefits.
Whitbeck said there was a possibility this could be a long-range project once completed, offering an opportunity for the construction technology department to consider ideas for plumbing and electrical possibilities in the home as well as a roof.
Unfortunately, the process on completing a house is about five days.
Because of the threat of bad weather later in the week, construction will not necessarily proceed as quickly as had been hoped. The hay bale house will have to wait for dry weather to finish construction.
"To us, the big thing is that we are in the College of Arts and Sciences out here in copperation with the College of Technology,"
Whitbeck said. "We are working together to build things of great value not only to the university, but for the students as a whole."
PITTSBURG —
