Seismic Performance of Innovative Straw Bale Wall Systems

PAKSBAB has recently been awarded a grant from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's (EERI) Endowment Fund. The project objective is to determine the in-plane and out-of-plane cyclic performance of earth plastered, load bearing, thin straw bale wall assemblies using shake table simulation.  The proposed experiments will be of specific use for our current straw bale construction program in Pakistan but applicable to other developing countries in need of earthquake resistant and affordable housing.

This winter we will be performing individual wall tests as well as a shake table test of a 14' x 14' building at the University of Nevada, Reno's (UNR) Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Equipment Site, a biaxial, multiple shake table facility. 

Advisory Committee: 

Mark Aschheim, Ph.D., Santa Clara University Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
Ian Buckle, Ph.D., UNR Professor of Civil Engineering, UNR NEES Project Director
Craig Comartin, S.E., EERI Board of Directors and past President, Project Liaison
Darcey Donovan, P.E., EcoEngineering / PAKSBAB Program Advisor, Committee Chair
Martin Hammer, Architect / PAKSBAB Program Advisor
David Mar, S.E., Tipping Mar & Associates, Principal