BaleHaus at Bath

Since the structural testing things has been fairly quiet at the BaleHaus, until last week when we undertook an acoustic test on the house. This involved blasting 100dB of ‘white noise’ at the house and measuring the difference in noise levels between inside and out. One of the rooms on the ground floor of the house was isolated and the window blocked, so that one of the prefabricated straw bale panels was tested rather than the window. Results are being analysed as I type and we hope to get them back soon, so keep an ear open for those.

The structural test on the house was undertaken at the very end of March and was set up to replicate the designed wind load that the BaleHaus could be subject to. A load of 4 tonnes was applied to the East façade of the house and movement measured on the West. The load of 4 tonnes was applied in three different set-ups and the maximum movement was less than 4mm, well within the design requirements. The test took most of the day to set up and we were on site until 8:30pm, by which time the big bad wolf was very tired indeed and the three little pigs were still safely in the straw house! Thanks to Dan for undertaking the test and Neil, Graham, Sophie and Mark for assisting in the set up.

If you’re based on the University campus, you may have noticed some scaffolding at the East and West facades of the BaleHaus. This has been put in place as part of structural tests to be undertaken on the BaleHaus in the next few days. The structural tests will replicate the designed wind load that the BaleHaus could be subject to. This load, of approximately 4 tonnes, will be applied to the East façade of the BaleHaus, whilst the movement of the house will be measured from the West façade. Other research is continuing on the BaleHaus and hopefully I’ll add some updates to the website about this soon.

The BaleHaus is very much finished and looking rather striking against the blue skies we’ve been having over the last few days. Over the next year the house will be extensively monitored and various tests carried out. If you’d like to visit the house then please contact myself or ModCell and we’d be happy to show you around. I hope you’ve enjoyed the blog over the last few months as well as the webcam and the huge amount of photos on the ModCell website. The results from the research will be disseminated over the next year so I’m sure some of it will reach you. Thanks for reading!

Work has been continuing internally in the BaleHaus, with the panels being edged and other finishing touches being made. Glazing has been fitted in all but one panel, which is also awaiting a door. The staircase is in place and there’s even room for Harry Potter to sleep under it (apparently it can fit a double fit under it), if necessary. The trench for the electrics has been dug and the power for the house will be connected later this week. The house should be completely finished any day now and once it is I’ll write my final blog and hopefully some of you will come and visit.

The last few days have seen many people visiting the site as part of the international NOCMAT (Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies) conference hosted by the University of Bath this week. Visitors came from all over the world and they all seemed very interested in the BaleHaus.

Yesterday the upper level of the scaffolding was removed to enable the glass to be put in the windows on the first floor, which was done today. The lower level is due to be removed tomorrow and the final panels of glass put in place. The staircase will then be installed so that we can access the first floor again! The floors have been laid and the house is very nearly finished, just a few finishing touches and the electrics to connect and it’ll be complete ready for monitoring and testing.

Whilst I’ve been away the cladding on the house has been completed and some of the windows have been installed. The other windows will be fitted after the scaffolding has been taken down as there is no room to fit them with it up. The scaffolding is due to be taken down on Tuesday and Thursday of next week. The timber floor is being delivered this week and laid next week, the rest of the interior can then be completed, including a new staircase being installed. The house now has only a few weeks until it is handed over the University and we can start undertaking monitoring and testing on it.

A new week and the window frames are all in place ready for the glass to be fitted. The end of last week saw, amongst other things, the guys from Greenheart work very hard to take the very heavy phase change panel from the Grand Designs live house out of a first floor panel so that a new window frame could be installed. The aluminium flashing is now all in place and cladding is continuing. The timber floor should be arriving sometime soon and then this can be fitted and the inside of the house completed.

Again I’m away for the rest of the week, but this time I’m working; I’m presenting at the European Straw Bale Gathering in Belgium. As well as presenting I’ll be learning about straw research being undertaken throughout Europe and beyond and seeing different straw bale construction techniques in practice. When I return next week I’m sure the house will look almost complete!

The solar tube has now been installed and the roof is watertight; good timing for the rain predicted tomorrow! The aluminium flashing is continuing to be fixed into place and finishes the building off nicely. The windows, very kindly donated by Senior Architectural Systems (SAS), are being put into place this week by the guys from Greenheart who’ve also been doing the cladding as well as various other things on site. I’m away for the rest of the week and so I’m sure the building will look completely different when I come back on Monday.

The roof is now more or less finished and completely watertight. The view from the top is rather spectacular; you can even see one of Wiltshire’s White Horses on the side of the Wiltshire downs.

A hole has been made in the roof for the solar tube which will be fitted in the next few days. The window frames and accompanying glass arrived earlier today and will be installed tomorrow, if all goes to plan. The cladding is continuing to be fixed into place and the aluminium flashing is starting to be installed.