Page 19 - October 2015 Green Builder Magazine

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IMAGE CREDIT: © JACOB SNAVELY

Ground Truth. Watershed Block expresses the color palette and material composition of local soils. No manufactured pigments or
artificial colorants are used. www.watershedmaterials.com

around the world. IMAGE CREDIT:JOHN GLASSMAN www.greenbuildermedia.com 10.2015
Watershed Block is durable and strong, and the blocks
Up to Code. A structural engineer certifies SITUPS for wind and
demonstrate many of the same virtues as rammed earth, the load- bearing parameters required by the Building Code of
construction technique for which Easton is best known. They’re Australia (BCA). The SITUPS are load bearing and can be used in
fireproof, durable, low maintenance and long lasting. Their thermal two-story homes.
mass performs similarly to rammed earth. And the blocks can
serve as both the structure and the finish. energy-efficient buildings and the environmental cost of logging,
the Glassfords believe the time is ripe for their innovation, which
“It’s efficient—you don’t need as many subcontractors, and it boasts the advantages of straw bale wrapped into a speedy
cuts down construction time,” says Easton. “It also tells a story— construction process.
that’s what I like most about it.”
The Glassfords have completed several pilot projects with
Easton likes to use double layer of block (16 inches) to create SITUPS. Just recently, they posted a blog on their website
thermal mass for hot, dry climates, but says you can use a single announcing their intention to mainstream the material.
layer (8 inches) with exterior insulation for other climate zones.
“We manufacture them in our ‘factory,’ a jumbo straw bale
It is Easton’s vision to set up smaller, even portable plants building here in Ganmain,” says John Glassford. “We use our
that utilize local sources of aggregate. “We wanted to emphasize patented method to pre-compress the bales in their box. We
the regional and local nature of the products,” he says. “That then brace the finished SITUP prior to delivery to the client.”
way, the blocks contribute geographical continuity and reduce
transportation energy and cost.” The depth of the SITUPS is 350 mm (approximately 14 inches);
a typical finished SITUP wall measures 440 mm with plaster and
Watershed Materials has won two grants from the National cladding, if used. In any case, the Glassfords recommend a thick
Science Foundation (NSF) to develop the technology. With Phase II coat of plaster prior to applying the cladding, to prevent any chance
funding, the team is tasked with making the process commercially of fire or rodent egress.
viable, so that the company will be attractive to investors.
An Australian report released by Edge Environment in 2014
In their lab, the Watershed Materials team has produced a block (http://bit.ly/1wXipRZ) predicts that in the near future, materials
that exceeds 7,000 psi and contains no Portland cement or fly with lower embodied energy will likely have a marketing
ash. In the meantime, Watershed Materials is fielding inquiries advantage. Innovations such as Watershed Block and SITUPS are
about potential projects. Several have been built or are under well positioned to help transition the construction industry into
construction, including block walls that will front a new Costco a low-carbon future.
building in Napa, California.

LOW-CARBON SIPS FROM DOWN UNDER

Another innovation halfway around the world aims to improve
energy performance and speed the construction process. Susan and
John Glassford, owners of Huff n Puff Constructions, based in New
South Wales, Australia, have been developing a super-insulated
tilt-up panel system, or SITUPS. These structural insulated panels
utilize compressed waste straw as the core material. Citing the
rising cost of energy and framing timber, increased demand for