Though this is her first time on the podcast, it's actually round two for Sigi Koko, the founder of "Down to Earth Design" and the "Build Naturally" blog. Click here to see my original interview With Sigi. 

Sigi is an architect, builder and teacher extraordinaire. She founded Down to Earth Design back in 1998 and has been designing and building with natural materials in the Mid-Atlantic region ever since. She's a encyclopedia of building and design knowledge which she often uses to help guide new builders and designers on natural building forums on facebook and in her blog. 

In this episode we talk in-depth about the anatomy of straw bale walls, the key differences between thermal mass and insulation, and how to make best use of both for your location and climate. Sigi also gives invaluable advice for troubleshooting some of the trickier aspects of natural plaster application and mixing so keep a notebook handy for this one :) 

Resources:

https://www.facebook.com/buildnaturally/

http://www.buildnaturally.com/

"Building with Straw Bales" by Barbara Jones