Reducing the carbon emissions of buildings is a critical strategy to address climate change. New Frameworks’s innovative approach to reach this target is to build with straw as an insulation material. A byproduct of grain farming, straw can play a vital role in trapping carbon and preventing it from entering the atmosphere. 

Plants naturally absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air as they grow, using a process known as photosynthesis. During this process, carbon is locked into the plant’s fibers, including straw, which is the stalk left behind after grain is harvested. 

Normally, straw would either be burned or left to decay, releasing this stored carbon back into the atmosphere. This may happen immediately after harvest, or after its use in animal bedding or landscaping. However, by using straw in construction, we can prevent this carbon from returning to the atmosphere.

New Frameworks uses this straw as a sustainable insulation material by compressing the straw into prefabricated structural panels for buildings. These panels are not only part of an efficient and non-toxic building, but also act as a carbon sink, storing the carbon that was captured by the plants while they were growing. Once the straw is sealed inside the walls or ceilings of a building, it stays there, locked away for the life of the structure. This process reduces the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere, making straw-based construction a powerful tool in combating climate change and providing energy efficient, healthy homes.

We have been able to quantify the benefits of this carbon storage value of our straw panels. The Building Emissions by Materials (BEAM) tool allows us to calculate the carbon emissions and storage of the materials in our building panels and our prefabricated homes. Roughly 6 kg of CO2 is stored for every square foot of our panels. By using our straw panels, our prefabricated homes typically store more carbon than the emissions that were released to create them, creating a carbon-negative home from the first day of operation.

The benefits of using straw as an insulation material go beyond its ability to store carbon. Straw is also an excellent insulator, providing both thermal and acoustic benefits. Buildings built with our straw panels are super-insulated and airtight, staying warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer and reducing the need for heating and cooling. This, in turn, leads to lower energy consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions from energy production.

Additionally, straw is a renewable resource. Unlike traditional insulation materials, which are often made from petroleum-based products or require significant energy to produce, straw is an agricultural byproduct that is grown and harvested each year as part of food production systems. Using straw as an insulation material reduces reliance on non-renewable resources and lowers the environmental impact of construction projects.

Incorporating straw into building design also supports local farmers and rural economies. By finding new uses for straw, we help create demand for this byproduct, benefiting farmers and promoting more sustainable agricultural practices. We source the straw for our panels from an organic farm 20 miles from our facility, investing in our local sustainable land-based economy while reducing emissions associated with the transportation of building materials from far distances.

One of the key factors that make straw a more accessible material for mainstream construction is the rise of prefabrication and panelized construction. Traditionally, building with straw required specialized knowledge and skills, limiting its use to niche projects or those specifically designed with straw bale walls. For the first 15 years of our company’s work, this is how we developed the technical knowledge and experience to effectively incorporate straw into buildings as an insulation material. However, our development of prefabricated straw panels has made it easier to incorporate straw into a wide range of construction projects without needing more builders to become experts in straw construction. Our panels are manufactured off-site in controlled environments and transported to the construction site. Builders can then quickly install them much like any other structural panel, speeding up the overall building process while ensuring quality control.

This shift to prefabricated straw panels has allowed for greater scalability in construction. With prefabrication, we are able to ensure consistent quality and reduced material waste. Builders can more easily integrate straw into both residential and commercial projects without construction delays or steep learning curves associated with on-site construction. The speed and ease of installation, combined with the growing availability of prefabricated panels, makes it feasible for more construction companies to adopt this eco-friendly material in their projects. As a result, straw insulation is poised to become a more common feature in buildings, helping to further bank more carbon into the built environment.

By incorporating more renewable, carbon-storing materials such as straw into our buildings, we can pivot our approach from reducing our harm to optimizing beneficial impact. Not only does it keep carbon out of the atmosphere, but it also offers a practical and cost-effective way to insulate buildings, ultimately benefiting both the environment and the people living in these green spaces.

Jacob Deva Racusin is a co-founder of New Frameworks and is the director of building science and sustainability.