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Prefabricated rice straw panels for sustainable bioconstruction
Published on 09 February 2021
Spain
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About this good practice
Over 75k–90k tons of straw, coming from rice production, are being generated per year in l’Albufera de Valencia, a natural park 10 kms far from Valencia city. This straw has traditionally been burnt, being a source of air pollution. Okambuva cooperative promotes the use of this material to produce prefabricated panels for construction, avoiding its associated contamination. Rice straw is a natural, biobased, and renewable material that has an excellent thermal and acoustic insulating capacity. The panels can be used in new and refurbished buildings.
The cooperative offers through its website all the technical information of the system, training courses for the construction of panels by professionals or self-promoters, even an open DIY manual, thus contributing to developing job creation and recovery of local economies.
So far, most of the buildings constructed with this system have been privately developed single-family homes. However, the City Council of Meliana (Valencia) has just started to build a day centre for the elderly people of more than 2.500 m2 with this system. This will be the first bioclimatic public building constructed with rice straw prefabricated panels (from the nearby l’Albufera) in Spain. The project is an example of collaboration among public administrations, Meliana city council, gives up the land, the Provincial Council, pays for the works, and the Regional Government, will staff the centre.
The cooperative offers through its website all the technical information of the system, training courses for the construction of panels by professionals or self-promoters, even an open DIY manual, thus contributing to developing job creation and recovery of local economies.
So far, most of the buildings constructed with this system have been privately developed single-family homes. However, the City Council of Meliana (Valencia) has just started to build a day centre for the elderly people of more than 2.500 m2 with this system. This will be the first bioclimatic public building constructed with rice straw prefabricated panels (from the nearby l’Albufera) in Spain. The project is an example of collaboration among public administrations, Meliana city council, gives up the land, the Provincial Council, pays for the works, and the Regional Government, will staff the centre.
Resources needed
Okambuva is a cooperative of associated work of self-employed workers, so it does not work with labour contracts, in a general regime, but by projects, with a temporary contract by work or project. Currently the team is made up of 10 people, 3 of them within the category of trainees.
Evidence of success
The convenience of the system (sustainable construction, reduced carbon footprint, excellent thermal and acoustic insulation, better comfort conditions), together with the professionalization of the sector, has increased the interest and demand for this type of construction. Besides and linked to COVID-19 crisis, there has been a sharp increase in the demand for single-family homes compared to flats, driven by the search for maximum comfort in the home, which also been reflected in this market.
Potential for learning or transfer
Houses made with straw can have the same resistance and durability as a conventional brick or concrete house, with the added advantage that it is a natural, breathable and healthy material (no toxic emissions) with excellent properties such as thermal and acoustic insulation, and environmentally friendly (practically non-existent carbon footprint).
This system is already used successfully in many European countries (France, Germany and the Netherlands.) The raw material is available practically in all regions of Europe. Although rice straw is mechanically more resistant than other types of straw e.g., wheat, more hydrophobic, and difficult to decompose, the system can be used with other types of straw.
Buildings built with these types of modules are usually private houses. Public administrations could take advantage of these type of modules to be used in public buildings, and they could be included with a positive score rating in public tenders.
This system is already used successfully in many European countries (France, Germany and the Netherlands.) The raw material is available practically in all regions of Europe. Although rice straw is mechanically more resistant than other types of straw e.g., wheat, more hydrophobic, and difficult to decompose, the system can be used with other types of straw.
Buildings built with these types of modules are usually private houses. Public administrations could take advantage of these type of modules to be used in public buildings, and they could be included with a positive score rating in public tenders.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Okambuva coop.
Spain
Comunitat Valenciana
Contact
Project Manager