PAKSBAB - Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building

To date PAKSBAB has trained about 60 people and has built 27 straw bale houses in northern Pakistan, 26 of which are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and one in district Jhelum, Punjab Province. Our primary target market is micro- to small-income families. The houses are one-story and range in size from one-room with veranda (357 s.f.) to 4-rooms plus bath, kitchen and veranda (1024 s.f.).

Making straw bales

Straw bales suitable for building are not available in Pakistan, therefore PAKSBAB has developed a system for making straw bales using manually operated farm jacks and locally fabricated compression moulds. We are encouraging and supporting independent local enterprises to manufacture and supply straw bales and other building materials for our projects.

In 2007, we initiated our rural Community Development Program (CDP), designed to engage severely disadvantaged families in the construction of their own straw bale houses. The standard CDP home is 24 ft. by 24 ft. (576 s.f.), comprised of two rooms and a veranda, with an optional kitchen. Each family contributes labor and some building materials, if possible. With local community input, PAKSBAB selects project beneficiaries based on their need, vulnerability, and willingness to participate in the home building process. Preference is given to victims of the 2010/2011 floods or 2005 earthquake, widows with small children, and people with disabilities.

Additional appropriate building methods that PAKSBAB is promoting include passive solar, rainwater catchment, solar lamps, high-efficiency cooking and heating, and the use of natural building materials such as light straw clay, wattle and daub, and cob.

SCIPPER / Wahab Jan Accessible House, 2012