Abstract:
The present invention relates to a wall block for a strawbale house. More specifically, it relates to a wall block for a strawbale house comprising a predetermined frame in which at least two facing sides are not blocked, and a bundle of straw which is positioned within the frame and both ends of which are finished with loess. In the present invention, straw bales which will be comprised in the walls of a strawbale house are preformed into blocks in order to allow the strawbale house to be constructed easily and reduce the construction time and effort. This has the advantage of allowing houses to be built both easily and directly with little cost or time, and has many environmental advantages in terms of environmentally friendly use of materials, reduced construction waste, energy savings and the like.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to wall blocks for straw bale houses and methods of constructing straw bale houses using the wall blocks and, more particularly, to a wall block for a straw bale house which includes: a frame having a polyhedral structure which is open on a pair of facing ends thereof, and remaining side surfaces of which are connected to each other by planar clamps, the frame having a plurality of connection holes; a straw bale located in the frame such that cut ends of the straw bale form opposite ends of the wall block, with loess applied and drying between straws of the straw bale which are formed from the stems of annual or perennial herbaceous plants, the opposite ends of the straw bale being finished off with loess; and a fastener vertically coupled between the opposite side surfaces of the frame which form the open ends of the frame, and a method of constructing a straw bale house which includes forming a wall using the wall blocks in a masonry manner, wherein the open ends of the wall blocks form inner and outer surfaces of the wall, a connector connects the adjacent wall blocks to each other in such a way that the connector is inserted through the connection holes of the frames of the adjacent wall blocks, and the inner and outer surfaces of the wall are plastered with loess, thus allowing the straw bale house to be easily constructed with reduced cost and in reduced time, and providing environmental advantages, for example, the utilization of environmentally friendly materials, reduced construction waste, energy savings, etc. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    In the present invention, the term “straw bale” means a structure which is formed by tying the stems of annual or perennial herbaceous plants (hereinafter, referred to as “straws”) and compressing them in a block shape. The term “straw bale house” means a building in which straw bales are used as a wall or other building structure. 
         [0005]    Generally, straw bale houses are constructed by a construction method that stacks straw bales, which are typically made by tying annual herbaceous plants, one on top of another in a masonry style manner and then applies loess to the straw bales. To date, this construction method has been used as a DIY construction method in many countries. This construction method features the direct utilization of natural objects as construction materials without their having been treated by a secondary process. Therefore, when a building is removed, little construction waste occurs. Furthermore, heat insulation and the adiabatic effect is superior, so that there are advantages in terms of energy savings. In addition, because the wall of the straw bale house is made of straw bales and loess, dryness and dampness functions are activated, thus enhancing humidity control, deodorization and antibacterial effects, and preventing sick house syndrome. Moreover, the construction method using the straw bales is an environmentally friendly construction method which can markedly reduce the cost of construction materials. Thus, use of this construction method has recently increased in many places in the world. 
         [0006]    In such a conventional method of constructing a straw bale house, each straw bale is tied up by a string in a block shape. The block-shaped straw bales are stacked one on top of another. Loess or cement mortar is applied between the straw bale block layers or the adjacent straw bale blocks to couple the straw bale blocks to each other. However, the sizes of the straw bale blocks are not uniform. The compressive strength with which each straw bale is tied up to form a straw bale block is relatively low, and the force compressing each of the straw bale blocks is different from each other. Therefore, it is not easy to form a wall in a masonry manner or plaster the wall with, for example, loess. Furthermore, the thickness of the wall formed by the straw bale blocks cannot be adjusted. In an effort to overcome these problems, building skeletons made of, e.g., wood, are installed on the ground, and then spaces between the frames are filled with straw bales before plastering is conducted. However, this method also requires a lot of construction time, expenses and labor efforts. Not only an ordinary person (an inexpert person) but also an expert (an architect) cannot easily construct a building using this method. Furthermore, it is not easy to couple the straw bale block layers or the adjacent straw bale blocks to each other using loess or cement mortar. Moreover, much labor effort and construction time are required to plaster the wall made by stacking the straw bale blocks. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wall block for a straw bale house which is configured such that the straw bale house is easily constructed with reduced cost and time, and which provides environmental advantages, for example, the utilization of environmentally friendly materials, reduced construction wastes, energy savings, etc. 
