FAQ

Straw bale structures have survived well in earthquakes and severe weather. Structural engineering tests show straw bale walls have both good compressive and lateral strength and good ductile qualities. Programs in China and Pakistan are using straw bale construction for earthquake resistant, energy efficient housing.

Houses made from straw blocks Rainbow Ecosystem have a high level of fire resistance. Due to the high degree of pressure in straw, there is no oxygen inside the walls which contributes to the ignition. Together with clay plaster it provides high fire resistance. A wall unit made of Rainbow Ecosystem panels is able to withstand open fire (t = 800-1000 C0) for 1 hour. The refractory index of the structure is REI 60.
See video of the test: https://youtu.be/45iSps2HxAc

Our technology allows using any existing heating system. If you order a house project in our company, we create for you the energy passport of your home. Having this passport, you can contact the company that specializes on heating systems, and it will choose the best heating system for your house.

You have chosen a project of house and want to implement it with Ekoblocks Rainbow Ecosystem?

There are three solutions:

• Contact us and share your project. We’ll get back to you to learn more and then put you in touch with a professional within our network who will design and build your dream home.

• You’ve already found a professional in your region who is affiliated with Rainbow Ecosystem and with whom you’d like to work.  Contact them directly, so they can accompany you in your home construction project.

We can also connect you with specialist within Rainbow Ecosystem network in your region.

• You already know an architect, wood-frame builder, carpenter, or general contractor in your area and you’d like them to carry out your construction project from Ekoblocks. We will contact them to make sure they have the correct insurance and skill-set, then we will train them in the Rainbow Ecosystem building system.

Rainbow Ecosystem is a research and development office and a manufacturer of biosourced and loadbearing Ekoblocks for construction of energy saving buildings. The execution of the building and design plans, the coordination and management of the project, and the construction are all carried out by local professionals trained by Rainbow Ecosystem.

In any case, you can contact Rainbow Ecosystem whenever you’d like, at any stage of your project. As soon as we begin a project with you, you will have a dedicated Rainbow Ecosystem representative who will follow your project and respond to your questions.

• According to the project of house we produce components of wall blocks (in the required number and size)
• The straw is being pressed to the wooden frame of the future panel, using a five-ton hydraulic press, to the density of 140 kg / m3.
• The panel goes to the cutting area where the excess of straw is cut off with special equipment. Rainbow Ecosystem has developed a special machine for cutting the panels, which cuts the panel in 30 seconds
• After the cutting process, the panel goes to the assembly platform. The blocks have a height of 3000 mm, and a length of 2400 mm to 6000 mm.
• Installation of communications – heating, hot and cold water supply, electricity.
• After the communications have been installed, the first watering layer of plaster (clay and sand) is applied. Then a second layer of clay-sand mixture is applied (a thicker consistency). The thickness of wall with two plaster layers is 450 mm.
• The plastered block goes to the pre-drying section where a surplus of moisture leaves the plaster, in a special chamber, under the influence of infrared radiation.
• The pre-dried block goes to the final finishing area where you can do any kind of interior finish at the customer’s request: preparation for wallpapering, lime coating, wooden siding, etc.

The wooden frame of Rainbow Ecosystem eco-block has been designed to support the roof and floor panels. The straw is pressed in the Rainbow Ecosystem panels with a 5-ton press. The panels are assembled into a block (up to 5 panels) and plastered with clay-sand mortar. The Rainbow Ecosystem wall panel withstands a vertical load of 27 tons. Our prefab. technology allows producing eco-blocks in the cold season and installing them as soon as favorable weather comes.
See tests of Rainbow Ecosystem panels at: https://youtu.be/Cca6YcMdFxQ

Dry pressed straw is not a material that attracts insects (neither for life and reproduction purposes, nor for nutrition). Exception can only be termites. However, for most regions of Eurasia, this problem is excluded. Also, the wooden frame is treated with a flame retardant, which has a powerful biocidal action that ensures biostability of wood to all the most common microorganisms, fungi and insects.
Speaking about rodents: straw buildings are no different from other types of buildings. This means that mice do not show interest in straw as a food product (they can only be attracted by the grains left in the straw).
Methods of protection against rodents applied for straw houses are the same as for other types of houses: installation of metal mesh on the bottom of the wall (or the floor, in case of a columnar foundation), or the presence of cat in the house.

