Working with the planning committee for nine months, we developed a dynamic design solution that symbolically portrayed the agriculture industry the bureau serves. This building architecture portrays an agricultural building style utilizing corrugated metal roofing and siding along with a plaster wall finish. What is unique and exciting about this project is the use of the innovative green building design of straw bale construction.

This technique of incorporating straw bales for constructing walls has been recently revived as a low-cost alternative for building highly insulating walls. The technique was practiced in the latter 1800s and early 1900s. Many of the early structures are being occupied. The technique has been applied to homes, farm buildings, schools, commercial buildings, churches, community centers, government buildings, airplane hangars, well houses, and more.
The design solution addresses the needs of Colusa County Farm Bureau in function and aesthetics as well as meeting the concerns of green building/sustainable building design.