         [0008]    In order to accomplish the above object and other objects which can be easily deduced from the above object, the present invention provides a wall block for a straw bale house which includes: a frame having a polyhedral structure which is open on a pair of facing ends thereof, and remaining side surfaces of which are connected to each other by planar clamps, the frame having a plurality of connection holes; a straw bale located in the frame such that cut ends of the straw bale form opposite ends of the wall block, with loess applied and dried between straws of the straw bale which are formed from the stems of annual or perennial herbaceous plants, the opposite ends of the straw bale being finished off with loess; and a fastener vertically coupled between the opposite side surfaces of the frame which form the open ends of the frame, and a method of constructing a straw bale house which includes forming a wall using the wall blocks in a masonry style manner. The open ends of the wall blocks form inner and outer surfaces of the wall. A connector connects the adjacent wall blocks to each other in such a way that the connector is inserted through the connection holes of the frames of the adjacent wall blocks. The inner and outer surfaces of the wall are plastered with loess. Therefore, the straw bale house can be easily constructed at a reduced price and in less time. Furthermore, there are environmental advantages, for example, the utilization of environmentally friendly materials, reduced construction waste, energy savings, etc. 
         [0009]    In a wall block for a straw bale house according to the present invention, because coupling between wall blocks is realized by coupling frames to each other, a very strong wall can be constructed for a straw bale house. Therefore, in the case of low-rise buildings, it can be constructed by a non-skeletal construction method without using a separate building skeleton. In a three or more-storied building or a high-rise building having a separate skeleton, the wall can be constructed in an environmentally friendly manner. Furthermore, the wall blocks are plastered with loess before the wall of the straw bale house is formed by stacking the wall blocks in the style of masonry. Thus, the straw bale house can be easily constructed more cheaply and in less time. Moreover, the present invention has environmental advantages, for example, the utilization of environmentally friendly materials, reduced construction waste, energy savings, etc. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wall block for a straw bale house, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wall of a straw bale house constructed by coupling the wall blocks to each other according to the present invention; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an example of the coupling of the wall blocks to each other according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wall block for a straw bale house, according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wall of a straw bale house constructed by coupling the wall blocks to each other according to the present invention. 
         [0016]    The wall block  100  for the straw bale house according to the present invention includes a frame  1 , a straw bale  2  and a fastener  12 . The frame  1  has a polyhedral structure which is open on a pair of facing ends thereof, and of which the other side surfaces except for the ends are connected to each other by planar clamps  13 . A plurality of connection holes  11  is formed in the frame  1 . The straw bale  2  is located in the frame  1  such that cut ends of the straw bale  2  form the opposite ends of the wall block  100 . Loess  3  is applied and dried between straws of the straw bale  2 . The opposite ends of the straw bale  2  are finished off with loess  3 . The fastener  12  is vertically coupled between the edges of opposite side surfaces of the frame  1  which form the open ends of the frame  1 . In this embodiment, although loess has been illustrated as being applied between straws or being used as finishing material, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, yellow clay, yellow earth, red clay, mud, etc. may be used in place of loess. 
         [0017]    Furthermore, in a method of constructing a straw bale house, a wall is formed using wall blocks  100  in the style of masonry, each of the wall blocks  100  including: a frame  1  having a polyhedral structure which is open on a pair of facing ends thereof, and other side surfaces except for the ends are connected to each other by planar clamps  13 , with a plurality of connection holes  11  formed in the frame  1 ; a straw bale  2  located in the frame  1  such that cut ends of the straw bale  2  form opposite ends of the wall block, with loess  3  applied and dried between straws of the straw bale  2 , the opposite ends of the straw bale  2  being finished off with loess  3 ; and a fastener  12  vertically coupled between the opposite side surfaces of the frame  1  which form the open ends of the frame  1 . Here, the open ends of the wall blocks  100  form inner and outer surfaces of the wall. A connector connects the adjacent wall blocks  100  to each other in such a way that the connector is inserted through the connection holes  11  of the frames  1  of the adjacent wall blocks  100 . The inner and outer surfaces of the wall are plastered with loess. 
         [0018]    In the embodiment of the present invention, although the frame  1  has been illustrated as having the polyhedral structure, the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape and material of the frame  1  may be modified in various manners. However, to increase economical efficiency and constructability, it is desirable that the frame  1  have a polyhedral column shape, so that each surface of the frame can be brought into close contact with the surface of an adjacent wall block. For example, the open end (cross-section) of the frame  1  preferably has a triangular shape or an even-numbered polygonal shape, such as rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. More preferably, the frame  1  has a hexahedral shape and a rectangular cross-section. The frame  1  is made of wood, plastic or metal. In this embodiment, the frame  1  has the connection holes  11  to facilitate the coupling between it and an adjacent frame  1 . The present invention may further include another style coupling structure which can couple the adjacent frames  1  to each other, which is not limited to a special structure. Any well-known physical or chemical coupling means can be used as the coupling structure. 
