Every tonne of grain produced in New Zealand yields the same weight in straw. Using this straw differently – and more widely – to build homes in New Zealand would not only cut the harmful gases released by burning the crop residue, it would lead to homes that emitted less carbon, during construction and after, and that cost less to build and heat than houses typically built now.

A plan for homes made with straw-filled timber panels has won an international architecture competition, and support for a potential prototype in the Nelson region.

The Kiwi-designed “Strawlines” project took joint first prize in the competition run by London based organisation, INTBAU, (International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism).