https://alternativebuilds.com/Timber, fibre and the building systems that put them to work.enhttps://alternativebuilds.com/articles/studs-or-solid-panels-follow-the-load-through-the-house/https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/studs-or-solid-panels-follow-the-load-through-the-house/A house does not need a solid timber panel simply because the roof and floors are heavy. A well-designed stud wall can carry those loads down to the foundations, while sheathing or bracing and their connections carry wind forces through the building. A solid cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel is worth testing where its load-bearing capacity, stiffness or large prefabricated surface suits the layout. Whether either scheme works depends on the loads, openings, geometry, connections and remaining wall layers; there is no general rule that one system is stronger. [1] [2] [3]Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/what-a-straw-wall-asks-of-the-rest-of-the-building/https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/what-a-straw-wall-asks-of-the-rest-of-the-building/A straw-bale infill wall is one part of a coordinated enclosure. In the common non-loadbearing arrangement, a timber frame carries the roof and floor loads while straw bales fill the frame, insulate the wall and may support its finish. That choice brings other decisions with it: how the frame is braced, how the bales stay dry at the base and during construction, and how roof edges and windows shed rain. The answers depend on the chosen assembly and local approval rules, so a German or UK example is a starting point for design, not a transferable specification. [2] [3] [1]Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/what-changes-when-timber-posts-carry-the-building/https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/what-changes-when-timber-posts-carry-the-building/A post-and-beam frame changes the wall’s job by giving the main vertical loads a separate route through posts and beams to the foundations. In this system, columns and beams form a skeleton on which floors and exterior walls are installed. The infill between them can enclose the building without carrying those same floor and roof loads. But it is not automatically a removable screen: infill can contribute to a building’s rigidity, as well as form part of the enclosure. [1] [2]Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/straw-panels-the-questions-a-specification-must-answer/https://alternativebuilds.com/articles/straw-panels-the-questions-a-specification-must-answer/When straw is packed into framed panels, the bales stop being the whole wall-making system. The frame, panel joints and connections to floors, roof and adjoining walls must carry the structural work assigned to them; straw remains infill unless a separately justified design says otherwise. A continuous site-filled wall also needs restraint, but its restraint can run along the wall as a whole. A panelised wall divides that work at every panel edge, so the specification must show how those edges connect and how the enclosure stays continuous. [1] [2] [3]Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000