How Love Schack Architecture Is Designing For Both People + Planet

Why natural materials?

The reasons are many—some are aesthetic, that we enjoy the textures and appearance of materials we recognize from the natural environment. Then there are the health benefits: When we build new, we have the opportunity to mitigate, if not eliminate, materials that invite toxins inside, assuring we will have clean, healthy indoor air. We can also create buildings with a lower carbon footprint when we use materials that are carbon neutral or even carbon negative.

You have been working with straw bale insulation. Tell us about that.

Straw bale construction has been around for a long time but has never really been embraced by the conventional building industry. Straw is readily available in our region, is regenerative and is a carbon sink, meaning it absorbs more carbon than it releases. The potential of the material is vast, and we have been exploring straw panels—structural wall panels framed in wood and infilled with chopped straw. The result is a material that is cost competitive, low-carbon and easy to install.

Why is this work important to you?

As architects, we should be advocates for the best buildings that we know how to create. For us, that means being accountable for the materials that find their way into our buildings. It is not enough to just create beautiful spaces; we need to both ensure comfort in a harsh climate and protect the health and wellness of our users for years to come.