These are the pictures from the building site of the auctions room for a fine art auctioneers in Essex, UK. However, this is no bricks and mortar affair - it is being build solely from strawbales, no less.

The building incorporates a unique technique called 'compressive frame'. The roof is supported on a timber frame while the strawbale walls are constructed, but it is then lowered onto the strawbales, which become the loadbearing structure. In this way the roof protects the strawbale walls from the weather while they are being built and plastered. Other techniques pioneered by the strawbale specialists involved, Amazonails, include lime and clay plastering, and low impact foundations.

This 1100 square metre, £1.2 million project is fully on course and the first auction is due to be held at the premises in April of this year.

Strawbale constructors contend that materials for a house built from straw cost about the same as for a conventional timber-frame house, but much less than the brick variety. Contrary to popular belief, straw buildings are not a fire risk as they are difficult to burn and if plastered, allow even greater resistance.

A strawbale house is estimated to cost in the region of £60,000, which is equivilant to around €90,000. Figures from the UK indicate there are 4 million tons of straw a year surplus to requirements - sufficient to build 250,000 homes a year.