Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building

22/04/2016

In 2008-2009 PAKSBAB conducted a definitive seismic research project at the University of Nevada Reno's NEES site. Our straw bale house was tested on a shake table and withstood 8 consecutive earthquakes of increasing intensity - up to 2x the Northridge Canoga Park Record. Check out our video below, expecially the final 200% trial!

This is a video of shake table trials 4 and 8 of PAKSBAB's Seismic Research Project at the University of Nevada, Reno NEES facility. The input motion was the...

04/04/2016

Farzana, daughter of PAKSBAB Natural Builder Gulzar, built a playhouse out of stones, timbers and cardboard and furnished it with miniature clay pots. At the time she was living in a tent with her family, having lost their home 4 years earlier in the Kashmir Earthquake.

25/03/2016

Straw bales suitable for building are not available in Pakistan, therefore we make our own using manually operated farm jacks and locally fabricated compression moulds. The bale dimensions are approximately 1 foot by 1 foot by 2 feet long. Our team is able to produce 15 bales per person per day at a cost of about $0.70 per bale, including straw and labor.

13/03/2016

Rustum, one of our natural builders, repaired the lime finish plaster and applied a fresh coat of limewash on Rubina Saleem's house. He finished it off with some nice touches.

01/03/2016

The Permaculture Research Institute is a great online resource for Permaculture how-to information, videos and courses. Permaculture encompasses sustainable farming, food forests, water management, soil creation, natural building and more. PAKSBAB believes it is key to raising people out of poverty as well as restoring the health of the planet.

"Permaculture is a system of design that provides all of the needs for humanity in a way that benefits the environment." - Geoff Lawton

21/02/2016

SCIPPER is a network of individuals and organizations facilitating the rehabilitation of survivors who became paralyzed during the Kashmir Earthquake. PAKSBAB partnered with SCIPPER to build 5 wheelchair accessible straw bale houses for their patients.

In 2005, Northern Pakistan was devastated by an earthquake. Over 600 people became paralyzed from spinal cord injuries.

13/02/2016

PAKSBAB C.O.O. Surkhab Khan visited Rubina Saleem at her straw bale home in early January. She expressed gratitude and relief, knowing that her family lives in an earthquake-safe house. Per the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the number of earthquakes in and around Pakistan in the last 5 years has risen from about 600 to 850 annually, causing concern regarding quality of construction and public safety.

05/02/2016

In July of 2014 we completed our 40th straw bale house, for SCIPPER patient Rubina Saleem and her family. Rubina was paralyzed in the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake. After multiple hospital stays, she lived with her three children in one room in a slum without basic facilities. Rubina's new wheelchair accessible house has restored her mobility and greatly improved her family's dignity and quality of life.

15/01/2016

As a partner of Builders Without Borders, donations to PAKSBAB are tax-deductible in the U.S.; BWB is a project of Networks Productions, Inc., a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Together we provide programs that promote international and intercultural understanding and exchange. By sharing information and collaborating we can all contribute to natural building solutions for a regenerative future! http://builderswithoutborders.org/partners.htm

09/01/2016

Our vision is that everyone deserves to be self-sufficient and have access to safe and affordable housing. We believe that this can be accomplished through community building and appropriate design solutions that protect and restore the earth.

04/01/2016

There has been a lot of seismic activity in the Pakistan region lately, a reminder of the importance of earthquake-resistant construction methods.

People rushed out of offices and homes in panic