The “8th Sister” is slowly coming together! The project’s team has been working around the clock (actually from 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM to beat the heat) to reach the goals set for this week, which has been daunting given the 100 degree weather. A bonus was that Weds was Juneteenth, so the University was closed and we had a holiday for the hottest day of the week! Despite the meteorologic adversity our drawings are being transformed into a tangible, sustainable home as we work to stay on schedule.

This week also saw the installation of the Straw Bale wall section. It has been a substantial effort, beginning with the construction of a Straw Bale Press which establishes the geometry and critical density of the post harvest straw bales, to the insertion and integration with the surrounding double two by four wall assembly in the lower section of the Bedroom “Bed Wall”. Next up — Clay Plaster render will be applied on the interior side of the straw, differentiating it from the adjacent drywall finish — photos will follow.

The effort that was put in to create this wall does not go unnoticed, it reflects our commitment to alternative building materials and the requirement to support sustainable construction practices. Perhaps what is now a progressive material and installation will become main stream as the realization that all strategies must be employed to reduce the continued and escalating accumulation of Carbon in our atmosphere.

A major highlight of the week was preparing and installing the eight windows donated by Pella, giving the house a more complete look. Guided by Professor Kent Hicks, the students were taken step by step through the entire installation process ensuring the windows were level, plumb, and square along with addressing all of the requirements of air sealing and water control. A very demanding process.!

Friday ended with a final extra thorough clean up in preparation for Chancellor Reyes visit on Monday morning.

Remember, if you’re in Amherst, we’d love for you to stop by the build site and say ‘Hi.’ We’re always excited to share our work with all who are interested.