Straw Houses in the Front Line of Sustainable Construction

For the first time ever, an EPFL laboratory has carried out a complete energy analysis of a straw house, from planting the grass to the destruction of the materials. The results are based on the specific case of an administrative building in the city of Lausanne, ECO-46. 40% of the energy consumed in the world is used in buildings. With the 2050 Energy Strategy, Switzerland must increase research into renewable energy, reduce its energy needs and become less dependent on electricity purchased in bulk. This mandates an intensification of renovations and drastic regulations for new buildings. In this context, the issue of which materials to use comes to the forefront. Might straw construction be interesting compared to concrete? Will we manage to meet the requirement levels for the new labels? The oldest straw house is 112 years old Switzerland has thirty straw houses.