TERMOPAIE®
An ecological and very performant thermal insulation made of straw
Although at first glance it seems to be an unusual building material, straws have a rich history in construction, from the first straw bale houses built in North America in the 17th century. For more than 200 years, organic straw houses, either in the form of bales or panels, have been a trend that has become more popular in the last 40 years.
Wheat straw (or other similar cereals) is a plant, natural and environmentally friendly product made from photosynthesis, fed by the sun, which requires only small amounts of energy for processing. It is a by-product of cereal production and is considered a waste, although it is currently used for animal bedding, as a biofuel, and increasingly used in the construction industry.
The NIDUS Homes are insulated with straw using the "blow-in loose chopped straw" technology . This implies that the straws are very well cleaned and sifted by dust and impurities in repeated processes, then they are chopped and blown into the modular timber frame structure at a density of 100 kg/m3. Humidity is controlled below 14%, in order not to influence the thermal performance and to prevent the appearance of mold. This technology allows us to prefabricate the modules in a very short time.
NATURAL MATERIAL
only wheat straw, tritical barley without additives or chemical compounds
GREAT
INSULATION
transfer coefficient λ=0,038-0.044 W/mK at a density between
90-110 kg/m3
CARBON DIOXIDE
ABSORBER
by photosynthesis from the atmosphere and stores 1.35 kg CO2/kg of material
RENEWABLE
RESOURCE
the raw material comes from locally produced annual crops
GOOD
SOUNDPROOFER
due to the high density of straws in the walls, floor and roof
Straw in the world
Manufacturers, builders and associations that develop straw based technologies
UP-Straw
North West Europe
UP-Straw is a European research project with the aim of developing new technologies and solution for processing and producing environmentally friendly building materials with and from straw. The budget of the project is 6.4 million euros and involves countries such as Great Britain, Holland, Belgium, Germany and France, where residential, commercial and public buildings with straw have been and are still being developed in different configurations: straw bales, panels, walls, or blown-in technology. It is the largest development project dedicated exclusively to the straw as building material.