Frequently Asked Questions

Straw and wood are both materials that are made to last. The oldest wooden building is more than 1,300 years old. Modern straw-bale building techniques date back to the beginning of the last century. The first houses built in Europe (1921) and the US (1925) are still in pristine condition. We offer a 25 year producer guarantee for the insulation layer and 50 years for structural integrity. However, as long as the installation standards are met, the life expectancy of an EcoCocon building can be measured in centuries.

Contrary to popular belief, straw and wood buildings resist fire very well. The straw in our panels is compressed at a density of 110kg/m³ (6.9 Ib/ft³), not leaving space for oxygen that would fuel the fire. Moreover, straw has a high content of silica, a natural fire retardant. When burning, both materials create a charcoal insulation layer on the surface that protects them from flames. 

Combined with clay plaster, our panels are rated to withstand two hours of intense fire according to the REI 120 and REIef120 certifications, meeting strict fire safety requirements. In fact, after two hours of over 1000°C (1832°F) on one side, the other side showed an average temperature increase of only 17.7°C (63.9°F).

No more than brick or concrete buildings. While hay may be attractive for its leafy material, straw only contains cellulose and is not a food source. Rodents enjoy building tunnels and look for cavities. Highly compressed straw is not a suitable environment for them.   

Any gaps in the construction can lead to warm, moist air escaping and condensing in the structure. The airtight layer ensures that your construction has an extraordinarily long life without any hidden damages. Also, airtightness greatly minimises heat loss and drafts in the house.

The wood fibre board adds another level of security to the construction, as any potential damages to the facade will not impact the load-bearing structure of our straw panels. It also provides an even surface that can be plastered with regular plaster systems certified for wood fibre boards.

115 buildings were built from 2014 to 2019 in 21 different countries. We do not have reliable statistics before that, but since 2010, approximately 20,000 m² (215,278 ft²) of wall surface has been built with EcoCocon.

At this moment, our only production facility is located in Kybartai, Lithuania. Our goal is to gradually set up local production in all the countries where we are present. 

Our panels are contributing very positively to the climate. This is partly thanks to the CO2 sequestered in the straw and wood, and partly due to the fact that the straw is a byproduct from the agricultural sector, and therefore is already being produced. Even if you transport them 2000 km (1242 mi) by a lorry, they still sequester about twice as much CO2 than what is released during the transport. Moreover, by using our panels you are replacing carbon-intensive materials such as concrete, bricks or polystyrene, thereby improving the climate footprint even more.

EcoCocon panels have excellent sound insulating properties (resistance to the passage of sound of 54 dB). This greatly exceeds the minimum standard requirements and results in exceptional acoustic comfort. 

Not at all. Do not mistake straw for hay - whereas hay is grass and contains pollen, straw is cellulose and harmless. What’s more, in combination with clay plaster, our walls effectively regulate the indoor humidity and your allergy symptoms might be relieved. 

The construction costs are roughly comparable to a passive house. The system pays off in the long run thanks to minimum operating expenses. 

As a rule of thumb, using healthy and natural materials is always slightly more expensive compared to industrial products. Just like when you buy organic food. This is due to the so-called “internalised environmental costs”, which means that we as producers look after the future by delivering a product that does not require future generations to pay for cleaning up after us.

Nevertheless, the walls only account for about 10-20% of the overall construction budget. The exact cost always depends on the particular project. Send us your drawings and we will get back to you with a non-binding estimate.

Even if your project is already designed with a different material in mind, switching to EcoCocon usually does not require any major changes. You can contact us at any stage of the project and we will help you with the next steps.

Our system has a load-bearing capacity for up to 6 storeys. To overcome this limitation, our panels can also be used as insulation in combination with another load-bearing structure.

No. While EcoCocon creates the best conditions for the Passivhaus standard to be achieved, there are other important factors that come into play. These include the orientation of the house, the selection of windows, the roof insulation, etc. The energy performance of a passive house always needs to be verified by a PHPP calculation.

Our team is ready to assist your architect and builders every step of the way. We guarantee that your project will benefit from using our system - by reducing construction time while maintaining full flexibility in design.

The maintenance is the same as with any other house. EcoCocon walls should be protected against direct contact with water.

While you can use an array of standard interior finishes such as gypsum or Fermacell, to get the most out of our system, we strongly encourage you to use clay plaster. Clay acts as an effective humidity regulator. It absorbs excess humidity and releases it when the humidity levels drop creating a high level of comfort. Moreover, its toxin-removing properties have been known for thousands of years. It absorbs harmful substances emitted by modern interior elements and helps you create an even healthier indoor environment. 

You can use a vapour-permeable plaster or any kind of ventilated facade. The plaster needs to assure a w-value (coefficient of water absorption) of <0.1 kg/m² * h (<0.33 oz/ft² * h).