Truth Window – Porthole window on Chattanooga’s first straw bale home.
The Northshore Public Art Committee invites guests to join them on Sunday, April 3, from 3-5 p.m. to tour Chattanooga’s first straw bale home.
Located in North Chattanooga, the house was designed by architect Howard Switzer and built in 2005 by Wise Construction.
The non-load bearing structure is constructed from 950 bales of straw stacked between posts, pinned with bamboo sewn together with wire. The foundation, roof, and inside drywall are all traditional; and the inside and outside plaster was hand applied and mixed from lime, sand, and dirt from the excavation. The home also boasts a green roof installed by Earthscapes.
Although straw was first used in homes in Paleolithic Africa, straw bale construction was first employed in the Sandhills of Nebraska in the late 1800s. Today this natural construction option has many advantages including non-toxicity, renewability, decreased construction costs, high insulation value, and stronger fire protection than many conventional building materials.
Guests at the event will have the opportunity view this unique contemporary “green” home while enjoying wine, beer, and light hors d’oeuvres.
Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased online or at the door. All proceeds from ticket sales will go toward to the Northshore Community Public Art Project.
For more information on the event, please call 643-6096 or e-mail publicartchattanooga1@gmail.com.
The Northshore Community Public Art Project is an Art in the Neighborhoods initiative to bring a permanent sculpture to the corner of Frazier Avenue and Woodland Street.
Administered by Public Art Chattanooga, Art in the Neighborhoods is a program designed to assist community groups in generating public art projects in neighborhoods throughout Chattanooga by providing matching grants through the generous support of the Lyndhurst Foundation.
For more information about the Northshore Community Public Art Project or Public Art Chattanooga, please contact Peggy Townsend, director, Public Art Chattanooga, at 643-6096.