01 Another Place
Another Place is a verdant 10.5 acres of sugar maple and white pine, five miles inland from Lake Michigan in rural Benzie County, MI — situated on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Odawa and Anishinabewaki people. Here, we are dedicated to slow building, land stewardship, and artistic research.
02 The Cabin
The straw panel cabin at Another Place is an in-progress experimental building project exploring how architecture can emerge from local agricultural waste, collaborative design, and ecological care.The cabin operates as a living laboratory and the building process brings together artists, designers, builders, and fabricators to test regenerative construction methods in real time.
Designed by Elle Gover and Ellen Rutt in collaboration with Bale Craft, the 388 square foot cabin is Michigan's first permitted structure built with prefabricated straw panels — demonstrating a viable path toward low-carbon, healthy construction.
03 The Team
This project is a collaboration between artist Ellen Rutt and Elle Gover, a writer and design researcher specializing in affordable housing and civic design — both longtime Detroit residents who have spent years researching, skill-building, and connecting with others in preparation for this build. The cabin is designed and fabricated in partnership with Bale Craft, Michigan's first straw panel manufacturer, based in Traverse City and working at the intersection of architecture, sustainable building, and local ecosystem stewardship. The broader team includes Thomas Hirsch of Bungalow Builders, earthen plasterers at Earthworks Plaster Collective, carpentry by Emilie Anderson, siding installation by Jon Manrow and Terry Groves countless friends, neighbors and a growing network of local makers and community members who share a commitment to building differently.
L to R: Ellis Wills-Begley, Co-founder of Bale Craft, Ellen Rutt, Lauren Williams, friend and volunteer, Sophie Pacelko, Co-founder of Bale Craft, and Elle Gover
04 Why Straw?
Straw is the dry stalks left over after grain crops like wheat, oats, and rye are harvested — a natural byproduct that has been around as long as farming itself. Because it is generated in massive quantities alongside grain production, straw is one of the most abundant and affordable agricultural materials in the Midwest. All of the straw for Another Place was sourced from within 50 miles of the site.
Straw SIPs:
Structural Insulated Panels
Formed into Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), compressed straw offers strong insulation, low embodied carbon, and non-toxic interior environments — with no chemicals needed to process the straw or the clay plaster used to seal it. Straw SIP construction can reduce embodied carbon by 60–70% compared to conventional construction, and in some cases make a building carbon-negative at the time of completion.
Straw SIPs designed and produced by Bale Craft in Traverse City, MI
05 The Building Process
All 32 straw panels for the cabin were fabricated off-site by the Bale Craft team using all local straw before being transported to Another Place for assembly. Alongside professional fabricators, the build has involved hiring local tradespeople, sourcing windows, roofing, and lumber from nearby suppliers, and applying earthen plaster by hand. Every step of the process is documented as both practical knowledge and artistic research.
The cabin's straw walls are finished with earthen plaster — a non-toxic, breathable material made of straw, clay, sand and water that seals the straw, allows moisture to escape, and dramatically reduces the risk of mold. Clay and straw together also provide meaningful fire resistance, with densely packed straw rated at over two hours — nearly twice that of fiberglass insulation. The plaster finish is applied in layers by hand, a labor-intensive and beginner-friendly process that has brought community members together on-site and made the building process legible and participatory.
06 Earthen Plaster
07 Get Involved
Another Place is an ongoing project and we are always looking for opportunities to connect with people and organizations who share an interest in regenerative building and art-making practices.
Do you have an idea for a workshop? Have you taught natural building courses before? Do you have battery-powered tools you no longer use? Want us to share about our materials and processes at your event?
We’d love to hear from you at
AnotherPlaceMI@gmail.com
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