Session · Climate and carbon · Designers and consultants

Reclaimed Wheat Straw for Passive House and Low-Carbon Design

Maria Giatrelis; Steve Layfield · September 3, 2026 · Chapter · NEPH (Northeast Passive House)

Reclaimed wheat straw in a Passive House wall assembly, with Durra Panel and ECHO.1 Hawthorn Passive Homes as the case study: reducing thermal bridging and improving durability, acoustics, fire performance, and comfort in New England.

Key points

• How bio-based materials contribute to high-performance design.
• How material selection affects performance, health, and embodied carbon.
• The role of bio-based materials in high-performance wall assemblies.
• Lessons for material selection on New England projects, for circular, low-carbon design.

Learning objectives

• Identify how bio-based materials contribute to high-performance building design.
• Explain how material selection can influence building performance, occupant health, and embodied carbon.
• Evaluate the role of bio-based materials in high-performance wall assemblies.
• Apply lessons from a Passive House case study to material selection for New England projects describing how material selection strategies can support circular design and whole-life carbon reduction.

Topics: Embodied carbon, Insulation and assemblies