Straw, mud and pumice as building materials (very green!)

A lot of what we now consider green building materials and practices really go back to the days when, prior to mechanical air conditioning and heating, homes had to built in ways that naturally insulated themselves from outdoor elements. I had the opportunity to speak with a Colorado builder, Greg Madeen of Madeen Architecture and Construction, about how he uses rammed earth, adobe, straw bale and pumicecrete – sometimes, simply using earth to create walls from the site where the structure is being built. This article details the technical as well as aesthetic qualities of each of these alternative building materials.

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