This 1000 square foot addition to Driftless Farm is sited on a north
slope, at the end of a long passive solar greenhouse with which it can
share heat in the winter. The house sequesters 12 tons of carbon in
round wood and straw bales. The WholeTree round timber structure
supports a second floor concrete slab, poured over a membrane of
recycled carpet and embedded with heating tubes taking maximum advantage
of winter sun through the southern exposure. The building embraces a
re-use oriented design ethic. The back three walls of the building are a
low budget curtain wall system constructed from recycled 8 by 8 foot
shipping palates sandwiched in pairs and filled with blown in cellulose
insulation, yielding an R-40 insulation value.