This spring, students at the University of Michigan Biological Station used ancient building techniques to construct the first off-the-grid straw bale structure.
They built the project as part of the new Green Building class, created by Joe Trumpey, an associate professor in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and the Program in the Environment.
It took about a month for the 22 students and Trumpey’s teaching assistant to construct the building, which is now being used as a teaching space at the biological station. The Green Building class was supported by the Transforming Learning in the Third Century grant program funded by the University of Michigan.
