York EcoDepot
Completed 2006
Built using the ModCell system of prefabricated straw bale cladding panels, this building is the largest straw bale building in Europe at 12,150 sq ft. Apart from the use of ModCell the building uses a number of sustainable design innovations:
The structure combines a thermally massive floor deck and a laminated timber frame. This combination provides a balance between thermal mass, integrated with an entirely passive natural ventilation system, and the use of high embodied energy materials.
The laminated timber frame supports a thin precast concrete deck just 150 mm thick. By replacing the need for a conventional steel structure, we reduce the emissions of CO2 through the manufacture of steel, a high embodied energy material.
Timber is a renewable material that naturally sequesters carbon into its structure. As trees grow they absorb CO2, keeping the Carbon atom to make cellulose and giving the Oxygen atoms back to atmosphere. There are 800 kgs of Carbon in a cubic meter of timber.
The laminated timber frame at the York EcoDepot has 71.5 tonnes of carbon locked into its structure, this converts to 263 tonnes of CO2 saved from emission.
Each ModCell panel has 400 kg of Carbon locked into its frame. the York EcoDepot uses 78 ModCell panels in total.