         [0019]    Furthermore, the plates constituting the frame  1  are preferably coupled to each other by the planar clamps  13 . Nails, screws, nuts/bolts or organic binder, etc. which are typically used in the art related to the present invention may also be used in place of the clamps  13 . The clamps  13  may be provided on the outer surface of the frame  1  or, alternatively, they may be applied to the inner surface of the frame  1 . 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the case where the frame  1  is made of wood, the structure for coupling the frames  1  to each other may comprise nails, screw or nuts/bolts, etc. Alternatively, the coupling structure may be configured such that separate connection holes  11  are formed in the frame  1  and a connection pipe (not shown) passes through the connection holes  11  of the frames  1  so that the frames  1  are coupled to each other. 
         [0021]    As a further alternative, the structure for coupling the frames  1  to each other may comprise a rail structure or a depression and prominence structure, which are formed on the surface of the frame  1 . As another alternative, the coupling structure may comprise a chemical coupling means, such as an adhesive. 
         [0022]    However, the physical coupling structure which is separable is preferably used, taking into account the case where a portion or the entire surface of the wall of the constructed straw bale house must be replaced with a new one for, e.g., repair. 
         [0023]    The straw bale  2  is located in the frame  1 . The opposite ends of the straw bale  2  are finished in loess. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , it is desirable that the pieces of straw are oriented such that the longitudinal direction of the pieces of straw corresponds to the direction passing through the opposite open ends of the frame  1  to enhance performance of controlling humidity between the interior and the exterior of the constructed wall. Furthermore, when the straw bale  2  is located in the frame  1 , the straw bale  2  is compressed with enough force to prevent the straws from being removed from the frame  1 . In addition, a separate fastening means, such as the fastener  12 , is used to hold the straw bale  2 . The fastener  12  functions to prevent the frame  1  from bending due to the weight of the wall blocks which are stacked one on top of another, thus preventing a gap from occurring between the wall blocks. The straw bale  2  may be impregnated with soil water, which is formed by mixing soil with water, and then dried so as to increase the strength of the straw bale  2 . 
         [0024]    The loess  3  is applied between the pieces of straw of the straw bale  2  to increase the coupling force between the straws. 
         [0025]    The opposite ends of the straw bale  2  are finished off with the loess  3 . Loess  3  is used to form the outermost surface and the innermost surface of the wall when the construction of the wall is completed. As necessary, after the wall is constructed, a second loess layer or second and third loess layers may be further applied over the loess  3  applied to the opposite ends of the straw bale  2 . The loess  3  is not limited to special loess. When necessary, crack prevention admixture, thickening agent, reinforcing agent, adhesive, antibacterial agent, moisturizing agent, etc. may be added to the loess. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , to manufacture the wall block  100  for the straw bale house, the frame  1  having the connection holes  11  is prepared. Thereafter, straw is alternately stacked one on top of another such that the opposite ends of the pieces of straw form the opposite ends of the straw bale  2 . The stacked straws are subsequently compressed, thus forming the straw bale  2 . The frame  1  thereafter encloses the medial portion of the straw bale  2  in the direction traversing the straw bale  2 . Subsequently, the plates of the frame  1  are fastened to each other by the clamps  13 . Thereafter, the opposite ends of the straw bale  2  are cut off to a length corresponding to a desired thickness of the wall. 
         [0027]    The loess  3  is thereafter applied between the straws of the straw bale  2  and then dried, thus enhancing the coupling force between the straws, thereby increasing the strength of the manufactured wall block  100 . The fastener  12  is inserted into the wall block  100  from a cut end of the straw bale  2  in the longitudinal direction of the straw bale  2  and then fastened to the frame  1  by a tacker, nails or the like. Thereafter, the opposite ends of the straw bale  2  are plastered with loess by spraying a loess solution onto the opposite ends of the straw bale  2  or immersing the opposite ends of the straw bale  2  in a loess solution. Subsequently, the loess-plastered straw bale  2  is dried, thus completing the manufacture of the wall block  100 . 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , two wall blocks  100  manufactured by the above-mentioned method are placed adjacent to each other. The two wall blocks  100  are coupled to each other by inserting the connection pipe into the connection holes  11  or by a connector using an assembly apparatus which moves the connector to the adjacent surface through the connection hole  11 . Furthermore, the wall blocks  100  may be coupled to each other by inserting bolts  20  into bolt holes  10  formed in the adjacent surfaces of the frames  1  and tightening nuts  20  over the bolts  20 . Alternatively, the wall blocks  100  may be coupled to each other in such a manner that adhesive is applied between the adjacent surfaces of the frames  1  and the frames  1  are compressed towards each other. The frames  1  are consecutively coupled in upward, downward, leftward and rightward directions to each other by these methods, thus forming the wall. 
         [0029]    The surface of the wall constructed by the above method is treated by finishing it with a second layer of loess. Thereby, the straw bale wall having a planar surface can be formed without ends of the straws protruding out of the surface of the wall.