LTL Architects' All Straw House in New York Uses Compressed Straw as Structure, Insulation, and Finish
LTL Architects has unveiled the All Straw House in New York, a prototype residence created in collaboration with Guy Nordenson and Associates and Princeton University, utilizing compacted straw boards as its structural framework. Constructed at Princeton's Architecture Lab, the house comprises 16 sizable straw units, boasting a density more than three times that of traditional straw bales. Inside, 111 layers of visible straw are reinforced by wooden ring beams placed every 22 layers. The exterior showcases thirty-three thatch panels, each overlapping by 21 inches. Funded by the Princeton Sustainability of Our Planet Fund and other sources, this project seeks to innovate a modern tectonic system based on straw's characteristics. Photography by Michael Moran.
Key facts
- LTL Architects has completed the All Straw House in New York, a prototype residence developed with Guy Nordenson and Associates and Princeton University.
- The house is assembled from 16 large straw units prefabricated over two months at Princeton's Architecture Lab.
- Compressed straw reaches approximately 370 kilograms per cubic meter, more than three times the density of conventional straw bales.
- The straw performs simultaneously as structure, insulation, and interior finish, with 111 layers exposed inside and wood ring beams every 22 layers.
- Thirty-three prefabricated thatch panels form a rainscreen, each overlapping the panel below by 21 inches.
- The thatch is between six and eight inches thick and contains tens of thousands of linear reeds.
- The building's geometry is determined by material constraints, including the limited corbeling of straw panels and the roof slope required for drainage.
- Project support came from the Princeton Sustainability of Our Planet Fund, Princeton School of Architecture, and High Meadows Environmental Institute.
Entities
Artists
- Paul Lewis
- Marc Tsurumaki
- David J. Lewis
- Guy Nordenson
- Alexandra Steelman
- Patty Hazle
- Jocelyn Beausire
- Kyle Reich
- Michelle Schneider
- Hongming Bruce Liang
- Brooklyn Fraser
- Mariana Garcia Rendon
- Nolan Hill
- Joyce Kim
- Chenkun Ma
- Vivi Lu
- Ally Robertson
- Moyu Yamaguchi
- Michael Moran
Institutions
- LTL Architects
- Guy Nordenson and Associates
- Princeton University
- Princeton Architecture Lab
- Princeton School of Architecture
- High Meadows Environmental Institute
- Princeton Sustainability of Our Planet Fund
- Durra Panel
- Beck Fastening
- McGhee + Co. Roof Thatchers
- designboom
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Princeton
- New Jersey