Two Basic Structural Types Of Straw Bale Walls

         The two basic structural types of straw bale walls are,

• Load bearing (or) Nebraska style.
• Non load bearing (or) Infill style.

Flashing In A Masonry Wall

Ways Of Insulating a Load Bearing Masonry Wall

These two styles are compared below:

Load bearing style	Infill style
In this load bearing style straw bales are used as a bricks.	In this system straw bales are used as a fillings in between the structural walls.
The bricks are used to carry all the building loads.	Infill bales does not carry any loads of the buildings.
This type of construction is familiar.	In fill type of construction is not familiar with contractors and engineers who are not already familiar.
It needs a skilled labour and expensive tools are needed.	It is inexpensive and simple to learn.
Bracing is not necessary. Instead of bracing, a vertical steel strip from the foundation must be used for clinching the bale and compressing.	Bracing is needed to resist lateral loads of the buildings.
Beam structure is placed at the top of the wall is clinched down to compress the bales.	Beam structure is designed to support the roofs.

There will be some difference when the walls get finished and subjected to an action of changes in climatic conditions. Due to the bulking and drying of straw leads to some cracks on the structure. This can be prevented by proper maintenance of the building.