GREB straw wall technique

A double timber frame filled with loose straw and coated in a light clay-lime slurry ('mezcla'), poured/packed in place rather than built from blocks or bales. Named technique (Canadian origin, adopted in France via the APPROCHE-Paille association) combining structure, insulation, and finish in one wall system.

Cost
Low
Upkeep
None
Skill to build
Intermediate
Lifespan
Matches straw-bale-equivalent lifespan, 50-100 years if kept dry, same moisture-dependency
Embodied carbon
Low
Space / material use
Medium
Output timing
None
Skill to repair
Basic
Regulation (FR example)
Part of the structure or footprint: covered by the building permit (permis de construire) for a new dwelling. Rural sites are additionally constrained by the commune's PLU zoning, outside a constructible zone, a new dwelling is generally refused.

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are rated against the other options for this same need, not in absolute terms.

What your site needs

Reliable moisture management, same caveat as other straw techniques

Inputs

none

Outputs

none

Sources

Tutorials

What this page does not tell you

No sizing or quantities: how much a technique yields, and how much a household needs, both depend on the build and the people, so the catalogue compares options rather than dimensioning them. It carries no bill of materials and no build sequence, and it is written for an oceanic, clay-soil climate (Normandy, France). Regulatory notes are indicative and need confirming locally.