The residential branch of Bale Built, Inc. provides manufactured wall assembly kits; wall, foundation construction drawing packages to its customers for accepted building projects. The packages are engineered to the lateral and gravity loads mandated by the applicable building jurisdiction and code (most probably IBC). Our operational plan is to promote projects which minimize initial construction cost, minimize long-term heating and cooling cost and provide optimum comfort and utility to the occupants. We accept projects which meet the following criteria: Efficient floor plans and room sizes from a utilitarian point of view. Reasonably low ratios of window area to total wall area. Low hallway to total floor area ratios. Moderate ceiling heights. Adherence to these criteria is the only way we have to assure the customers economic aspirations are realized. Efficient floor plans facilitate living activity with the least amount of disruption to varied activities. Major traffic paths are not through the center of the living room, for example. Room sizes are not bigger than required to perform the intended function. Bathroom layouts that meet but do not exceed minimum architectural standards illustrate this idea. Adherence to these concepts tends to reduce floor areas required to supply an adequately comfortable living environment. Reduced floor area translates into savings in initial construction costs along with heating and cooling costs. One (1) four foot square window (16 square feet of window) loses heat at the same rate as a twenty foot long section of eight foot high straw bale wall. Keeping total window areas at the lowest level consistent with acceptable living comfort is vital to heating and cooling economy. Window area to wall area ratios of approximately 10% will accomplish this. A 1,400 square foot house needs to be limited to the equivalent of seven (7) four foot square windows. Use of heat gain/loss neutral tubular skylights can satisfy the desire for additional natural light with minimal detriment to operating economy. Window area ratios can be increased in cases demonstrating engineered solar passive schemes. Hallways are a necessary evil to the facilitation of traffic flow between various parts of living spaces. If not well planned and minimized they will compromise heating and cooling economy by increasing floor area requirements. Heat rises. People like warm feet in cold weather. High ceilings cost heating dollars. Moderately vaulted ceilings (10 feet maximum) are feasible with the use of ceiling fans for recirculation. In addition to adhering to the tenet of green design through the use of baled straw as insulation and making operating energy minimization the goal on every project, the system has other features of at least equal importance. Our standard eight foot high bearing wall has a design gravity load capacity of 1,400 lb/lineal foot. This is structurally adequate for an 80 lb/square foot snow load on a 30 foot wide building with free span roof trusses, i.e., not center support. Normal maximum snow load requirements are 40 lb/square foot. Lateral load (wind) resisting elements can be engineered and provided to satisfy the most severe levels required by the IBC (International Building Code). The wall system ties the top plate on the wall to the foundation to the extent that any uplift loads imparted to the structure will have to pull the foundation out of the ground to lift the root support element of the wall (the roof truss support plate). In regions vulnerable to tornados additional tie down capacity can be easily installed to prevent separation of roof trusses from the supporting walls. Standard construction packages provide a top plate continuity connection around the entire perimeter of the building with a design capacity of 6,000 lbs. Standard stick-frame practice provide only about a 200 lb. to 400 lb. at the top corners of walls-the inadequacy of which is well illustrated in pictorial documentation of the aftermath of tornado events. Walls that are capable of staying intact keep the entire building together-preventing injuries and deaths. BBI’s prototype residence, built in Lewiston, Idaho in 1999, was field tested for sound attenuation by Stork/Twin City Testing Corporation. The test result was a 57 F-STC. This represents suppression of outside noise at double that of conventional stick-frame fiberglass insulated construction (See Appendix D). The straw bale house is a quiet environment. The economy of operation provided by the straw bale wall system comes from the 16 inch thick bales oriented with the heat flow across the grain giving an R-value of approximately 48 (R-3 per inch/see Appendix F). In addition, these values increase for real insulating effect when compared to fiberglass insulated systems by 5% to 20% due to the difference in mass of the systems (See Appendix H). This effect is greatest during daily periods when the desired room temperature is between the high and low ambient (outside) temperatures. This insulative enhancement varies from 7% in Minnesota type northern climates to 43% in New Mexico/Arizona type Southwestern climates. Another energy saving feature of the massive high R-value walls is the raising of MRT ( Mean Radiant Temperature). In essence, these walls are warmer than conventional walls causing the perceived room temperature to be higher than the actual temperature. Thermostats can be lowered to attain the same comfort level. Heating energy consumption is reduced (See Appendix B). When properly installed and finished, this system provides an extremely durable wall envelope that minimizes air leakage issues, provides and excellent barrier to rodents and insects, and modulates moisture levels automatically to eliminate moisture related problems such as rot and mold. Extensive testing was performed in the University of Idaho Engineering Testing Laboratory to establish structural design load capacities. The decision to incorporate the BBI wall system in a residential building project needs to derive from the desire to own the very best finished product from the standpoint of comfort, structural performance, and long-term cost analysis. The initial installed cost of the system is approximately the same as conventional stick-frame construction. BBI has two prototype residential structures demonstrating the viability of the wall system. The first built in 1999, is 3,000 square feet with an 800 square foot attached garage located in Lewiston, Idaho. The second, built in 2005, is 1400 square foot with a 600 square foot attached garage located near Athol, Idaho. Both projects have performed to the expected levels outlined in the forgoing discussion.