You can build a passive building from the Rainbow Ecosystem units, in which the energy consumption necessary for maintaining comfortable temperature does not exceed 15 kW / m2 per year. You can be sure that the utility payments for living in such a house are substantially less in comparison with the buildings built from other building materials. It is better to specify a number.

The use of straw as a building material does not impose any restrictions on the house design. When using plasters, you can achieve both perfect smoothness of walls and exact angles, or more traditional “soft” forms typical to green construction (adobe houses).
The use of a ventilated facade allows you to make any external works based on any material, including brickwork imitation or clinker, if necessary.

Eco Block is a wooden frame filled with pressed straw, covered on both sides with a clay plaster layer. The block is produced using the prefab technology. It means that the whole production process – assembling the frame, pressing and cutting the straw, plastering and drying are performed in the factory, under the supervision of our specialists. This includes controlling the humidity of the straw, monitoring the geometry of the panels and of the whole block unit.

The wall, floor and roof blocks have a thickness of 400 mm, which provides a high level of sound insulation: up to 54 dB.

The reliability of the Rainbow Ecosystem building system is ensured by careful selection of natural materials, thorough development of block manufacturing techniques and quality control in production. The houses built from Eco Blocks are designed for 5 generations. Similar houses “live” more than 100 years. Example of this – a straw house built in 1921 in France, that “lives” until today.

Inexpensive materials and a quick and easy implementation insure a cost-effective house.

Our exceptional thermal insulation guarantees you monthly savings in energy consumption.

WHAT DO WE SELL?

Rainbow Ecosystem is a research and development office and a manufacturer of biosourced and loadbearing Ekoblocks for construction of energy saving buildings. The execution of the building and design plans, the coordination and management of the project, and the construction are all carried out by local professionals trained by Rainbow Ecosystem.

Innovation developed by Rainbow Ecosystem: bio sourced loadbearing Ekoblocks using wood frame, highly compressed cellulose and clay.

Structural study: We validate your project through calculations and supply your with building plans. This study is mandatory.

Thermal study: We simulate the thermal behavior of your house to determine the necessary equipment to guarantee both performance and cost-effectiveness.

Housekit: All the structural materials and insulation for your home are manufactured up to one month. We then sell it to the professional that will construct your house.

Finishing materials: so that you can complete your home – interior and exterior finishing panels, cladding, tiling, the construction company of your house completes green roofs, terraces.

We sell the building material (Ekoblocks) to the professional that constructs your house. This way, your home can be guaranteed for 10 years.

WHAT DO YOU BUY?

When you have a building professional who will be in charge of

They will provide you with a precise quotation that will include the cost for Ekoblocks, the coordination and management of the project, and the construction process. You will enter into a contract with them and purchase the structure directly from them.

You can ask for a contract for a turn-key building, where everything is completed, or for a building left in its shell stage, where the structure is not finished but is airtight and water impermeable (walls and roof in place).

Before signing the contract, make sure that all the services and options you’ve asked for are included and that the professional has all the necessary insurance policies. Note that this type of insurance may differ depending on your location.

WHAT IS THE PRICE?

For a turn-key building, in France, the price is generally between 1100€ and 1700€/m² of interior surface area (ex-tax). This price varies based on your region/country and the options you choose: type of foundation, technical heating/air-conditioning systems installed, windows and accompanying woodworking, and finishing products. These all affect the final cost.

For buildings left in the shell stage (with foundation and no cladding): the price is generally between 750 and 850€/m² of interior surface area (ex-tax).

We can answer to this question only after performing of geological analysis of the supposed place of construction. According to our technology, the following types of foundations are used: ribbon foundation, piles “TISE” and geoscrupes.