Barbara is a rep for EcoCocon, bringing prefabricated straw panel buildings to the UK
The panels, which are made from FSC certified timber and straw, won the 2019 ASBP product Innovation Award. The system combines natural materials with a Passivhaus standard of fabric efficiency, to create comfortable, healthy indoor environments.
Barbara is one of EcoCocon’s UK reps and Straw Works have designed with the panels, showcasing the important contribution they make towards a circular economy in the construction industry.
The modular panel system, which is both structural and provides insulation, is appealing to major developers for its speed of assembly and quality control which far exceeds traditional construction. The panels are prefabricated in a factory under controlled conditions, allowing for very high precision. This gives exact price calculations and saves costs.
For self-builders with a slightly larger budget, they offer a simple and precise means of achieving a thermally efficient home which can be assembled year round. There is no need for specialist labour or tools and panels are numbered, making an EcoCocon house suited to novice self-builders.
One of Straw Works’ self-build clients is currently on-site in Norfolk, constructing their home with the panels. See the project page here.
With custom-made dimensions down to 1 millimetre precision, creativity needn’t be restricted as panels can fit any building design. You can build the ground floor of a modest house in 2 days, and have a 3 bedroomed 2 storey house weathertight in 5 to 7 days.
EcoCocon have a fantastic selection of in-depth technical and build guides to the panel system on their website here.
- The panels have low embodied and operational emissions
- They are high performing: when combined with interior clay plaster and an exterior layer of wood fibre boards, the walls achieve a U-value of 0,110 W/M2K (=9.1).
- The system is airtight but breathable and emits no harmful substances
- The elimination of thermal bridges guarantees a mould and draught-free environment
- Panels are certified to withstand 120+ minutes of fire when rendered
If you’d like to chat about using them in your own project, reach out to Barbara at barbara@strawbuilding.org.uk