Lotus House Skillful Means designed a retreat and staff house for a Buddhist retreat center in Northern California. The building is two stories with a tile roof, and adobe floors. Because of the great weight of the building load-bearing techniques were not feasible, and a post and box beam system was used. Posts were set six to ten feet on center, and several metal x-braces were installed. Before the baleraising the posts were installed, the second floor deck was completed, and window and door bucks were in place, attached to the posts. This made it easy to locate and fit the bales to the window and door layout. We set the posts a little shorter than the height of the bale wall, and take pains to compress the wall before squeezing the last bale into place. This improves the thermal and moisture resistance of the wall, and strengthens the structure. Although we usually notch our bales by hand, because there were so many posts in this building we used chain saws. For safety and efficiency, we appointed "Chainsaw Samurai" who roamed the building cutting notches on request. Lotus House, which has tall ceilings and is over 3500 square feet, required almost 500 bales. The baleraising went very swiftly and harmoniously, and the food was good. By the end of the first day all the bales on the first floor were installed, and the second floor was completed the next day, ....in time for the crew to relax and admire the new building they had just put together. The next day the roof trusses arrived. Some of the baleraising visitors stayed on to help the staff set the trusses. Now the roof is on and the building is secured for the winter. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems will be installed next....(stay tuned).   The bales for Lotus House were stacked during a weekend baleraising led by John Swearingen and Janet Johnston of Skillful Means. The morning began with a brief talk and instructions. Soon the staff, friends and visiBtors began moving bales to the building site. The first floor bales went in quickly, and were fitted around the posts and bucks. Phil Nelson, photographer for the Trinity Journal, took pictures for a story on the baleraising. Some of the participants concentrated on making the special bales, while others crammed the last bale course into place, using a special jig and a lot of muscle. Bales were raised to the second floor with a forklift... unloaded.... and then slid down the hallway to be stacked. By Sunday evening, the work was complete.

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